Your BC property assessment, explained

BC Assessment values every property in the province once a year. Notices usually arrive in the first days of January. Your municipality then sets its tax rates and uses your assessed value to calculate your property tax bill.

You may be fairly assessed. If you are, we'll tell you. BC Assessment shows each property's assessed value publicly, so we can compare your home with similar homes nearby.

The deadline: January 31, with no late filing

A complaint to the Property Assessment Review Panel (PARP) must be filed no later than January 31. If January 31 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. The review panel does not accept late complaints.

Source: Assessment Act, RSBC 1996, c. 20, s. 33(2) (notice of complaint no later than January 31 of the year following completion of the roll under s. 3); roll to next business day: Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c. 238, s. 25(3)-(4)

Because there is no late filing, for the 2027 season we stop accepting new BC files on January 24, so that every complaint is filed before the deadline. If you're reading this after that date, you can still file a complaint yourself before the deadline, and we'll gladly point you to BC Assessment's instructions.

Step one: talk to BC Assessment

BC Assessment invites owners to contact an appraiser about their assessment before filing a complaint. Many questions are resolved that way, for example a wrong floor area or a renovation that was recorded but never finished.

We ask the assessor to review your assessment first. We file a formal complaint only to protect your rights if the review isn't resolved 7 business days before the deadline.

Step two, if needed: the review panel (PARP)

A review panel is an independent group that hears assessment complaints each winter. Hearings are short and informal. The owner or their agent explains why the value should change, BC Assessment responds, and the panel decides. Our article what a PARP hearing is like walks through one.

If your file goes to a hearing, a person represents you. Software never appears in front of a board.

Step three, rarely: the Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB)

If you disagree with the panel's decision, you can appeal to the PAAB. The notice of appeal and the board's fee must be filed on or before April 30 following the panel. An appeal normally requires that a PARP complaint was filed.

Source: Assessment Act, RSBC 1996, c. 20, s. 50(3) (notice of appeal and fee filed with the board on or before April 30 following the sitting of the review panel); Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c. 238, s. 25(3)-(4)

An owner who missed the PARP deadline may ask the PAAB for leave (permission) to appeal.

Source: Assessment Act, RSBC 1996, c. 20, s. 50(1.1) (owner who failed to file a PARP complaint may appeal to the board with leave). UNVERIFIED: which deadline in s. 50(2)-(4.2) governs a leave appeal — April 30 assumed. (not yet verified: check your notice)

What a reduction is worth in BC

BC's tax rates are lower than in many other provinces, so the same reduction in value usually saves less tax. We show the estimated saving and our fee before you decide, and we'll tell you if it isn't worth it.

In BC, our fee is 25% of the first-year tax saving, charged once, only if your assessment goes down, plus a $79 upfront review-and-filing fee. See the fee page for a worked example.

When the decision comes before your tax notice, the lower value flows into your tax bill for the year. The saving shows up as a lower bill rather than a cheque.

You can do this yourself

You don't need us: you can contact your assessor or file a complaint yourself. BC Assessment's website explains how.

Canada Tax Appeal is a private company. We are not a government body or an assessment authority and are not affiliated with BC Assessment.