ECONOMY.PROPERTY OWNERSHIP CERTAINLY HAS ITS PERKS.
LIKE PAYING LESS IN TAXES ON THE
PLACE YOU ACTUALLY
CALL HOME. IT'S CALLED THE
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
BUT WHEN A PROPERTY OWNER
FALSELY CLAIMS A
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION ON A RENTAL
HOME THEY DON'T LIVE
IN.AND MAKE MONEY FROM.WE ALL
LOSE OUT.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS FOUND
APPRAISAL
DISTRICTS HAVE NO SYSTEMS IN
PLACE TO CATCH IT.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
ERICA PROFFER
ERICA PROFFER THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL
DISTRICT . OR TCAD. SAYS TAX EXEMPTIONS ON
SHORT TERM RENTAL
PROPERTIES. LIKE THOSE ON HOMEAWAY OR AIR BNB ARE
HARD
HARD TO
HARD TO POLICE. BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE UNCOVERED TCAD SAYS ITS MAKING CHANGES.
"THAT IS A LOT OF SAVINGS"
IF YOU WERE TO ASK ARMY VETERAN
MICHELLE
THOMAS A YEAR AGO.. WHAT SHE
WOULD BE DOING NOW.
SHE WOULDN'T SAY "DETECTIVE"
WORK. "I TOOK PICTURES OF THE
ENTIRE COTTAGE,"
BUT PATHS IN LIFE ARE NOT ALWAYS
CLEAR. NATS
"WATERSTON AVENUE"
FOR THOMAS, THIS SHORT- TERM
RENTAL "COTTAGE," LED
TO A LAWSUIT.. AND QUESTIONS SO
BIG,
BIG, SHE
BIG, SHE CALLED US. IT ALL STARTED WITH A BROKEN DOOR. AND AN ARGUMENT WITH
HER LANDLORDS
"I WROTE AN ONLINE REVIEW."
SHE RENTED THIS HOUSE IN
CLARKSVILLE NEAR
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
"A ONE-STAR, ONLINE REVIEW."
SHE SAID WITHIN A WEEK, A
LETTER, . THIS "REQUEST
FOR RETRACTION" LETTER SHOWED UP
IN HER
MAILBOX.
"FROM THE LAW OFFICES OF TAYLOR
DUNMAN"
IT CAME FROM THE LANDLORDS'
ATTORNEY.
"TELLING ME TO DELETE THE REVIEW
AND REQUESTING
AND REQUESTING
THAT
THAT I
THAT I PAY DAMAGE TO THE DOOR" SHE SAYS SHE HIRED SOMEONE TO FIX THE DOOR.
"THIS IS THE DOOR"
THE LANDLORDS - BRIAN STANSBERRY
AND PHIL
RISINGER SUED THOMAS.
"IT WAS PROFESSIONALL Y
REPAIRED"
SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR AN
ATTORNEY..
"I DECIDED TO REPRESENT
MYSELF.WHICH I WOULD NOT
RECOMMEND TO ANYONE
"
WHICH LED TO HER DETECTIVE WORK.
LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SERVE
PAPERS. SHE FOUND .
"THEY WERE HOMESTEADING THE
PROPERTY..."
A DIFFERENT PROPERTY.
"... THAT I HAD ONCE BEFORE
RENTED"
A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION LIMITS THE
AMOUNT OF
TAXABLE VALUE ON THE HOME YOU
LIVE IN.
BOTTOM LINE, IT SAVES HOMEOWNERS
MONEY.
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS CANNOT BE
USED FOR
PERMANENT RENTAL PROPERTIES.
"DID YOU DO ANY OF THIS OUT OF
REVENGE
REVENGE BECAUSE THEY FILED A LAWSUIT?" "NO . THIS IS SOMETHING I
DISCOVERED THROUGH THE
COURSE OF THE LAWSUIT."
"I
"I WANT
"I WANT ANSWERS AS TO IS THIS LEGAL?" NO. IT'S NOT LEGAL.
SEE THERE, AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS
TRAVIS CENTRAL
APPRAISAL DISTRICT HOMESTEAD
EXEMPTION
FORM?
EXEMPTION FORM? THAT POINT "THREE" BETWEEN YOUR
NAME AND THE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE SAYS YOU CANNOT HAVE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION ON ANY OTHER PROPERTY.
ANYWHERE IN
THE U.S.
AND MAKING A FALSE STATEMENT ON
THIS FORM CAN
BE A FELONY.
DOOR
A TENANT WE SPOKE WITH, SAID
THESE THREE HOMES
ARE ALL RENTALS.
AND CITY RECORDS SHOW THE
PROPERTY AS AN OWNER-
OCCUPIED SHORT TERM RENTAL. WE
REACHED OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS.
"IF YOU WOULD, GIVE ME A CALL
BACK ON MY CELL"
BRIAN STANSBERRY CALLED US BACK.
"I'M A REPORTER AT KVUE HERE IN
AUSTIN"
AND SAID "NO INTERVIEW."
"WE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY"
WHICH LED US DOWN THE ROAD TO
LONNIE
LONNIE HENDRY. HE'S THE DEPUTY CHIEF APPRAISER FOR THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT.TCAD.
"YES, MA'AM"
IT'S HIS JOB TO MAKE SURE
PROPERTY OWNERS DON'T
SKIRT THE LAW.
HENDRY SAYS IF SOMEONE HAS
HOMESTEAD STATUS WHEN
THEY
THEY SHOULDN'T. WE ALL PAY. "IT DISPROPORTION ALLY AFFECTS EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO PAY."
WE FOUND RECORDS SHOWING
STANSBERRY
AND RISINGER HAD HOMESTEAD
DESIGNATIONS
ON THESE THREE HOMES IN AUSTIN.
ALL ON ONE PROPERTY.
STANSBERRY ALSO HOLDS TWO MORE
HOMESTEAD
DESIGNATIONS IN WASHINGTON D.C.,
ACCORDING TO PROPERTY
RECORDS.
"DO YOU HAVE THE MANPOWER AT
TCAD TO MANUALLY
CHECK EVERYBODY?"
"THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES,"
APPRAISAL DISTRICTS RELY ON TIPS
FROM NEIGHBORS OR
PEOPLE LIKE THOMAS.
"THERE IS NO CENTRAL REPOSITORY
OR DATABASE. "
SO WE PULLED DATA SHOWING
AUSTIN'S SHORT-TERM
RENTAL PERMITS.
TURNS OUT.. THIS ISN'T THE ONLY
QUESTIONABLE
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTED PROPERTY. FOR
AUSTIN'S "TYPE 2 RENTALS" . THE
OWNERS ADMIT
THEY LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. YET..
WE
WE FOUND
WE FOUND A DOZEN MORE PROPERTIES GETTING THE HOMESTEAD TAX BREAK. IN AUSTIN THEY HAVE APPLICATIONS
TO BE A SHORT-
TERM RENTAL. WOULD THAT BE A WAY
TO GET THE LIST AND
COMPARE?
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE
DEFINITELY
GOING TO LOOK INTO.
TCAD REFERRED THIS CASE TO THE
TRAVIS COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY. AND SENT
STANSBERRY
AND RISINGER THESE
BILLS.TOTALING $11,423.48 IN
PROPERTY TAXES OWED.
"WOW"
"THAT'S GOOD FOR TRAVIS COUNTY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE
DIFFERENCE."
DURING OUR INVESTIGATION. TCAD
REMOVED THE HOMESTEAD
EXEMPTION.
CODE ENFORCEMENT IS
INVESTIGATING
THE REGISTRATION ON THAT
SHORT-TERM
RENTAL PROPERTY.
TCAD'S DEPUTY CHIEF APPRAISER
SAYS MOST
UNQUALIFIED HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS
ARE
ACCIDENTS.LIKE WHEN SOMEONE
INHERITS A
PROPERTY AND DOESN'T CHANGE THE
EXEMPTION.
EXEMPTION. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU'D LIKE
THE KVUE DEFENDERS TO INVESTIGATE --
EMAIL US AT DEFENDERS AT
KVUE DOT COM OR CALL US AT THE