Frequently Asked Questions

Questions:

My mortgage company pays my taxes. What do I do?

Three tax assistance programs are offered through the Surveyor of Taxes office:

For information on eligibility requirements and how to apply for these programs, please see the respective program pages.

Rural Property Taxes are due by July 2 nd . If this date falls on a weekend or a holiday, taxes are due the next business day.

You can pay by mail, in person, at most Canadian financial institutions, or by internet or telephone banking. Please see Make a Payment for more information.

If you qualify for the Home Owner Grant , you will still need to apply for the grant and ensure the amount of taxes paid by your financial institution takes the grant into account. Please see the Home Owner Grant pages for the application form and instructions on how to apply.

If you are uncertain about your arrangements, please speak with the bank, credit union or trust company that holds your mortgage, as penalties are not waived for payment errors at the financial institution.

You can use our online form to change your address with the Surveyor of Taxes office. Please be sure to include the account numbers for the properties affected by the address change. You can also contact us.

There can be many reasons for an increase to the amount you are billed:

When local services are established and are to be funded through property taxation, the boundaries of the service area are generally determined by the availability of the service to a property. For example, if a fire protection service is created and your property is within an area where a timely response to an emergency is likely, you are required to support the service.

For property assessment and taxation purposes, BC Assessment groups properties into eight different property classes based on how the land is used. For example, Class 1 is residential, which includes single and multi-family residences, manufactured homes, seasonal homes or recreational property. Please see BC Assessment's fact sheet Classification of Property in BC (opens a new window) for a list of all the property classes and their descriptions.

Tax rates vary considerably in rural areas. You can obtain estimates from the Surveyor of Taxes office by calling 250-387-0555. To get an estimate for a specific property, please provide the account number when you call.

If you co-own property, you and the other owner(s) must agree on what share of taxes each of you will pay. You should also agree on which owner will make the property tax payment with the combined shares. All owners are jointly and individually liable for unpaid property taxes.

If you haven't received your Rural Property Tax notice by mid-June, please contact your local Service BC-Government Agent office or the Surveyor of Taxes office. Please ensure we have your correct mailing address. If you are a new owner, the tax notice may have been sent to the previous owner. A copy tax notice can be requested between June 1 and September 31.

For credits of $35 or more, refunds are automatically processed. The process takes approximately 30 to 60 days from the time the credit originates on the account. During the peak period of June 1 to August 31, it may take longer given the increased volume of credits at that time.

For credits of less than $35, the credit will be held and applied to future tax liabilities unless a request for refund is made in writing. Please see our Refunds page for more information.

If you no longer lease your property and you are still receiving a property tax notice, you must contact the Integrated Land Management Branch to remove your tax liability from this property.

Payment of Overdue Balance FAQs

Unpaid property taxes receive a 5% penalty on the due date (July 2nd) and a further 5% penalty on October 31st. Interest charges (prime plus 3%) apply to delinquent taxes, and accumulate monthly commencing in the year following the year of levy. For example, 2005 taxes are delinquent on December 31, 2005, and interest applies as of January 31, 2006.

Please contact the Receivables Management Office in Victoria at (250) 387-0613.

No, we do not accept credit card payments. Please refer to Make a Payment for more information.

Property taxes cannot be appealed. Only property assessments, on which taxes are based, are subject to appeal. Therefore, please review your annual assessment notice when you receive it and report concerns to BC Assessment before the January 31 appeal deadline.

Our office has not received payment of your rural property taxes and we have a delinquent property tax debt on our records for you. If you would like to discuss this please contact the Receivables Management Office at 250 387-0613.

The Province may initiate the following actions if you fail to contact our office to arrange for payment. Place a lien on your property Issue a demand of your wages, bank account or accounts Seize funds owed to you by the Provincial or Federal government File a Certificate of Judgement in British Columbia Supreme Court Seize and sell your assets

If you owe a debt to the Province of British Columbia we can offset monies owing to you from Canada Revenue Agency.

Taxpayers who are eligible to claim a grant for their property but who do not submit the required application will incur penalty and interest charges on the unclaimed Home Owner Grant amount of your taxes. There are statutory deadlines that apply to the grant process so always ensure you claim a grant as soon as you receive your annual property tax notice.  You can retroactively apply for a home owner grant for the prior calendar year. Please contact the Surveyor of Taxes or your local Service BC-Government Agent office.

Property tax notices and statements are mailed to the last know address of the property owner.  Failure to maintain a current mailing address may result in property assessment and taxation notices being misdirected. This may result in penalty and interest charges.

Ownership and address information for manufactured homes is based on Manufactured Home Registry records. Not registering a Bill of Sale for a manufactured home will result in property and assessment notices being sent to the previous owner, often with tax penalty and/or interest consequences due to non payment of the outstanding property taxes.