Victoria (Capital Region) Property Tax Assessments

That is an odd thing of him to say you and does not jive with how the assessment system works.

You do not need to appeal your neighbours assessment, you just need to make BC Assessment aware there is an error. Nothing will change for this year but your neighbours should be closer to you next year.

I think it is worth you appealing and get a full list of comparable sales, the $250K is too far off, way too far on the surface of it. I suspect your house is likely too high and the comparable sales would show this.

It's all rather academic now since, as I said in my original post, the increases in my assessment slowed down for a couple of years, and the neighbor I cited is now assessed higher than me--he's gone from $250K under mine to $100K over.

I did what you suggested here--complained that the values were wrong (relatively) and although the assessor said "appeal your neighbors' assessments" my assessment increases were retarded in the next two years.

I appreciate that you seem to have a lot of faith in the assessment system. I don't--I think it's a blunt instrument, highly computerized, and prone to gross errors. At least I got a satisfactory result.

I appreciate that you seem to have a lot of faith in the assessment system. I don't--I think it's a blunt instrument, highly computerized, and prone to gross errors. At least I got a satisfactory result.

My faith comes from having seen the data over and over again being pretty well on the mark. It is computerized but the intent is for the data to be ground truthed. Their files should have old pictures of the houses at different times.

Their staff levels have not kept pace with the demand so they do fewer site visits than in the past.

We changed insurance companies this year and this company did a formal appraisal on our place.

Our tax assessment went up this year while our neighbours didn't, and it matches almost exactly the result from the insurance appraisal.

Coincidence???

Bernard do you or anyone else know if BC assessment has access to private appraisals, or could my insurance company have shared this info without my knowledge?

We changed insurance companies this year and this company did a formal appraisal on our place.

Our tax assessment went up this year while our neighbours didn't, and it matches almost exactly the result from the insurance appraisal.

Coincidence???

Bernard do you or anyone else know if BC assessment has access to private appraisals, or could my insurance company have shared this info without my knowledge?

They have no access to private appraisals, the only time they see them is if they are provided one by the owner. If your neighbours house is similar to yours, they should be in step with your values.

I know this is going in a slightly different direction, but I thought this would be the best place...

In a condo where parking spots for owners are not titled, who owns the numbered parking spots?

If there is additional parking space in the parking garage that is unused by any resident or is not specifically made available to a particular residential unit, who owns those spots, and who has the right to rent out the spots and collect money?

^Wouldn't the strata administer it on behalf of all the owners? I think it's like storage lockers; limited common property assigned to individual suites although it is not considered a part of your actual apartment.

A neighbour once asked if we could swap parking spaces. I refused because I had a good space and I wasn't sure of the legal implications.

^^ Sounds like the parking areas are common property, in which case the strata corp has the right to assign "exclusive use" to strata members for a period not to exceed one year (after which it can be renewed). This can apply to parts that are not numbered, but keep in mind that there are fire regulations governing access to the parking lot. I don't know if the corp is allowed to rent the spots out, but I don't see why not.

^ I think if lockers or parking is actually limited common property it gets put on the title. The case Sebbery is discussing is "exclusive use" of common property. In our building parking is LCP and owned by strata lots, but lockers are assigned and administered by the corporation and not "owned".

If you do not have a specific title to a specific parking spot, the parking spot is communal property that is manged through the strata board rules they create for deciding who gets a spot and who does not.

Personally I think that people should get their parking spot as part of the legal title, it makes things simpler

Hi,
I am curious about the BC assessment use of building permits. Do they consider them all no matter the cost.
Do they use the method whereby they consider how much it would take to rebuild the house from scratch or just how much people would pay for it.
do you find certain renovations are more effective in raising building values.


Most importantly: what are the factors behind building value change (on the rolls) How important is building aging, renovation and repair.

I have hit Shift and Control at the same time so I cannot make question marks, but you get the idea.

Thanks,
Tye

Hi,
I am curious about the BC assessment use of building permits. Do they consider them all no matter the cost.
Do they use the method whereby they consider how much it would take to rebuild the house from scratch or just how much people would pay for it.
do you find certain renovations are more effective in raising building values.


Most importantly: what are the factors behind building value change (on the rolls) How important is building aging, renovation and repair.

I have hit Shift and Control at the same time so I cannot make question marks, but you get the idea.

Thanks,
Tye

Lets see if I can answer all of this:
Yes, they look at all building permits but only effects the value in so far as what the market is doing. If you do a $50,000 renovation but the house would not sell for $50,000 more then the assessment should not rise up $50,000

For single family home they do not use replacement value as a way to value the house. The only use sales of similar houses.

As to state and condition, it is all factored in if they know about it. If your house is in worse condition that average, then the value would be lower, bu they need to know about that.

Victoria city hall needs to sharpen its pencils

Looming budget crunch is worse than most residents realize

Gerald Hartwig, Irwin Henderson, Paul Brown, Blair Humphrey and Jenny Farkas,
Times Colonist
March 23, 2012

The City of Victoria's taxes have increased by 42 per cent over the past 20 years and are projected to increase by at least 4.5 per cent every year for the next five years. Yet Victoria's population, business activity and overall tax base are not growing enough to meet these rising costs.


READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=4d7b0d7d-39e7-4669-b460-8d7087a11850

staff expenses are increasing exponentially and massive infrastructure costs
READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=4d7b0d7d-39e7-4669-b460-8d7087a11850

Infrastructure - fair enough.

Staff expenses increasing exponentially? I would really like to see an independent report on why this is occurring. Once again, I'll say it again, why does it take less than 10 business days in Langford to get plans approved for a 2,500 sq.ft spec while it takes 2 months in Victoria and it goes through every single department/inspector possible multiple times? There is no good rationale. At the end of the day a home in Langford is built better anyway as rainscreen technology is mandatory; whereas, in Victoria it is not.

It seems like every year everything has to get a lot more complicated with the City of Victoria. Last year I could phone the City and obtain a permit history on a home. Now I have to go down there with a contract of purchase and sale, wait in line, waste more of my time, waste more of the city staff time, etc.

Every time I go down there to pull a permit for something there are 2 extra forms to fill out....

And how much money has been spent on implementing the garden suite policy? How many garden suites have been approved/built in the City of Victoria under this policy? Zero & Zero last I heard. They waste resources on something like this and then make it ridicolous difficult/expensive to actually rezone your property for a Garden Suite.

Anyway, that is my rant. Common sense seems to be lacking at city hall - the fact that staff expenses are increasing exponentially does not surprise me one bit but is frustrating none the less.

Said it before and I will say again that I am so very thankful that I will be moving out of Victoria (Fairfield) and likely into Saanich in less than a year. A 20% + tax increase over the next years? And as with any financial projection especially coming from this group of Voodoo Economists inhabiting City Hall, I'm sure that figure will be low. No thank you very much....

Spending, not taxes, should be city's focus, Chamber says

Andrew A. Duffy
Times Colonist
March 29, 2012

The Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce may back the City of Victoria's move to reduce the tax burden carried by the business community, but the organization suggests there are more pressing concerns.

"We have a spending problem," said Chamber CEO Bruce Carter. "We are outpacing the growth of the economy two or three times and we have done that for almost 20 years and that's not sustainable...

READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=9dc3a22b-e539-443e-ab84-28e7c4ea20e4

Ease the tax pain in any way possible

Letters
Robert McConnell
Times Colonist

March 29, 2012
An earnest group of citizens wrote a piece for the Times Colonist last week pleading for spending restraint at Victoria's city hall.

Former city councillor John Luton replied that a an increase in "city taxes" of 42 per cent in the last 20 years (which the well-meaners had claimed) is less than two per cent a year, and that makes it prima facie evidence of long-standing good fiscal management...

READ MORE:
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=cc6c867d-403d-40f6-abb0-f67ed0c5e339

John Luton continues to be the answer to a question that nobody asked. Equally useless is Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Bruce Carter, who was on CBC this morning on the topic of property tax increases and how they've become dangerously untenable. "City Council has a spending problem," said the man who shamelessly shilled for the Mayor and his "iconic" new bridge.

Bruce Carter talking about keeping costs reigned in after pushing for a bridge replacement? The irony stings.

How about he find a way to decrease the yearly Chamber dues. The money we spent on a Chamber membership was probably one of the biggest wastes of money we've ever incurred.

In other municipal taxation news, Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard today is seeking re-election as chair of the Municipal Finance Authority at the AGM at Hotel Grand Pacific.

Saanich looks to cut costs by moving bill payments online

By Kyle Slavin - Saanich News

[Saanich] Council on Monday was expected to consider a recommendation from the director of finance asking them to endorse amending the Community Charter to allow for electronic billing.

"To this point we haven't been able to do that because provincial legislation requires us to mail notices. This is simply asking the province to change legislation to let folks go paperless," said director of finance Paul Murray.

There are some hurdles here. Believe it or not, some people don't have adequate access to a computer. I know a few geezers that will have nothing to do with them. Some that do refuse to use them for any financial transaction, especially ones involving thousands of dollars.

In other municipal taxation news, Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard today is seeking re-election as chair of the Municipal Finance Authority at the AGM at Hotel Grand Pacific.

This has to be one of the most understatedly powerful positions in the Province. I hope he does get re-elected. It'd be great too if he initiated a bloodless coup and annexed Victoria into Saanich. Ooops, there I go digressing again.