Is your 2027 Philadelphia assessment fair?
A free, unbiased check of the City's number against recorded sales of comparable homes, in about ten seconds.
Optional. We'll email it to you now, plus a free re-check when the City sets new values. Nothing else: no list, no spam.
How the City set your 2027 number
Philadelphia values more than 580,000 properties using a statistical model and (in most instances) not an in-person appraisal.
Your assessment starts from a base value for a typical home in your Geographic Market Area, then moves up or down for style, square footage, era built, lot size, garage, and condition.
The City grades that model on citywide averages, and an independent review found a median assessed-value-to-sale-price ratio of 0.99 and a dispersion measure of 10%. That means the typical home is assessed about 10% away from where its own sale price says it should be, some higher, some lower.
That is a strong result for a mass model, and it still leaves some homes outside the 10%. Those are the ones worth checking.
Sources: Office of Property Assessment, Tax Year 2027 Mass Appraisal Valuation Methodology Overview (June 2026); Independent Ratio Study Report — City of Philadelphia, Keene Mass Appraisal Consulting (June 2026). Both published at phila.gov.
What we analyze before you spend a dollar
The city's own records
Every fact comes from Philadelphia's Office of Property Assessment public data:
- Your assessment history, year by year
- Your home's recorded characteristics — size, age, condition rating
- Deed sale history for your property
- Exemptions & abatements on your account
The test the City uses
There is one recognized way to score an assessment: against real sale prices. The City's own reviewer applies that test citywide. We apply the same test to your block:
- Every recent arm's-length sale near your home
- Similar size, vintage, and city condition rating
- Priced per square foot against your assessment
- Sold within the last 12 months, so the comparison needs no adjusting
What we screen out
We exclude:
- Tax-abated sales (prices inflated by the tax break)
- Sales priced far below the surrounding market — which is what nominal transfers and distress deeds look like in the data
- New-construction premiums
- Homes we can't defensibly compare to yours
Simple, flat launch pricing
The check
The finding, how many recorded sales sit behind it, the map, and the homestead-exemption check. No sign-up or email required.
Informational package
The complete information behind your check, every figure sourced to public records. One-time. No contingency percentage, no subscription, ever.
Smaller cases
When projected savings are under $500/year, the package costs less, automatically.
Philadelphia reassesses every two years, most recently for 2023, 2025, and 2027. Buyers who share their decision letter, whatever the outcome, get the next reassessment's check at a loyalty discount if the City raises their value again.
What's in your informational package
- The assessment gap — how far your proposed value sits from recent recorded sales, and the annual tax difference at stake
- Comparable-sales table — the recorded sales most comparable to your home, in the table format reviewers expect
- The neighborhood pattern — neighbors assessed above what their homes actually sold for, all within the last 12 months so no time adjustment is needed, straight from city records
- High sales, explained — the expensive nearby sales a reviewer might cite, explained on the record (abatements, newer construction, condition)
- Key public dates — the City's published review windows for the current cycle
Everything is print-ready. We never file for you or represent you, which keeps you in control and keeps our launch-season price at $49 (regularly $79) instead of a contingency firm's 25%+ of your savings.
Why you can trust the check
Graded the same way the City is
The City's independent reviewer scored the 2027 revaluation by comparing assessed values with actual sale prices. Our model has to pass the same test in your neighborhood before we'll make any claim about your home. Where it can't pass, we say "manual review" instead of guessing.
Honest by design
Most checks end with "in line with the sales record": your number looks fair, backed by the count of real sales behind it. And if your account is missing the City's free homestead exemption (~$1,399/year), we tell you that too, free, with instructions.
Every number sourced
Nothing in your report is estimated by a human or invented by AI. Every figure traces to a City of Philadelphia public record you (or a reviewer) can look up.
Common questions
Could filing make my assessment go up?
A City review can result in a decrease, no change, or an increase. That's exactly why the check reports "above the sales record" only when the recorded sales run clearly against your number, and "in line" when they don't.
How does it work, start to finish?
Type your address and get the free check in seconds. If you buy the informational package, it generates instantly after checkout, print-ready. What you do next is entirely your call. The City's published review dates for the current cycle are listed on this page, and the City typically mails decisions in the fall. When a decision letter arrives, send us a copy whatever the outcome. It tells us how our figures held up, and we'll send a loyalty discount on the next reassessment's check.
What counts as an "arm's-length" sale?
A sale on the open market between unrelated parties, with neither side under pressure: the price a willing buyer actually paid a willing seller. Those are the only prices that reflect true market value, so they're the only ones our checks are built on. Because the City's public records don't label how a sale was arranged, we screen on price rather than paperwork: sales below a hard dollar floor are dropped, and so is any sale priced far under the surrounding market. That's what $1 deeds, nominal transfers, and distress sales look like in the data, but a family transfer or sheriff sale priced close to market can pass the screen.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It's an informational report built from public records. You file your own review if you choose to; no one represents you. The City's review process is designed for owners to use themselves. The form is one page.
Do you cover condos, multi-family, or commercial properties?
Right now the automated check covers single-family homes and rowhouses. That's where our model is validated against real sales. Condos, multi-family, and commercial properties show "manual review needed." If that's you, email hello@benchmarkappeal.com and we'll take a look.
I have a tax abatement — does the assessment even matter?
Often less than it looks, and we check this automatically. If your building value is abated, a scary-looking assessment increase may cost you little or nothing until the abatement expires. Your free check accounts for the abatement and says so plainly.
I own several properties — can you check them all?
Yes. Run any address free, one at a time, or for portfolios, email hello@benchmarkappeal.com and we'll run a batch check with portfolio pricing. We'll also tell you which of your properties are already in line with the sales record.
What if my report can't be generated?
You won't be charged. We check that we can build a full-quality package for your property before checkout, and if the sales record is too thin, we say so.
What if my assessment is fair but I'm overpaying anyway?
A third of owner-occupied Philadelphia homes appear to be missing the City's free homestead exemption, worth about $1,399 every year. Your free check includes it automatically. If you're missing it, we show you how to claim it (free, ~10 minutes, no service required).
What happens if my appeal loses?
Usually nothing changes. The City denies the request and your assessment stays where it was. You're out the price of the packet, not more, and you keep two paths: the formal Board of Revision of Taxes appeal (deadline October 5) if you want a second look this year, and the next citywide reassessment, which is a fresh appealable event — Philadelphia reassesses every two years, so the next one is expected for tax year 2029. If you bought a package and take your case to the BRT, the same public-record information applies. Your package doesn't change. One note: the BRT holds a short hearing; individual owners can represent themselves, but properties owned by an LLC or corporation generally need an attorney to appear. Most denials happen when the comps are thin, and if yours are, your check will have said "in line with the sales record" before you spent a dollar.
What are this year's deadlines?
This cycle's review windows have both closed: First Level Review September 1, 2026, and the Board of Revision of Taxes October 5, 2026. The next citywide values are expected for tax year 2029.
My check came back "in line" — what now?
Nothing to do — your number holds up against the public record. If you'd like, leave your email and we'll re-check it automatically when the City sets the next citywide values, expected for tax year 2029.
Benchmark reports how an assessment compares with recorded sales of comparable properties; it does not state what any property is worth. Informational report only — not legal, tax, appraisal, or assessment advice. Benchmark does not appraise or assess property; only the City's Office of Property Assessment assesses property in Philadelphia. Data: City of Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment public records; verify against your mailed Notice of Valuation. Potential savings are estimates, not guarantees; outcomes are determined by the OPA and the Board of Revision of Taxes. Benchmark is operated by Benchmark Appeal LLC, a private service not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia. Terms, Privacy & Refunds