HINGHAM -- The Town of Hingham and Director of Assessing Erin Walsh would like to inform residents of a property inspection program beginning this month.
In accordance with Massachusetts Department of Revenue guidelines, Assessors are required to inspect all properties in town at least once every 10 years (known as “cyclical” inspections). The Hingham Board of Assessors office has contracted VISION Government Solutions to conduct the necessary inspections throughout town as they prepare for Fiscal Year 2023 recertification by the MA Department of Revenue.
Residents should know that these inspections are legitimate and authorized by state and local officials. Any field personnel will produce proper identification, a verification letter from the Hingham Board of Assessors office, and will be registered with the Hingham Police Department for the duration of the project.
Inspectors will inspect the interior and exterior of the property and verify that the data on the property record card is up to date and accurate. The entire inspection will take only a few minutes.
If the homeowner, or a person over 18 years of age, is not at home on the first visit, a notice will be left asking the homeowner to schedule an inspection appointment.
Any Hingham resident who would like to arrange an inspection appointment in advance can call the Hingham Board of Assessors office at 781-741-1455 or email assessors@hingham-ma.gov.
Business Personal Property Inspections
The Board of Assessors is also conducting annual inspections of new and existing business personal property. The inspections will be performed by an appraiser employed by Real Estate Research Consultants, Inc. (RRC), on behalf of the Hingham Board of Assessors. The appraiser will be listing new property and reviewing existing property as required by the MA Department of Revenue for Fiscal Year 2023.
The scope of this project includes interior inspection of certain personal property accounts in order to list all taxable personal property items such as inventory, furniture and fixtures, equipment, and machinery used in the conduct of business.
The Board of Assessors and RRC ask for business owners’ cooperation in providing the representative with access to their property and the information necessary to undertake this assignment. If a business is not inspected, an estimate will be made resulting in a less reliable assessment.
All RRC inspectors will produce proper identification, a verification letter from the Hingham Board of Assessors office, and will be registered with the Hingham Police Department for the duration of the project.
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