Encyclopedia
Empty Homes Tax
A City of Vancouver tax on residential property left empty for more than six months of the year, with exemptions. Owners make a yearly declaration.
For example: An owner of a live/work unit checks with the City how it applies before the declaration deadline. (Illustration only, not a real deal.)
Official source: Empty Homes Tax (City of Vancouver)
Example only, not a real client. Say you own a live/work unit in Vancouver and travel for work a few months of the year. Before the city’s declaration window closes, you check whether your use counts as occupied, and you gather leases or other records in case the city asks.
What I’d tell a friend
Declare on time. Missing the declaration can get a home treated as vacant even when it was not. This tax is separate from BC’s speculation and vacancy tax.
Why it matters to you
It can apply to residential parts of mixed-use property in Vancouver. Missing the declaration can mean paying tax you didn't need to. For the 2025 reference year, the city states empty properties are taxed at 3% of assessed taxable value; confirm the rate for your year on vancouver.ca.
How to use it in your deal
Owners of residential property in Vancouver must declare each year by the deadline, even if the property is occupied; failing to declare can lead to the property being deemed vacant and taxed. Check the exemptions, such as properties undergoing redevelopment with permits, limited use strata, or owners in care. Mixed-use buildings with residential units need to consider it too.
Buyers of residential or mixed-use property should check past declarations and whether units are rented. The city audits declarations, so keep records like leases and utility bills. This tax is separate from the provincial speculation and vacancy tax, which has its own declaration and rules. Commercial-only properties aren't subject to the tax.
The rate and rules change from time to time, so check the city's current page each year. If you're leasing out a unit, a written tenancy for long enough periods usually counts as occupied, but confirm the details. Set a calendar reminder for the declaration window.
Mistakes I see
Not declaring. Confusing it with SVT. Poor records.
In BC and Vancouver
The City of Vancouver's Vacancy Tax By-law and Empty Homes Tax pages explain the rules, exemptions and deadlines. This tax is separate from BC's speculation and vacancy tax.
Official sources: Empty Homes Tax (City of Vancouver) · Speculation and vacancy tax (Government of BC)
What it is
Vancouver’s Empty Homes Tax, also called the vacancy tax, is a city tax on residential property that sits empty for most of a reference year, unless an exemption applies.
Every residential property in the city needs one status declaration each year, including homes the owner lives in. Commercial-only property is outside this tax.
Current rate and deadlines (check vancouver.ca)
For the 2025 reference year, the city states that properties deemed or declared empty are taxed at 3% of the property’s 2025 assessed taxable value. The city’s vacancy tax by-law has set that 3% rate for the 2021 reference year and later years, but confirm the figure for your year on the city’s Empty Homes Tax page.
As published when this page was updated, the declaration deadline for the 2026 reference year is February 2, 2027, with payment for 2026 due April 14, 2027. Deadlines move, so check the city’s current list.
How owners and buyers use it
Keep written tenancies, utility bills and travel records. A long enough arm’s-length rental often counts as occupied, but the city’s rules decide that, not a handshake.
Buyers of residential or mixed-use property in Vancouver should ask for past declarations. Owners of residential units above shops should treat those units as part of this tax conversation, separate from the provincial speculation and vacancy tax.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Have I declared?
- Does an exemption apply?
- Is the unit occupied?
- Do I also owe SVT?
Keep reading
Related terms: Speculation and vacancy tax (SVT), Mixed-use
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General information for British Columbia only. It isn’t legal, tax, accounting or financial advice, laws and rates change, and reading it doesn’t make you my client. Any numbers or scenarios are hypothetical. Check the linked official source and talk to a lawyer, accountant or other qualified professional before you act or sign anything. See the terms and disclaimer.