PlaceDossier / Questions
Does the speculation and vacancy tax apply to my property?
The Province taxes homes left empty or held by owners who don't pay tax in Canada, in the areas it lists: Metro Vancouver, the capital region and about two dozen other cities and towns, from Squamish and the Fraser Valley to Kamloops, the Okanagan and Vancouver Island. A report says whether the lot is in one.
The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.
What the answer means
- Where
- Only in the municipalities on the Province's list, plus the UBC lands and the University Endowment Lands. Reserve and treaty lands, and islands reached only by air or water (Vancouver Island aside), are outside it. Rural electoral areas aren't on the list.
- Rates
- For 2026, 1% of the assessed value for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, 3% for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners (including satellite families). From 2027 the higher rate is 4%.
- Who doesn't pay
- An owner who lives in the home as their principal residence (a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is a BC resident for income tax and not an untaxed worldwide earner), or who rents it to a tenant for at least six months of the year under the Province's tenancy rules. Other exemptions cover a home just bought, being built or uninhabitable, one reached only by water and over 100 m from a road, and a property assessed at $150,000 or less.
- Declaring
- Every owner on title declares each year by March 31, for the year before, even when exempt. An owner who doesn't declare is charged the tax at the maximum rate.
- Buying
- Ownership on December 31 decides who owes the tax for the year. A home just bought is exempt in its first year where the buyer paid, or was exempt from, the property transfer tax.
- Vancouver
- The City of Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax is separate: owners there declare for both, and can be exempt from one and owe the other.
This is the Province's tax as its pages describe it, in our words. The legislation, not this summary or the Province's map, decides a given property. Confirm with the Province's speculation and vacancy tax office before you buy or build.
Source: Taxable areas for the speculation and vacancy tax, Province of BC (summarised in our words; page updated December 8, 2025); Speculation and vacancy tax rates, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04); Speculation and vacancy tax exemptions for individuals, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04); Empty Homes Tax, City of Vancouver (named only, read 2026-10-04).
Where the tax applies
58 municipalities with a page here, from the Province's list (updated December 8, 2025), and the UBC lands and University Endowment Lands in Metro Vancouver, Electoral Area A.
Abbotsford, Anmore, Belcarra, Burnaby, Central Saanich, Chilliwack, Coldstream, Colwood, Comox, Coquitlam, Courtenay, Cumberland, Delta, Duncan, Esquimalt, Highlands, Kamloops, Kelowna, Ladysmith, Lake Country, Lake Cowichan, Langford, Langley (District), Langley (City), Lantzville, Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, Metchosin, Mission, Nanaimo, New Westminster, North Cowichan, North Saanich, North Vancouver (District), North Vancouver (City), Oak Bay, Parksville, Peachland, Penticton, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Qualicum Beach, Richmond, Saanich, Salmon Arm, Sidney, Sooke, Squamish, Summerland, Surrey, Vancouver, Vernon, Victoria, View Royal, West Kelowna, West Vancouver, White Rock.
Every other municipality and electoral area is outside the tax. The Province's location map is the final word for a given lot.
Other questions: is my property in the Agricultural Land Reserve · is my property on a floodplain map · has my property burned in a wildfire · is there a mineral or placer claim on my property · does my property have road access · how close to a creek or lake can I build · how strong could earthquake shaking be at my property · has there been a landslide near this property · are there water wells on or near my property · is there room for a septic field on my property · are there species at risk or protected habitat on my property · is there radon in my home or the home I'm buying · can I rent my property short term (Airbnb, VRBO) in BC · what internet can I get at this property · what plant hardiness zone is this property in · which school catchment is my property in · is there a power line near my property · is my property near a railway, highway or airport · how much sun does my property get in winter · what will the property taxes be on a BC property.