Land Owner Transparency Registry

The Land Owner Transparency Registry is a publicly searchable registry of information about beneficial ownership of land in British Columbia. Beneficial land owners are people who own or control land indirectly, such as through a corporation, partnership or trust. The registry is intended to end hidden ownership of land in B.C.

The information in the registry is collected through transparency declarations and transparency reports. Whenever an application is made to register an interest in land, a transparency declaration must be filed by the transferee.

If land is currently owned by a relevant corporation, or through a trust or partnership, they must check if they are required to file with the registry and provide transparency reports regarding interest in land. These pre-existing reporting bodies must file with the registry before November 30, 2022.  

 Background

Money laundering continues to be an issue in British Columbia and throughout Canada. In 2018, government convened an Expert Panel on Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate to review money laundering in B.C.’s real estate market.

The Combatting Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate report (PDF, 4.7MB) recommended steps that government can take to address money laundering in the province. One of the most important measures identified in the report was the disclosure of beneficial ownership.

In May 2019, government passed the Land Owner Transparency Act. The first-of-its-kind in Canada, it created an accessible registry of beneficial interests in land in B.C. – the Land Owner Transparency Registry.

The Land Owner Transparency Registry launched November 30, 2020 and opened to public search on April 30, 2021. The registry also fulfills a commitment in Homes for B.C.: A 30-Point Plan for Housing Affordability in British Columbia (PDF, 1MB) to end hidden ownership of land by establishing a registry.