How Much Will My Property Taxes Be After I Buy a Home in Los Angeles or Culver City?

When you look at a listing in Los Angeles or Culver City and it shows a number for property taxes, what you see is often based on what the current owner pays. It is not what you will pay. In California, buying a home resets the assessed value to what you paid for it, and your property taxes are based on that new number.

This post covers why your neighbor may pay far less than you do on a similar house, what the supplemental tax bill is and why it surprises people, and what to ask your agent or your lender before you write an offer. If you are selling a home and wondering about your own low tax base, I wrote about that in whether you lose your low property taxes when you sell.

Los Angeles County collects property taxes for the City of Los Angeles and for every other city and unincorporated area in the county, such as Culver City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Inglewood and Agoura Hills. Your tax bill has three parts.

• Your general property tax, which is based on your home’s assessed value.
• Voter-approved debt. Bonds that voters approved add an amount to pay the interest and principal, and it differs from one address to another.
• Direct assessments. These are fixed charges from local agencies, listed as line items on the bill.

For example, say you buy a Culver City home. With voter-approved debt and direct assessments included, your bill comes to about 1.25% of your sales price, depending on the address. Your lender will include that figure in your monthly payment, so it belongs in the number you use to decide what you can carry. If you are working out that payment, my post on what today’s mortgage rates mean for buyers shows how the loan payment moves, and taxes are separate from it.

Proposition 13 ties the assessed value to the last time the property changed hands, not to today’s market. After that, the assessed value can rise by no more than the lower of the California inflation rate or 2% a year, according to the State Board of Equalization. When the property is sold, the County Assessor sets a new value based on the sale.

That is why two similar houses on the same street can have very different bills. A neighbor who bought decades ago may be assessed on a fraction of what the house would sell for today. You will be assessed on what you paid. It is how the law works, and it is not a mistake on your bill or a sign that something is wrong with the house.

For example, say the seller’s assessed value is $500,000 and you pay $1,500,000 for the home. That is a difference of $1,000,000, and the general property tax on that difference is $10,000 a year.

After you close, the County Assessor sends a supplemental assessment and the County sends you a supplemental bill. It is a separate document from the regular annual bill, and both must be paid by the dates printed on them. The tax on the difference is prorated for the months left in the fiscal year, which runs July 1 to June 30, and the change starts on the first day of the month after you close.

• If you close in October, the change starts November 1, which leaves 8 of the 12 months. Your supplemental bill is about $6,667 before voter-approved debt, and you receive one supplemental bill.
• If you close from January through May, you receive two supplemental bills. The first covers the rest of the current fiscal year. The second covers the full next fiscal year, which in this example is about $10,000.

The regular annual bill is a separate payment. Its first installment is due November 1 and is delinquent on December 10, and its second is due February 1 and is delinquent on April 10. A late installment carries a 10 percent penalty, according to the County. Ask your lender and your escrow officer early whether your monthly escrow payment covers the supplemental bill, because it comes as its own document. You do not want to ignore it when it arrives.

If the home will be your main residence, California lets you claim an exemption that reduces the assessed value by up to $7,000. At a 1% general rate, that is about $70 a year. It is not a large number, but it takes one claim form and it is easy to forget. File it with the County Assessor, and check the Assessor’s site for the current form and deadline.

Here is what I would think about. Do not use the tax figure on the listing for your budget. Ask your agent or your lender for an estimate of the first-year bill for that specific address, based on your purchase price, and remember that voter-approved debt differs from one address to another. Ask what the supplemental bill is likely to be for your closing month. Then put the monthly total, loan payment, taxes and insurance, next to the payment you are comfortable carrying.

I would also not let a low tax figure on a listing talk you into or out of a house. It tells you about the seller, not about you. If you are still figuring out the full cost of buying, here is how much money you need to buy a home in Los Angeles.

If you are looking at Culver City or Los Angeles homes and want to see what your monthly numbers would look like, I am glad to walk you through it. Here is how I work with buyers, and you can also start with a conversation, no pressure and no obligation. Reach out here.

The rules in this post come from the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller and Treasurer and Tax Collector pages and the State Board of Equalization, as of November 4, 2026. I am not a tax professional, so please confirm your own numbers with the County Assessor or a CPA.

How much are property taxes after I buy in Los Angeles or Culver City?

For a Culver City home, about 1.25% of the sales price once voter-approved debt and direct assessments are included, depending on the address. Ask your agent or your lender for an estimate for the specific home you are considering.

Is the tax amount on the listing what I will pay?

Usually not. The listing often shows what the current owner pays on an older assessed value. When the home sells, the County reassesses it based on the sale.

Will my property taxes go up every year?

The assessed value can rise by no more than the lower of the California inflation rate or 2% a year. Voter-approved debt and direct assessments can change separately.

What is a supplemental property tax bill?

It is a separate bill that follows a sale. The County Assessor values the home at the new price, subtracts the old assessed value, and the tax on the difference is prorated for the months left in the fiscal year. A close from January through May produces two supplemental bills.

Does my escrow payment cover the supplemental bill?

It depends on your loan, so ask your lender and escrow officer. The supplemental bill is a separate document from the annual bill, and both must be paid by the dates on them.

Can I get a reduction in my property taxes after I buy?

If the home is your main residence, you can claim the homeowners’ exemption, which reduces the assessed value by up to $7,000. File the claim with the County Assessor.

Nicole Strober is a REALTOR® with Compass in Los Angeles, CA (DRE #02001608) helping longtime homeowners, move-up buyers and families plan and make consequential moves across Culver City, Cheviot Hills, Beverlywood, West Adams, Mid-City, Ladera Heights and the San Fernando Valley.