Introduction
The City and County of San Francisco's Real Estate Watchdog
Program (“Program”) receives complaints concerning the underpayment of property
tax for real estate transactions that have not been reported to the Office of
the Assessor-Recorder (“Assessor’s Office”). The Assessor’s Office is
responsible for investigating and resolving reported complaints.
How
to Report Information
A person
reporting activity (i.e, “Watchdog”) should use the <online form> to
report information.
Please
include the following information when filing your report:
- Your name and how you may be contacted
- Address of the building in question
- Individual or parties involved
- Year you suspect the transaction
occurred
If you
experience any difficulty with the online form, please call 311 for
assistance.
Reward Guidelines
In order for a Watchdog to qualify for a Program reward, the
following criteria must be met:
- Assessor-Recorder
must certify that the unreported change of ownership will result in a
re-assessment leading to the actual collection of tax revenue;
- Watchdog
must not have participated in concealing the unreported transfer;
- Information
furnished must be information unknown to the Assessor (e.g., NOT newspaper
articles, online websites, etc.)
Please note that any Program reward is subject to approval by
the Board of Supervisors.
