Is your BC property assessment too high?
Get a free, honest read on whether your BC Assessment notice looks worth appealing, then connect with a licensed BC property tax professional if it does.
Free assessment check
Enter your current and previous assessed values from your BC Assessment notice. If you enter your neighbourhood's average change too (also on the notice), we can give you a more useful, relative read.
How the appeal process works, briefly
This isn't a legal filing service. It's a plain-language guide plus a referral. The actual process (called PARP) is free to file and runs every year on a tight, fixed timeline.
1. File a complaint
Free, filed directly with BC Assessment, by the January deadline.
2. PARP hearing
A short phone hearing, typically 30 minutes, held between February and mid-March.
3. Decision
Usually given verbally at the hearing, with a written notice mailed by April 7.
4. Escalate if needed
Not satisfied? Appeal to the Property Assessment Appeal Board by April 30 (firm, no extensions).
Why BC property assessments go up, and who this applies to
Whether you're in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Kelowna, Victoria, or a smaller municipality anywhere in BC, the same provincial process applies: BC Assessment values every property as of July 1 the year before your notice arrives, using recent comparable sales in your specific neighbourhood. A big jump usually reflects a genuinely hot local market, a nearby sale that came in high, or a recorded renovation, none of which are grounds for a complaint on their own. What matters is whether the resulting number still lines up with what similar homes near you actually sold for around that valuation date. That's exactly what the free check above estimates, and it's the same question a PARP panel will ask if you file a complaint.
Also paying more than you'd like in property tax itself?
A second free tool: check whether you likely qualify for BC's property tax deferment program, and see what it actually costs before you apply.
Connect with a BC property tax professional
If your situation looks worth pursuing, we can pass your information along to a licensed BC property tax professional currently participating in our referral program. There's no cost to you, and no obligation to proceed after they contact you.
Common questions
Is my assessment worth appealing?
It depends on whether your assessed value is actually higher than what comparable properties sold for around the valuation date, not simply on how much it increased from last year. Our free check above gives a general read, but a professional review of your specific comparables is the most reliable way to know.
Is it free to file a complaint?
Yes, filing with the Property Assessment Review Panel (the first level) is free. If you need to escalate to the Property Assessment Appeal Board, there's a $30 fee for residential properties.
Do I need a lawyer?
No, a PARP hearing is designed for homeowners to represent themselves. Some people choose to work with a property tax professional, which is what our referral connects you with, but it isn't required.