Orange County Appraisal District is sending out letters to property owners in an effort to make accurate appraisals of homes this year due to the number of residents suffering damages due to Hurricane Harvey.

Chief Appraiser Michael Cedars, according to the letter, said the district is aware that many properties are not and will not be repaired by January 1, 2018.

State Law requires the appraisal district to appraise each property based on its value as of January 1 of each year.

Appraisers are unable to inspect and observe interior status of all the damaged properties in the county.

“The information provided will allow our office to adjust values based on the level of flooding,” said Cedars. “Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to inspect the interior of each property.”

A questionnaire is included in the letter to help assess the true property value. In the form, questions such as a description of the damages and the estimated cost to repair are asked. Proof of the damages, such as pictures, insurance estimates or contractor bids are also required.

By law, the district is unable to consider any damages other than those remaining after Jan. 1, 2018.

The district will review all evidence presented and make adjustments for any remaining damages.

Adjustments will be reflected in the “Notice of Appraised Value” mailed by April 2018.

The district is unable to calculate the adjusted value before the notices are mailed, according to the letter.

Persons who are over 65 or disabled and have frozen taxes will not see a change in their freeze amount but should also send their questionnaires in, according to Cedars.

The appraisal district will accept information online, by mail or in person. Online filing can be accessed at www.orangecad.net.

The district is not able to take the information by phone.

Orange County Appraisal District is located at 9157 Interstate 10 East in Orange.

– Bobby Tingle contributed to the writing of this article.