Deed Changes/Owner of Record
New ownership information is automatically updated upon receipt of a copy of the recorded deed from the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds. Our office retrieves this information weekly.
The tax bill however, will carry the January 1 owner(s) name throughout the entire subsequent fiscal year along with a care of (c/o) to the new owner(s). The former owner(s) name will be replaced by the new owner(s) name once the fiscal year has run its cycle.
This often confuses homeowners, but Chapter 59 Section 11 of Massachusetts General Laws reads, in part: Taxes on real estate shall be assessed, in the town where it lies, to the person who is the owner on January first...
Change of Address
In the event that your mailing address changes, the owner of a property can submit in writing a change of address form (PDF) to the Assessor's office. This form can be dropped off, mailed in, scanned and emailed or faxed to the department as indicated on the form. The form must be signed before a change will be made. Once the change has been recorded by the Assessor's office, the information will update the sewer and trash billing information as well.