Vancouver Empty Homes Tax

• Vancouver council takes heat for vote to refund millions in Empty Homes Tax to developers

  A new exemption to Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax is being applied retroactively, which will see $3.8 million, much of it already collected, returned to property developers.

  Politics

  May 11, 2023
  
• Cut Vancouver’s empty homes tax back to 3% for 2023, city staff recommend

  Vancouver's empty homes tax is intended to bring vacant units onto the rental or sale market, and targets properties that are unoccupied for more than half the year.

  Politics

  May 4, 2023
  
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• Vancouver to hike empty homes tax to 5% in 2023

  Vancouver city council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve increasing the city's Empty Homes Tax from three per cent to five per cent for the 2023 reference year. 

  Economy

  Apr 27, 2022
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• Vancouver mayor proposes hiking empty homes tax to 5%

  Vancouver's empty homes tax first took effect in 2017 at one per cent of a home's assessed value, was tripled to three per cent in the 2021 tax year.

  Politics

  Apr 13, 2022
• Vancouver raising empty homes tax to 3% in 2021

  This will be the second time the tax has been hiked. Council approved an increase from one per cent to 1.25 per cent in 2019. 

  Nov 25, 2020
• Vacant homes in Vancouver continue to dwindle due to empty homes tax: mayor

  The city says 787 properties were declared vacant for 2019 — down 15 per cent from 2018 and 30 per cent from when the tax started.

  Feb 7, 2020
• Vancouver’s empty homes tax should stay at 1% to ensure it’s still being paid: staff

  The staff report does recommend further exempting homes under renovation for a majority of the year while extending the complaint process to 90 days.

  Nov 24, 2019
• Vancouver empty homes tax nets another $39M as number of vacant properties drop, city says

  According to the report released Wednesday, $39.4 million in revenue was raised during the 2018 tax year, which was collected from the owners of 1,989 vacant properties.

  Nov 20, 2019
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• New York nearly got a version of Vancouver’s empty homes tax — before the real estate industry killed it

  Lawmakers have since been forced to whittle down the proposal, but they're still looking to Vancouver for inspiration.

  Politics

  Apr 4, 2019
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• Vancouver collects $21M from empty homes tax, expects $38M total for first year

  The news comes a day after the a federal government report found the city's vacancy rate has declined since last year.

  Politics

  Nov 30, 2018