Board of Assessors

Mission

The Board of Assessors and the Assessing Department are charged with valuing all real and personal property in the Town of Bedford fairly and equitably in accordance with applicable Massachusetts General Laws, and with providing quality service to the public and operating departments while also ensuring excellent financial management and maximum operational efficiencies.

Description

By utilizing accepted mass appraisal techniques, the Board of Assessors ensures that all real and personal property within the Town is assessed at its full and fair cash value. This results in each property owner assuming a fair share of the property tax, the largest single source of revenue for the Town. The Assessing Department performs all of the administrative functions necessary for the annual approval of the tax rates by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. In addition, the Assessing Department also administers the property tax exemption program, motor vehicle excise tax abatement process, and all appeals of real and personal property tax. The Assessing Department is responsible for the maintenance of data regarding the ownership, legal status, and descriptive land and building information for all property within the Town and serves as the clearinghouse for such information for the general public and other Town departments. The Board of Assessors is made up of three members elected to staggered three-year terms and is supported by the staff of the Assessing Department.

Cyclical Inspection Program

The Department of Revenue requires that every community re-inspect its real estate on a ten-year cycle, which is called a Cyclical Inspection Program. The State suggests reviewing a portion of properties every year rather than have the Town incur a large expense by doing all inspections in one year. In addition to meeting DOR requirements, the objective is to ensure the accuracy of the Town's assessing data, thereby assuring all properties are valued in a fair and equitable manner.

Inspections of the interior of the property will not be done unless a person aged 18 or older is present. If no one is available for the interior inspection, a notice will be left on the doorknob requesting the resident call the Assessor's Office at 781-275-0046 to set up an appointment for the interior inspection. In the event no one is home, the exterior inspection will be done, including measuring and new photos taken.

The interior inspection takes about 5-10 minutes, and not every room needs to be entered. A focus is on the condition of any renovated kitchens or bathrooms.