Incentives for housing

Incentives like property tax exemptions and reduced development cost charges can help encourage more affordable housing in your community.

Property tax exemptions

Section 226 of the Community Charter provides authority to exempt property from municipal property value taxes.

To use this authority, a Council must establish a revitalization program, enter into agreements with property owners, and then exempt their property from taxation once all specified conditions of the program and the agreement have been met.

Exemptions may apply to the value of land or improvements, or both. Councils are free to specify, within their revitalization programs, the amounts and extent of tax exemptions available. This can help achieve social objectives, such as encouraging affordable housing or the construction and preservation of affordable rental housing.

Review the following guides for more details:

• Revitalization Tax Exemptions: A Primer on the Provisions in the Community Charter (PDF)
• A Guide to Community Revitalization (PDF) 

Large community example of property tax exemption

The City of Victoria has a permissive tax exemption policy that offers exemptions to certain properties if they meet the policy criteria. Special needs and supportive housing properties – including short-term emergency or crisis protection for members of the community, supportive housing for people with special needs, halfway houses, transitional homes and group homes – can be eligible for exemption if they meet the eligibility criteria. There's also a tax incentive program to offset seismic upgrading costs for eligible downtown heritage-designated buildings being converted into residential units.

Reduce development cost charges (DCCs)

Under the Local Government Act (part 14, division 19), a development cost charge (DCC) is a fee local governments can charge to help offset the capital costs of local government services or infrastructure – especially when a development directly or indirectly affects these. Development cost charges can be established for providing, constructing, altering, or expanding facilities related only to: roads, other than off-street parking, sewage, water, drainage, and parkland acquisition or improvement.

Not all local governments require development cost charges. Those that do, can use a flexible approach – charges can be:

• specified according to different zones or areas as they relate to different classes and amount of development; or
• based on the area or volume of the unit so that development cost charges for smaller units are lower (because they're typically more affordable).

Local governments are automatically allowed to exempt them for self-contained living units of up to 29 m² – because these units generally use existing infrastructure, are more energy efficient and are more affordable.

• Development Cost Charges Best Practice Guide (PDF, 4.7MB)
• Development Cost Charged Guide for Elected Officials (PDF, 1.9MB)

Mid-size community examples of reduced DCCs

Penticton's Development Cost Charges Reduction Bylaw (PDF, 2.2MB) offers a 100% reduction in fees for rental housing that meets certain conditions. Developments are subject to a housing agreement under the Local Government Act (section 483) which means the units will remain rental for at least 20 years.

Large community examples of reduced DCCs

The Regional District of Nanaimo and its municipalities offer a number of Housing Incentives (PDF, 196KB) to support affordable housing (PDF). For example, the City of Parksville waives 100% of the fees for developments that meet their bylaw’s definition of affordable housing, and that guarantee the affordability of the housing for at least 15 years by means of a housing agreement. Read more about the region's affordable housing.

Surrey's Development Cost Charge Bylaw (PDF) states that “a development cost charge is not payable if any of the following applies in relation to a development authorized by a building permit: ... (e) the permit authorizes the construction, alteration or extension of a building or part of a building that is, or will be ... used for not-for-profit rental housing.” Read more about the City of Surrey's DCCs and affordable housing action.

The content on this website is periodically reviewed and updated by the Province of British Columbia as per the date noted on each page: October 26, 2021.