STAR PROCEDURES

Background:

STAR refunds are available to all homeowners in NYS provided that they apply through their local assessor. Application forms are available at individual assessors’ offices, as well as online. The deadline date for application varies by municipality, but most are due in March. Once an application for STAR has been submitted, the exemption stays with the home, not the homeowner.

SENIOR (enhanced) STAR refunds are available to all senior homeowners who meet financial thresholds. Applications must be filed each year with the respective assessor. These refunds are tied into the homeowner, not the home. If a Senior STAR recipient sells his/her home, the deduction is lost.

Both STAR and SENIOR (enhanced) STAR refunds are distributed through the real estate tax bill for the respective parks.

Owners of manufactured home communities have the option of either reimbursing the residents by check, or by applying 1/12 of the amount each month as a deduction to the rent. In either case, we refund the calculated amount less a 2% administrative fee allowed by law. We choose to apply 1/12 to the rent because it eliminates any problems between residents if one resident moves out, and another moves in to the same home and who is entitled to what portion of the refund. The deduction is tied into the tax year of the school tax bill, not a calendar year, or a November to October year, which we use for the monthly deductions.Rent rolls for all NYS parks should besubmitted to the respectiveassessor in February of eachyear.

VETERAN’s exemptions are similar to STAR only in that the deductions come through the tax bill– but the tax bill is sent directly to the resident. We reimburse them directly for their deduction, less 2% admin fee. Some residents pay their own bills and send us a copy (and we reimburse from that), and others send their individual bills here and we pay them directly. People who are on any kind of special exemption, other than STAR, receive their own individual tax bills, but we are responsible for paying them.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

- STAR varies from Town to Town because assessors have different ways of assessing property. Some properties (Watertown for example) have a bunch of residents on separate parcels and have separate bills. Some of them get a veteran’s exemption, and some just have basic. They are homeowners that asked to have their home assessed separately.

- Generally, a balance is only granted a STAR credit if it is more than 30 days past due (unless there is a pattern of past due history).

- STAR runs from December 1st to November 30th.

- Letters are sent from Corporate office by November 30th.

- SUBRENTALS, RENTALS & LEASE TO PURCHASE DO NOT QUALIFY FOR STAR EXEMPTIONS.

- There are exemptions for some towns for property taxes. Corporate issues checks for these. Generally, only 5 parks do this, and it is only veterans, enhanced and clergy exemptions on separate parcels. QUESTIONS? Email

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Processing STAR:

  1. Get copy of school tax bill
  2. Get respective listing from tax assessor
  3. Match up total STAR exemption on tax bill with total STAR exemption on listing from tax assessor. There should be two amounts to tie in (a) total amount of exemption per thousand dollars of value, and (b) total amount of $$ to be distributed.
  4. Prepare excel spreadsheet (can be exported from RM) listing
  5. Name, lot #
  6. Exemption amt (per assessor)
  7. Refund amt calculated per $1000/exemption (calculated); the total of these amounts must equal the $$ amount of STAR exemption on the respective tax bill.
  8. #c, less 2% admin fee (calculated)
  9. Net fee (c-d) (calculated)
  10. Monthly fee (calculated)
  11. At mid-month November, compare refund listing to outstanding balances. Clear up any outstanding balance with the funds available from STAR and send a letter to the resident explaining what was done. If only part of a refund is used to clear up a balance, take the remaining amount and divide by 12. This is their monthly STAR.
  12. Send individual letters to all residents telling them what their monthly deductions will be, as of December 1.
  13. Set appropriate STAR credit for each resident in RM

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