ROCHESTER, N.Y. — People across the city of Rochester aren’t happy with their latest property assessment. Some are dealing with an increase of hundreds of dollars in taxes.

“I literally fell out of my chair and then had to get glasses to make sure I was reading this right," said homeowner Ray Bradley. 

That was his reaction to his 2024 city of Rochester property assessment. 

It shows the property taxes for his home on Troup Street are now valued to be four times higher. 

"I don’t know how it goes from $78,000 to $336,000 in the city of Rochester," said Bradley. "This isn't the suburbs. This isn't the price for a lakefront property."

That’s what he was looking to get answered during a meeting hosted by the city. Bradley is just one of hundreds of homeowners across Rochester raising issues with their 2024 property assessments. 

Property assessments in Rochester take place every four years. It’s based on the condition of the homes as well as the real estate market over the last two years. 

“Everybody says COVID had an impact on this, but momentum started well before COVID," said city assessor Mike Zazzara. "Interest rates increased but the sales are still out there."

Zazzara says that while the assessments seem high, it’s in line with cities across the state. 

"Our liaison at New York state who handles from Seneca to Niagara counties, he’s mentioned that any municipality conducting reassessments is facing the same thing," said Zazzara. 

To get a better understanding of the home value in your neighborhood, Zazzara recommends people check out the recent sales viewer on the city of Rochester’s website. It's an interactive map showing the past three years of residential sales in the city of Rochester. 

"Somebody can type in a street address, zoom into their property, whether it sold or not and they can scroll in and out," explains Zazzara.

"You can take a look at sales prices in the area.”

Ray Bradley and his neighbors can file a complaint for the board of assessment to review, but city officials say these higher numbers are most likely here to stay. 

“The city of Rochester is a great place to invest, invest in a home," said Zazzara. "You can gain a lot of equity and wealth, don’t expect it to decrease anytime soon."

If you’re unhappy with the 2024 assessment, March 19 is the last day to file a complaint for the board of assessment review.