Pitkin County’s home inspection policy hit a nerve for an Aspen couple recently, and they’re hoping the assessor’s office will consider changing its policy of sending staffers unannounced to local homes.

A representative of the Pitkin County Assessor’s Office appeared at Patty and Ted Bennett’s Aspen home during an open house to show their home, and was let in by their real estate agent (see letter, page 8). According to the Bennetts, the representative said who she was without showing any identification, then started taking photos of their home without permission.

“I just think people should know about this policy,” said Patty, who was leaving the house when the assessor came in, and at the time was unsure how to react.

Patty was concerned about how the photos would be used, citing a recent example of a burglar who was able to plunder a home after photographing it.

“There might be places in people’s homes where they don’t want it to be public,” she said, such as expensive art.

Her husband, however, was “shocked and outraged” at the situation. “These actions taken by this government office seem to be just wrong,” Ted Bennett wrote. “They came into my home without notification and performed a search and took photos for evidence that would be used against me (by their admission) if we went to court. If my history serves me right, we fought the English over actions like this. The sanctity and security of my home was violated by my government.”

Pitkin County Assessor Tom Isaac contends that what happened is “common practice throughout the state of Colorado,” and that the assessor did have permission to enter the home and do her work.

“Our appraisers wear identification around the neck; it’s hard to miss,” he said.

Isaac said the assessor’s office is responsible for 14,000 properties in Pitkin County. The assessor’s office is charged with determining the value of all of the properties annually, and does at least 500 inspections per year. It often tries to do valuations during the sales or building process — and there are about 2,000 sales and 500 new construction properties per year.

Interior photos help determine the quality of construction, said Isaac, and they are not published anywhere. Exterior photos are posted on the assessor’s Web site, as that is public information.

The Bennetts were concerned that they would not even have known about the assessor’s presence had Patty not been home; apparently, real estate agents are well aware of the practice and often are the ones who open the door to the assessor in the owner’s absence.

“If you need to update your records, call and let us know, and we’ll set something up. But don’t send people into the house with cameras,” said Patty.

But Isaac said that the sheer volume of inspections with which his office is charged makes it impossible to schedule individual appointments, especially in an area like Pitkin County, where property owners are frequently not in town.

That’s why they often do property inspections during open houses, and the real estate community has been fully supportive of that process, he said. “It’s the only way we can inspect thoroughly and give a fair appraisal of the property,” said Isaac. “We try not to intrude, and if somebody says not to, we try to respect that.”

Isaac apologized to the Bennetts and agreed to delete all the photos of their home. He said his office typically receives one or two similar complaints per year.

“I’m sorry if we offended anybody. We don’t want to upset anybody,” he said. “We’re just asking the community to cooperate. We’re just trying to do our job.”

Ted Bennett also wrote, “This policy must change. It is unknown how many homes have photographs taken without permission.”

Isaac said the assessor’s office has no plans to change its valuation policies.

lutz@aspendailynews.com