Leasing taxpayers can protest an appraised value before the appraisal review board if the owner does not also protest, and the owner and chief appraiser have notice-sending duties in some cases.
Sec. 41.413. PROTEST BY PERSON LEASING PROPERTY. (a) A person leasing tangible personal property who is contractually obligated to reimburse the property owner for taxes imposed on the property is entitled to protest before the appraisal review board a determination of the appraised value of the property if the property owner does not file a protest relating to the property. (b) A person leasing real property who is contractually obligated to reimburse the property owner for taxes imposed on the property is entitled to protest before the appraisal review board a determination of the appraised value of the property if the property owner does not file a protest relating to the property. The protest provided by this subsection is limited to a single protest by either the property owner or the lessee. (c) A person bringing a protest under this section is considered the owner of the property for purposes of the protest. The appraisal review board shall deliver a copy of any notice relating to the protest and of the order determining the protest to the owner of the property and the person bringing the protest. (d) An owner of real property shall send to a person leasing property under a contract described by Subsection (b) a copy of any notice of appraised value of the property received by the property owner. The property owner must send the notice not later than the 10th day after the date the property owner receives the notice. Failure of the property owner to send a copy of the notice to the person leasing the property does not affect the time within which the person leasing the property may protest the appraised value. This subsection does not apply if the property owner and the person leasing the property have agreed in the contract to waive the requirements of this subsection or that the person leasing the property will not protest the appraised value of the property. (e) A person leasing real property under a contract described by Subsection (b) may request that the chief appraiser of the appraisal district in which the property is located send the notice described by Subsection (d) to the person. Except as provided by Subsection (f), the chief appraiser shall send the notice to the person leasing the property not later than the fifth day after the date the notice is sent to the property owner if the person demonstrates that the person is contractually obligated to reimburse the property owner for the taxes imposed on the property. (f) A chief appraiser who receives a request under Subsection (e) is not required to send the notice requested under that subsection if the appraisal district in which the property that is the subject of the notice is located posts the appraised value of the property on the district's Internet website not later than the fifth day after the date the notice is sent to the property owner. (g) A person leasing property under a contract described by this section may designate another person to act as the agent of the lessee for any purpose under this title. The lessee must make the designation in the manner provided by Section 1.111. An agent designated under this subsection has the same authority and is subject to the same limitations as an agent designated by a property owner under Section 1.111. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 581, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 332 (H.B. 804), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 598 (S.B. 1088), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2021. Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 614 (S.B. 1421), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2021.