Empty Homes Tax Vancouver 2026: Who Pays, Who's Exempt, How to File

The tax is calculated on the BC Assessment value as of July 1 of the year before the reference year. For the 2025 reference year, that is the July 1, 2024 assessment. The City does not use the sale price, your insured value, or any adjusted figure. A $1.5 million assessed property deemed vacant for 2025 owes $45,000.

The Six-Month Rule: Principal Residence and Tenanted Properties

Two exemptions cover the vast majority of Vancouver owners. Both rely on the same threshold: the property must be occupied for at least 184 days during the calendar year, with each qualifying tenancy lasting 30 consecutive days or more.

Principal residence exemption. The property is the principal residence of the registered owner, a family member, or a friend for at least six months of the year. You can only claim one principal residence in Vancouver. If you own two homes and split time between them, only one qualifies.

Tenanted property exemption. The property is rented to a tenant on a written tenancy agreement of 30 consecutive days or more, for an aggregate of at least six months during the year. The six months do not need to be consecutive. Six separate 30-day rentals across the year qualify, but no individual stay can be shorter than 30 days. Short-term rentals through Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar platforms do not count toward the threshold.

Document everything. The City audits properties at random and on referral. Acceptable evidence includes signed tenancy agreements, ICBC vehicle insurance tied to the address, government identification showing the address, and utility bills in the occupant's name. Email-only correspondence is not enough on its own.

The Other Eight Exemption Categories

If the property does not meet the six-month rule, you can still qualify under one of these narrower exemptions. Each one requires supporting evidence at the time of declaration or during a later audit.

• Strata rental restriction. Before BC's 2022 ban on rental restrictions in stratas, many buildings prohibited rentals entirely. If your strata had a rental bylaw in place on November 16, 2016 and it has stayed continuously in force, vacant units may qualify. This exemption is narrower than it used to be and now applies mainly to grandfathered buildings.
• Major renovations or redevelopment. The property is vacant because it is undergoing major renovations or redevelopment, with active building permits in good standing. Cosmetic upgrades do not qualify. The work has to require a permit and progress at a reasonable pace.
• Owner in medical or supportive care. The owner who would normally live in the property is in long-term hospital care, hospice, or a supportive care facility. A signed letter from a medical practitioner is required.
• Recent transfer of legal ownership. The property changed hands during the reference year. The exemption applies for the year of transfer only.
• Court order. The property is unoccupied because of a court order, court proceeding, or a legal restriction on occupancy.
• Owner used the home for work. The owner uses the property for at least six months of the year to be close to a place of employment within Metro Vancouver, while maintaining a principal residence elsewhere.
• Death of an owner. The registered owner died during the previous calendar year and the property is in probate or estate administration.
• Unsold new inventory. Added in 2023 and applied retroactively to 2022, this exemption covers newly built condos and houses that a developer has been unable to sell. The exemption starts the year after the occupancy permit is issued and continues until the unit sells or is occupied.

EHT vs. BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax

This is where most Vancouver owners get confused. The Empty Homes Tax and the Speculation and Vacancy Tax are two different taxes, with two different filings, two different rate structures, and two different deadlines. Owning a vacant home in Vancouver can trigger both.

• EHT is municipal. Charged by the City of Vancouver only. 3% of assessed value. Declared in early February. Affects the City of Vancouver alone.
• SVT is provincial. Charged by the Province of British Columbia. 0.5% for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, 2% for foreign owners and satellite families. Declared in late March. Covers Metro Vancouver, the Capital Regional District, Kelowna, Nanaimo, and several other designated areas.

A vacant $1 million Vancouver condo can owe $30,000 to the City for EHT plus $5,000 to the Province for SVT in the same year. A $1 million vacant condo in Burnaby owes only the $5,000 SVT, because Burnaby is outside the EHT zone. Our BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax guide covers the provincial filing in detail.

Penalties for Non-Filing and False Declarations

The consequences of getting this wrong are significant.

• Failure to declare: Property is deemed vacant. 3% tax applied. $250 bylaw ticket.
• Late declaration: $250 ticket plus a 5% penalty on the tax levy, even if the property turns out to be exempt.
• False declaration: Up to $10,000 per day of the continuing offence, in addition to the tax owed.
• Audit response: Owners selected for audit must provide evidence supporting their declared status. Audits typically occur within two years of the reference year.

The City has steadily increased audit capacity. Random audits are now common, and so are referrals from neighbours or strata councils. Keep evidence for at least five years.

Common Mistakes Vancouver Owners Make

A few patterns come up repeatedly when owners get caught by the EHT.

• Assuming a condo with rental restrictions is exempt. The strata rental restriction exemption requires a bylaw that was in place on November 16, 2016 and has stayed in force ever since. Most buildings either never had one or have since dropped it under provincial rules.
• Counting short-term rental days. Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms do not contribute to the six-month threshold. Only rentals on written agreements of 30 consecutive days or more count.
• Confusing assessed value with market price. The tax uses the BC Assessment number, which is often lower than what the property would sell for. Check your assessed value at bcassessment.ca before estimating the bill.
• Forgetting laneway homes and secondary suites on the same lot. Each separately assessed parcel needs its own declaration. A house with a separately titled laneway home is two declarations, not one.
• Missing the deadline while travelling. The City does not send paper reminders to every owner. Declarations are due February 3 every year. Set a calendar reminder for late January.

How to File the Declaration

Filing takes about 10 minutes if you have your documents ready.

• Go to vancouver.ca/eht-declaration.
• Enter your folio number, access code, and property address. These come on your property tax notice.
• Select the status for the previous calendar year, principal residence, tenanted, exempt, or vacant.
• If you select an exemption, identify which category and prepare to upload supporting documents if requested.
• Submit before February 3.

If you bought the property mid-year, the previous owner filed a declaration for their portion of the year. You are responsible only from the date of your purchase forward, but you still need to file for your portion. The recent-transfer exemption typically applies for the year of purchase.

Before You Buy in Vancouver

If you are shopping for a Vancouver property as a second home, investment, or pied-à-terre, factor the EHT into your carrying costs. A $1.2 million condo bought as a part-time residence and not rented out adds $36,000 a year in municipal tax alone before strata fees, mortgage interest, or property tax. Many investors who plan to rent out a Vancouver property assume the math works, then discover their strata bylaws or insurance restrictions prevent it.

Zealty's Strata Browser lets you check the rental bylaws of more than 14,000 BC strata buildings before you make an offer, so you can confirm a unit can be rented at the term length you need. Pair that with our condo building due diligence checklist to spot rental restrictions, depreciation report concerns, and contingency reserve fund issues before they cost you the tax exemption.

Browse current Vancouver listings on Zealty with live MLS data, full pricing history, and assessed values shown on every property. The Vancouver housing market page tracks current inventory, median prices, and days on market across every neighbourhood in the city.