Buying a home comes with ongoing costs, and property taxes are one buyers shouldn’t overlook.
Property tax sales happen every September in BC.
Under BC’s Local Government Act, municipalities must hold an annual tax sale at 10 am on the last Monday in September to auction properties with delinquent property taxes. If that Monday is a holiday, the sale moves to the next Monday that isn’t a holiday.
Vancouver is an exception. The City of Vancouver operates under the Vancouver Charter and holds its tax sale in November.
When can a property go to a tax sale?
A property doesn’t go to tax sale because its owner missed a single property tax deadline.
Delinquent taxes are any taxes remaining unpaid on December 31, two years after the year the tax was imposed. For example, taxes imposed in 2018 and still unpaid become delinquent on January 1, 2020 and if then still unpaid will be sold at tax sale on the last Monday in September of 2020.
The municipality must give the registered owner written notice at least 30 days before the tax sale. Municipalities must also publish public notice of the sale.
A tax sale doesn’t immediately transfer ownership
If a property sells at a municipal tax sale, the existing owner generally has one year from the date the tax sale began to redeem it.
Redemption requires payment of the amounts set out under the Local Government Act, which can include the upset price, certain costs, taxes advanced by the purchaser, and applicable interest. If the property isn’t redeemed within the redemption period, title can transfer to the successful bidder.
Vancouver also provides a one-year redemption period following its November tax sale.
District of West Vancouver Tax Sale