How to Appeal Your BC Property Assessment
A step-by-step, plain-language walkthrough of the PARP complaint process, from valid grounds through to escalation at PAAB.
Every January, BC Assessment mails out property assessment notices based on the property's value as of the previous July 1. If you think yours is wrong, you have a real, free right to challenge it: a complaint to the Property Assessment Review Panel (PARP). Here's how that process works.
Why the July 1 valuation date matters
Your notice this January isn't based on today's market. By law, BC Assessment values every property as of July 1 of the previous year, then mails the resulting notice roughly six months later. That gap matters: if prices rose sharply between July 1 and January, your notice can feel out of step with what you'd actually get if you listed the home today, even though the assessment is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. When you're gathering comparable sales evidence, this is the date to anchor to, not the date the notice arrived, and not today's date.
Why did my assessment go up so much?
A large year-over-year increase, on its own, usually isn't an error. Common, legitimate reasons an assessment jumps include a genuinely hot local market in your area, nearby comparable sales that came in higher than expected, a renovation or addition recorded on your property, or a reclassification (for example, from a duplex to a strata title). None of these are grounds for a complaint by themselves. What you're checking for is whether the resulting number still lines up with actual sales of comparable properties around the valuation date, not whether the percentage increase feels high.
Property classes and why yours matters
BC Assessment sorts every property into one of nine classes, residential, utilities, major industry, light industry, business/other, managed forest land, farm, recreational/non-profit, and supportive housing, each taxed at a different municipal rate. Misclassification (for example, a property that should be split between residential and farm class, or a home office that shouldn't trigger a business classification) is one of the five formal grounds for a PARP complaint, and it's worth double-checking on your notice even if the assessed value itself looks reasonable.
What you can complain about
BC's Assessment Act sets out five specific grounds for a complaint:
- Your name is wrong on the roll
- Land or improvement details are wrong (size, description, etc.)
- The property isn't assessed at its actual (market) value
- The property is classified incorrectly
- An exemption was wrongly allowed or disallowed
Important: "my assessment went up too much" isn't a valid ground by itself. What matters is whether the assessed value reflects actual market value as of the July 1 valuation date, not how much it changed from last year.
The deadline
Complaints must be filed by January 31 each year. If that date falls on a weekend, it moves to the next business day.
See full current-year deadline details →
How to file
Complaints go directly to BC Assessment, either online or by paper form, not to the municipality. You'll need your assessment roll number (find it on your notice), a description of the property, your contact information, and your reason for the complaint. Filing at this level is free.
What happens next
Panels hear complaints between February 1 and March 15, usually as a 30-minute phone hearing. You'll typically get 6 to 10 minutes to present your case, so have your evidence organized beforehand. The burden is on you to show the assessment is inaccurate; the panel starts with no prior knowledge of your file. A decision is usually given verbally at the end of the hearing, with a written notice mailed by April 7.
What a PARP hearing is actually like
PARP panels are made up of three local citizens appointed by the province, not BC Assessment staff or municipal employees, so it's an independent review, not the same organization marking its own homework. Most hearings now happen by phone rather than in person. An appraiser representing BC Assessment will also be on the call to explain how the assessment was reached and respond to your evidence. You don't need to memorize legal language; walking through your comparable sales and explaining, in plain terms, why you think the assessed value is off is exactly what the panel expects.
If you're not satisfied
If the panel doesn't change your assessment, you can escalate to the Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB) by April 30. That deadline is firm and cannot be extended. There's a $30 filing fee for residential properties at this level, and the process is more formal, typically starting with a phone conference before any hearing.