Cook County's published numbers vs the industry's 88% claims

Published 2026-11-09 · FairAppealPacket

The largest vendor in property-tax appeals claims 88% of its customers win a reduction. Cook County, unusually, publishes its own Board of Review data — and the public record tells a more useful story.

What the county data shows

For tax year 2025, aggregations of the Board's open data show houses reduced in 51.1% of appeals (median cut 6.5%), multifamily buildings of 7+ units in 20.5% (median 14.7%), and commercial property in 27.6% (median 16.1%). Pooled across 2021–25, multifamily appeals won about 60.7% of the time in a township's reassessment year — and 13.9% in off-years. Presentations differ (parcels vs dockets), so no single rate is the truth; the pattern is.

The lesson is timing and selection

Commercial and multifamily reductions are less frequent than residential ones and much larger when they land. The winning move is not a promise — it is appealing in the right year, with the property's real income evidence, in the counties where the record supports it. That is why our free check shows its worksheet, and why monitoring exists: to catch your reassessment year instead of spraying appeals into off-years.

And a note on trust

The same large vendor carries 147 BBB complaints in three years, clustering on auto-renewal and billing. We publish county numbers, price flat, and make renewal opt-in — because in this industry, the second year is where trust is lost.

General information from public sources, not legal or appraisal advice. Software, not representation. FairAppealPacket is not a law firm, a licensed appraiser, or a licensed property-tax consultant. We do not file, appear, or negotiate for you. You review, sign, and file your own appeal. No result is guaranteed.