How to declare for the speculation and vacancy tax

Residential property owners in the designated taxable areas declare every year for the speculation and vacancy tax, even if there is no change to your information. You must complete your declaration by March 31. 

When a property has more than one owner, each person on title needs to make a separate declaration, even if the other owner is your spouse or relative.

Learn about what you need do if you're helping a friend or family member complete their declaration. 

To learn how an "owner" is defined and whether you qualify as an owner for the purposes of the speculation and vacancy tax, see Terms and definitions.

There may be special circumstances to consider such as a deceased owner or an owner who is out of town during the declaration period.

The fastest and easiest way to declare is online. If you cannot declare online, you can declare over the phone. Contact us and we’ll help you complete the declaration.

Translation services are available over the phone.

What you need to declare

Declaring is designed to be fast and easy for most property owners.

For individuals

Before you start your declaration, you’ll need:

• The speculation and vacancy tax declaration letter we sent you
• Your social insurance number (SIN)
• Your date of birth

We verify your identity with your SIN and date of birth. Your personal information is encrypted at the time of entry to ensure your information is kept secure.

Your declaration letter will be sent to you at the mailing address on file with BC Assessment. We receive weekly updates from BC Assessment, which include change of address information. BC Assessment does not update us between November 30 and early January. During this period, they ensure that all data is up-to-date for the new tax year. If you submit an address change to BC Assessment during this time, we may not receive that information until they resume their weekly updates with us.

See Partner agencies for information about how address and property data from the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) and BC Assessment is used for the tax. 

Check when to expect your declaration letter so you’ll know approximately when your letter will arrive. All letters should be delivered by late February. If you have not received your letter by then, contact us.

If you’ll be away or otherwise unable to receive the letter when it arrives, contact us so we can help ensure you submit your declaration on time.

Your declaration letter will include the following information:

• Your Letter ID, Declaration Code and other information you need to declare
• A list of all the residential properties you own in the designated taxable areas

When you declare, you’ll be guided through the exemption options for each property.

For corporations, trusts and business partnerships

Declaring for corporations follows a similar process as for individuals. The process is also similar for an owner representing a trust or business partnership. 

You’ll receive your declaration letter the same as individuals, but you’ll need to provide more information.

Before you declare, be prepared with:

• Your declaration letter
• Your business number, if you have one
• Your incorporation number and date of incorporation number, if applicable
• The names, birthdates, country of residence and Social Insurance Numbers for all corporate interest holders, beneficial owners and partnership interest holders 

When completing the declaration, you will need to answer What best describes the ownership of this property?

For this question in eTaxBC, select Ownership includes corporations, business partnerships, trusts, leaseholders, life tenancies, holders of agreements for sale, or estates of a deceased owner. 

Depending on the answers provided in the declaration, you may also be required to provide the Canada Revenue Agency individual income tax number or Provincial Nominee Certificate number for corporate interest holders, beneficial owners and partnership interest holders. 

You may also need to confirm you are authorized to speak on behalf of the corporation, or that you are a trustee of the trust or a representative of the business partnership. 

Note: The Business Number (BN) is a 9-digit number the Canada Revenue Agency assigns to businesses and other organizations for tax related purposes.