Assessor's Guide to using PropertyAssist

This document walks you through the process of using PropertyAssist from the perspective of an appraiser in an assessor's office.

Document 1504  |  Last updated:  09/01/2020 MJY

PropertyAssist is a new tool that helps keep you safe while continuing to work during this unprecedented time. It allows you to keep your social distance by enabling taxpayers to gather images and data that are submitted and compiled for you through the PropertyAssist Portal. PropertyAssist streamlines your process in three ways:

• It provides guidance to the taxpayer on where and how to take the pictures so that you don't have to spend time on the phone, in email, or sending messages back and forth to direct each shot.
• It gets assurances from the taxpayer that the pictures are current and for the property being assessed. Otherwise, they can't submit.
• The PropertyAssist Portal allows you to log in and monitor the taxpayer's progress. Once they've submitted their images and data, you can download the PDF report along with all of the images captured by the taxpayer.

Follow the instructions below to generate a URL and send it to the taxpayer so that they can begin collecting photos and data:

1. Open your preferred browser and go to https://PropertyAssistPortal.alamode.com.

   We recommend using Google Chrome if you have it available. You can also use Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported.

2. Enter your E‑mail address and Password, and click Sign in.

   

   If you don't remember your a la mode login information, click the Forgot Password? link to reset your password.

3. Once you're logged in, click the Create button on the upper left.

   

   Click here for a breakdown of the portal dashboard

   

   • Click the Create button to start a new request.
   • Use the search bar to locate a specific request, or to narrow the list of requests and only display requests that match certain criteria.
   • Use the status filters on the left to display only the requests that match one or more of the selected statuses. Click Clear to remove all status filters and display the complete list of requests.
   • Click My Reports Only to view only the requests that were created by you.
   • Click a request to view the request details.
   • The current status of a request is displayed in the Status column next to each request.
   • The initials of the assessor who created a request are displayed to the right of a request in the Assessor column
   • Click the arrow next to your username on the upper right and click Sign Out to log out of the PropertyAssist Portal.
4. Enter the information for the new request and click Generate Link on the lower right.

   

5. In the screen that appears, you have three options for sharing the link with the taxpayer:

   

   Copy Link Only

   Copies just the URL that was generated — if you prefer to compose your own custom message, or you want to send the link by itself.

   Copy Link and Text

   Copies both the URL and the message template and can be pasted directly into a new message in your preferred email client.

   Compose Emails

   Opens a new email message in your default email client with the subject line filled out, and the message template and URL automatically inserted into the body of the email message. Keep in mind that this option requires you to have an email client (such as Outlook) installed and configured.

   Once you've chosen your option, click Done.

6. Open a new email message in your preferred email client and paste the message template and/or URL (if necessary), and then send it to the taxpayer. At this point:
   • The taxpayer receives the link and begins gathering photos and data. Click here to view the taxpayer workflow.
   • To view the status and check the taxpayer's progress, return to the PropertyAssist Portal dashboard to view the list of requests you've created. The current status of each request is displayed in the Status column.

     

     Click here for detailed decription of each status type

     Not Started

     The taxpayer has not clicked the link and accepted the Terms of Use for PropertyAssist.

     In Progress

     The taxpayer has accepted the Terms of Use but has not yet completed the inspection.

     Submitted

     The taxpayer has completed the inspection, and the data and photos are ready for download.

     Downloaded

     You have downloaded this taxpayer‑completed inspection and save it to your computer.

   • When the taxpayer is finished and submits the photos and data, you receive an email notification that the data is ready for download.
7. When you receive the notification that the taxpayer has submitted the photos and data, return to the PropertyAssist Portal dashboard. Then, click the corresponding request to open it and view the request details. Click the Download button on the right to download a zip file that contains a PDF copy of the report along with any photos submitted by the taxpayer.

   

That's it! Once you click the Download button, PropertyAssist automatically generates a PDF report, gathers all of the photos submitted by the taxpayer, and compiles them in a zip file that is saved to your computer. Simply open the downloaded zip file to extract the contents, or copy and paste the contents to another location on your computer.