SAN DIEGO -- Property owners who suffered more than $10,000 damage during last month's wildfires can apply directly to the county Assessor's Office for a reassessment of their property value.

Assessor Gregory J. Smith said an advertisement placed by California Tax Refunds LLC in The San Diego Union-Tribune Sunday was misleading. He said people are free to use the company's services, but don't have to.

"The ad in the Union-Tribune made it look like you had to go through them to make a claim, and you don't," Smith said Wednesday.

Jeff Olson, the county's division chief for assessment services, said the company acts as an agent for people filing appeals on their assessments, but making what he calls "calamity appeals" is a separate procedure.

Olson said he called a company official, who promised to provide free services for wildfire victims.

While the advertisement recommended filing the calamity claim by Dec. 1, property owners actually have a full year, Olson said. However, putting the claim in by Dec. 10 is a good idea so the full property tax payment normally required by that date would not be necessary, he said.

So far, 1,123 calamity claims have been filed for damaged or destroyed property, Olson said.

Around 1,800 such claims are expected, which would result in an estimated $392 million of lowered assessments, costing the county $3.92 million in property tax revenue, Olson said.

"That's a real ballpark (estimate)," Olson said.

The county will re-state the value of a property to reflect its damaged condition until it's rebuilt or repaired.

Claim forms are on the assessor's web site at County Assessor.