Vancouver Empty Home Tax 2026: New Rules, Higher Rates, and How to File

If you own property in Vancouver, you owe the city a declaration every single year — even if you live in the home, even if nothing has changed since last year. Miss the deadline and the City assumes your property is vacant. That means a tax bill equal to 3% of your assessed value, plus a $250 fine just for being late.

I bring this up because I still get calls from clients in January who had no idea this was a thing. The Vancouver Empty Homes Tax has been around since 2017, but the rules have gotten more complicated over the years, and the provincial government has layered its own Speculation and Vacancy Tax on top. So in 2026, some Vancouver property owners are dealing with two separate vacancy taxes from two separate levels of government, each with different rates, different deadlines, and different exemption rules.

This guide covers both. I will walk through what you owe, who qualifies for exemptions, how to file, and what happens if you do not.

Two Taxes, Two Deadlines: The Vancouver EHT and BC SVT

This is where confusion starts. Vancouver property owners may be subject to both:

1. City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax (EHT) — a municipal tax on properties left empty for more than six months per year
2. BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT) — a provincial tax targeting vacant or underused properties in designated areas across BC

They are separate programs with separate declarations. You need to file both.

	City of Vancouver EHT	BC Speculation & Vacancy Tax
2026 Rate	3% of assessed value	0.5%–3% depending on owner type
Declaration Deadline	February 3, 2026 (for 2025 tax year)	March 31, 2026 (for 2025 tax year)
Payment Due	April 16, 2026	First business day in July 2026
Who Must Declare	All Vancouver residential property owners	All residential property owners in 59 designated BC communities
Penalty for Not Declaring	Deemed vacant + $250 fine	Deemed vacant and taxed at highest applicable rate

Sources: City of Vancouver EHT, BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax

If you live in your home full-time and it is your principal residence, both taxes effectively cost you nothing — but you still have to declare.

Vancouver Empty Homes Tax: The 3% Rate

The City of Vancouver introduced the EHT in 2017 at 1% of assessed value. It has been raised three times since then:

Tax Year	EHT Rate
2017–2019	1%
2020	1.25%
2021–2026	3%

Source: WOWA.ca Vancouver Empty Home Tax Calculator

At 3%, the numbers get serious fast. On a property assessed at $1.5 million, that is $45,000. On a $2.5 million west side detached home, it is $75,000 — every year the property sits empty.

Who Pays the EHT

The tax applies to any Class 1 residential property in Vancouver that was not:

• Used as someone’s principal residence for at least six months of the year, OR
• Rented out for at least six months of the year (in periods of 30 or more consecutive days)

That second point is worth emphasizing. You do not have to live in the property yourself. If a family member, friend, or tenant occupies it for six months or more, you are fine. But “occupies” means actually living there — not storing furniture in it or visiting twice a year.

What It Has Accomplished

The program has worked, by the City’s own numbers. According to the City of Vancouver’s December 2025 announcement, vacant homes dropped below 1,000 for the first time in the program’s history — just 979 properties declared or deemed vacant for the 2024 tax year. That is a vacancy rate of 0.49%, down from 0.90% when the program launched in 2017.

The number of tenanted properties climbed to 60,831 — also a program high. And the EHT has generated $194.3 million since 2017, with $24 million from the 2025 allocation earmarked for affordable housing investments including $15 million for land acquisition and social housing.

So fewer empty homes, more rentals on the market, and money flowing into affordable housing. Whether the 3% rate is the right number is debatable, but the directional results are hard to argue with.

BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax: Rates Just Went Up

The provincial SVT covers 59 communities across BC and works differently from the city’s EHT. The big change for 2026: the BC government raised SVT rates for the first time since 2019.

Owner Type	2019–2025 Rate	2026 Rate
Foreign owners & untaxed worldwide earners	2%	3%
Canadian citizens / permanent residents (not claiming exemption)	0.5%	1%

Source: BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax Rates

And it is going up again. The 2026 BC Budget announced that for 2027 onward, foreign owners will pay 4% and Canadians will pay the same 1%.

For a foreign owner holding a vacant $2 million condo in Vancouver, the combined tax burden in 2026 looks like this:

• City of Vancouver EHT: $60,000 (3%)
• BC SVT: $60,000 (3%)
• Total: $120,000 per year

That is not a typo. The combined rate for a foreign owner with a vacant property in Vancouver is now 6% of assessed value annually. The provincial government reported nearly $80 million in SVT revenue in 2024 and projects that number climbing to $161 million by 2026/2027 as the new rates take effect.

Exemptions: Who Does Not Pay

Both taxes have exemption categories, and they overlap in some areas but differ in others. Here is what matters for the Vancouver EHT, since that is the one most of my clients deal with.

EHT Exemptions

You can claim an exemption from the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax if your property falls into one of these categories:

Principal Residence — You live there for at least six months of the year. You can only claim one principal residence for EHT purposes.

Tenanted Property — The property is rented to a tenant for at least six months of the year, in periods of 30+ consecutive days. Short-term rentals (Airbnb-style stays under 30 days) do not count toward the six-month threshold.

Renovations or Redevelopment — The property is vacant because of major renovations or redevelopment, and all necessary permits have been issued. Minor cosmetic work does not qualify. The City wants to see active construction with valid permits.

Death of Owner — The registered owner has died and probate or estate administration is pending. This exemption applies for the year of death and the following year only.

Medical Care — The owner or occupant is receiving medical treatment or living in a care facility. Limited to two consecutive tax years.

Property Transfer — The property changed ownership during the tax year.

Court Order — A court order or government directive legally prevents anyone from occupying the property.

Strata Rental Restriction — The strata corporation’s bylaws prohibit renting the unit. (This one comes up more than you would expect — some older strata buildings in Kitsilano and the West End still have rental caps.)

Limited Use — The property is limited to vehicle parking or cannot support a residential building due to lot size or shape.

New Unsold Inventory — Developers can claim an annual exemption for unsold, vacant new units starting from the year after the occupancy permit is issued, until the unit is sold or occupied.

Source: City of Vancouver — Evidence and Exemptions

SVT Exemptions

The provincial SVT has its own exemption categories. The main ones that apply to most people:

• Principal residence
• Property rented for at least six months in the year
• Qualifying life event (separation, divorce, death, illness)
• Property under construction or renovation with permits

The full list is on the BC government’s SVT exemptions page. The key difference: the SVT uses an income-based test for some exemptions, while the city EHT does not.

How to Declare: Step by Step

Vancouver EHT Declaration

The 2025 tax year declaration deadline was February 3, 2026. If you missed it, you can still file a late declaration, but you will face a $250 bylaw fine and the City may have already deemed your property vacant.

Here is the process:

1. Find your folio number and access code — these are on your Property Tax Notice from the City of Vancouver
2. Go to the EHT declaration portal online
3. Set up or log into your account using your folio number and access code
4. Select your property status — principal residence, tenanted, exempt, or vacant
5. Submit supporting documentation if claiming an exemption (rental agreements, renovation permits, medical documentation, etc.)

The whole thing takes about five minutes if you have your documents ready. One declaration per property per year — it does not matter how many owners are on title.

If you cannot declare online, you can call the City of Vancouver at 311 (or 604-873-7000 outside Vancouver).

BC SVT Declaration

The SVT deadline for the 2025 tax year is March 31, 2026. Declaration letters are mailed out in January and February, and each letter contains a unique Letter ID and Declaration Code.

1. Wait for your declaration letter — it should arrive by late February
2. Declare online at the BC SVT declaration portal
3. Each owner declares separately — if two people are on title, both must file individual declarations, even spouses

You can also declare by phone at 1-604-660-2421 or 1-833-554-2323 (toll-free).

The SVT payment, if applicable, is due on the first business day in July — which is July 2, 2026.

What Happens If You Do Not Declare

This is the part people underestimate.

Vancouver EHT: If you miss the February deadline, the City deems your property vacant automatically. That means a 3% tax on your assessed value plus a $250 fine. You can file a late declaration and request a review, but there is no guarantee it will be accepted, and the burden of proof is on you.

BC SVT: If you do not declare by March 31, you get taxed at the highest applicable rate for your owner type. For a foreign owner, that is now 3%. For a Canadian citizen, it is 1%. No declaration letter? Call the province — do not just hope they forgot about you. They did not.

Late declarations are accepted up to five years after the reference year for the EHT, but the longer you wait, the harder it is to successfully contest the deemed-vacant status.

Common Mistakes I See

After 20 years in Vancouver real estate, here are the mistakes that keep coming up with these taxes:

Confusing the two taxes. The EHT and SVT are separate. Filing one does not satisfy the other. I have had clients file their provincial SVT declaration and assume they were done, only to get a $45,000 EHT bill from the City.

Assuming your principal residence is automatically exempt. It is — but only if you declare it. The City does not know where you sleep at night. File the declaration.

Thinking short-term rentals count. If you rent your condo on Airbnb for 200 nights a year in stays of two weeks each, that does not meet the EHT’s 30-consecutive-day threshold. You would need traditional tenancy for six cumulative months.

Not keeping documentation. If you claim a renovation exemption, you need to show the City your permits and proof of active construction. “We started renovating in April” is not enough without paperwork.

Forgetting about the SVT after selling. If you owned the property on December 31 of the tax year, you are the one who has to declare — even if you sold it on January 2 of the following year.

Key Takeaways

• Vancouver’s EHT rate is 3% of assessed value — where it has been since 2021. No increase for 2026, but the rate is under ongoing political review.
• The BC SVT rates increased in 2026 for the first time since 2019: now 3% for foreign owners (up from 2%) and 1% for Canadian citizens (up from 0.5%). Another increase to 4% for foreign owners hits in 2027.
• Combined, a foreign owner with a vacant property in Vancouver faces a 6% annual tax on assessed value. On a $2 million property, that is $120,000 per year.
• The EHT declaration deadline was February 3, 2026 and the SVT deadline is March 31, 2026. Both require annual declarations even if you live in the home.
• Exemptions exist for principal residences, rental properties, renovations with permits, medical situations, estate administration, and more — but you have to proactively claim them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to declare every year even if I live in my home?

Yes. Both the Vancouver EHT and BC SVT require an annual declaration from every residential property owner in their respective jurisdictions. Living in your home means you qualify for the principal residence exemption, but you still need to file the declaration to confirm that. Failing to declare means the City assumes your property is vacant.

What is the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax rate in 2026?

The Vancouver EHT rate is 3% of your property’s assessed value for the 2025 and 2026 reference years. This rate has been in effect since 2021 and has not changed for 2026. On a home assessed at $1 million, the tax would be $30,000 per year if the property is deemed vacant.

Can I be subject to both the Vancouver EHT and BC SVT at the same time?

Yes. They are separate taxes administered by different levels of government. If your property is in Vancouver and is deemed vacant under both programs, you pay both. A Canadian citizen with a vacant $1.5 million property in Vancouver would owe $45,000 (EHT at 3%) plus $15,000 (SVT at 1%) for a total of $60,000.

Does renting my property on Airbnb exempt me from the Empty Homes Tax?

Not necessarily. The EHT requires rental periods of at least 30 consecutive days, and the property must be rented for a total of at least six months in the year. Short-term stays under 30 days do not count toward the six-month threshold, even if the total nights add up to more than 180.

What if I missed the February 3 EHT deadline?

You can still file a late declaration, but you will face a $250 bylaw fine. The City may have already deemed your property vacant and issued a tax notice. You can request a review of the deemed-vacant status, but the burden is on you to prove the property was occupied or exempt. Late declarations are accepted up to five years after the reference year.

Are there any proposals to increase the Vancouver EHT rate?

Councillor Sean Orr proposed in September 2025 to raise the EHT from 3% to 5% and to remove the exemption on vacant new inventory. As of March 2026, the rate remains at 3%, but the proposal signals ongoing political pressure to increase it. I would not be surprised to see a rate change in the next year or two.

Sources

• City of Vancouver — Empty Homes Tax
• City of Vancouver — Evidence and Exemptions
• City of Vancouver — Empty Homes Tax Drives Vacancies to Record Low, December 2025
• BC Government — Speculation and Vacancy Tax Rates
• BC Government — SVT Declaration Information, January 2026
• BC Government — How to Declare for the SVT
• Councillor Sean Orr — Motion to Improve the Empty Homes Tax, September 2025
• WOWA.ca — Vancouver Empty Home Tax Calculator

Data sourced March 2026. Tax rates and deadlines change. Verify current figures with the City of Vancouver or BC government before making financial decisions.

Next Steps: Work with Rain City Properties

If you are buying, selling, or holding property in Vancouver and have questions about how vacancy taxes affect your investment, I am happy to talk it through. These taxes are one piece of a bigger ownership cost picture — and they matter most when you are making decisions about second properties, rental conversions, or holding vacant land.

Contact Greyden Douglas directly at (604) 218-2289 or book a call to discuss your Vancouver real estate goals.