Homeowners with wildfire damage urged to contact B.C. Assessment
Owners of homes and properties damaged by wildfire this year are being urged to contact B.C. Assessment before Oct. 31 if they expect an accurate assessment on the value of their homes.
Those homeowners are at risk of paying taxes on their pre-fire assessed rates, if they don't.
“Affected property owners are encouraged to contact us to report any damage or loss, so that we can ensure we have an accurate assessment of your property which could impact changes to your 2022 property taxes,” B.C. Assessment Assessor Tracy Shymko said in a release. “It is vital that you connect with us before October 31 in order for your 2022 property assessment to be correctly calculated.”
Property taxes are based on the value of property, which would obviously decrease if damaged or destroyed by fire. Properties are assessed based on market value as of July 1, 2021 and their physical condition and actual use as of Oct. 31. Homeowners will have to self-report the damage to avoid paying the full rate.
Impacted property owners can contact B.C. Assessment toll-free at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322) or online at bcassessment.ca Regular office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Property owners can simply provide their property’s address and state that they want to report their property’s physical condition and the extent of any damage resulting from the wildfires.
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