Change of address on registration & Homestead – ridiculousness involved... (Houston: vehicle registration, new home)

[alamakota]

Please help me understand this craziness with the DMV...

So, since I recently purchased a house, I wanted to complete the Homestead exemption form for the county I’m located in. The Homestead exemption form states that there are two required documents that must be attached with it:

1) copy of the driver’s license with the new address (which I successfully completed online for $11 charge), and
2) copy of the vehicle registration receipt with the new address – specifically NOT the change of address where the DMV will mail you the registration renewal notice, but the actual vehicle registration receipt with the new address.

So, I downloaded & completed the official registration change of address form VRT-146, signed it, and sent it (by mail) to the DMV in Austin. Why couldn’t I just complete it & submit online (like the registration renewal mail notice above!!!), I don’t know?

Now, I’ve been waiting and waiting for the lovely DMV to send me something, which would confirm that the address was changed so that I could submit my Homestead. Of course, weeks passed and nothing has arrived. So, I called them today and they said that the address was changed on my registration. I asked why I didn't receive anything in mail; she said “because you didn't request it”. So I said, that to me it seemed obvious that if I made a written request to change the address, I would receive some sort of confirmation.. ANYTHING to let me know something like .. “yes we received your request and it was processed”. Of course not… that’s just too much to ask for!!! So now, (fyi – in case anyone is in a similar situation) you need to download & mail (by Pony Express!!) another stupid form VRT-275 and ask for a duplicate registration receipt and pay $2 for each vehicle…. REALLY??? Couldn’t that all be done with the 1st stupid form??? Am I crazy thinking that?

Please correct me if I'm missing something… I'm just so frustrated with this stupidity!!! (Another “alternative” is that you can also go to the county tax office and also pay $2 to obtain a copy of that same stupid form…)

[HoustonRonnie]

Homland Security!

[crone]

Houston Ronnie must be correct. All we did was fill out a form and mail it in. No proof of anything.

Does the state still use prisoners to do data entry?

[testmo]

Hey man thanks for your post. I was worried about not getting everything in by the homestead exemption deadline. Printing form now

[cla]

New Homestead Filing Requirements


The recent session of the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 252 effective September 1, 2011 has new requirements for The Residential Homestead Exemption, Over 65 Exemption, Disabled Person’s Exemption and the 100% Disabled Veterans Exemption that must provide proof the home they live in is their principal residence.

Listed below are the exemptions affected by House Bill 252 and the required documents needed for each exemption.

· THE GENERAL RESIDENCE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION– a copy of the completed exemption application form 50-114, a copy of your current drivers license or Texas I.D. card (the address must match that of your principal residence) and a copy of your current vehicle registration. If you do not own a vehicle fill out the affidavit form attached with the exemption application, have it notarized and then attach a copy of a current light bill showing the service address and your name

[testmo]

no where in that little snipit (received one from my realtor too) said anything about needing to fill out an additional form with the DMV to actually obtain the proof that the car is now registered to the new home. had i not seen this thread I wouldn't have done it and paid the full taxes next year

[wclanton423]

What's the Homestead Exemption?

[testmo]

after living in your home (as long as primary residence or homestead) for one year you can file for this exemption. it is 20% off your home's taxes for the next year and every year forward

filing expires in April

[jasonamd]

You don't have to live in the home for a year, you just have to be living in it Jan 1st on the year you claim the exemption. We moved into our house in Nov of 2010 and I filed for the exemption in Jan 2011.

Also, it is not necessarly 20% off your taxes, it depends on the tax. It can be up to 20%, but most likely isn't 20% across the board. On mine, the city is 10%, school district is 9.4%, county is 20%, college district is 20%, MUD is 0%.

[alamakota]

Originally Posted by testmo

no where in that little snipit (received one from my realtor too) said anything about needing to fill out an additional form with the DMV to actually obtain the proof that the car is now registered to the new home. had i not seen this thread I wouldn't have done it and paid the full taxes next year

Hmm.. you are correct, it doesnt say anything that the copy of the registration must have the new address, but the copy of the driver's licence does. Strange... again to me it seams obvious that with their studpid and convoluted rules they might not accept my application if the new address is not shown on copies of all documents.

By the way, you definitely need to include all of the required documents (copy of the license & registration). Do not just complete and mail the Homestead form on its own, they will return it back. (..yes, speaking from experience )