Waterfront? Homeowners with retention pond see property value spike

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Mecklenburg County officials call homes with retention ponds in its backyard "waterfront property," making home values skyrocket.

With a higher value, they will have to pay more taxes.

[ALSO READ: CLICK here to check your property value]

Greg Jones, the vice president of the Woodside Falls Homeowners Association, has a pond behind his house, but it is not Charleston Harbor or Lake Norman.

“It is a fish pond for fishing. It’s got ducks,” Jones said. “It is not for sailboats, motorboats and Jet Skis.

Jones received a notice in the mail that his house is assessed at a little more than $359,000. When he went online to see why, he found a different and more stunning assessed value.

The county valued his land at $650,000. When combined with his house value, the total is $829,400, which is a 466.5 percent increase from the last revaluation.

Jones said he’s not the only one.

“Several of us around the pond were very surprised to see what our assessed value was,” Jones said.

County leaders said it shouldn't have happened.

The assessor's office said a system update is to blame. They think the incident is isolated to just the houses around this pond, but if you live near one, you should go online and check.

The county has since fixed Jones' value, which is now at a more reasonable $219,000.

In a statement, the county said, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The assessor’s office is aware and is working to correct the issue and the values. Although it appears to be an isolated issue, the office is investigating as to whether other properties have experienced a similar error.”

The county said there have been 4,300 informal appeals on their property value, and so far 700 have been resolved.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: