Vancouver Empty Homes Tax and BC Speculation Tax for Landlords

If you own residential property in the City of Vancouver, you have two separate vacancy declarations to make every year: the City's Empty Homes Tax and the Province's Speculation and Vacancy Tax. A rented home can be exempt from both, but each tax has its own test, and both broadly ask for at least six months of qualifying occupancy in the year. Short nightly stays do not count toward either rental test.

This guide covers who declares, the deadlines, the current rates, and how renting your property fits each test. Rates and dates change from year to year, so the figures below note the year they apply to.

Two taxes, two declarations

The Empty Homes Tax (also called the Vacancy Tax) is a City of Vancouver tax under the Vacancy Tax By-law. The Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT) is a provincial tax that applies in designated taxable areas, and the City of Vancouver is one of them, along with the rest of Metro Vancouver's major municipalities.

The City says plainly that its tax is separate from the provincial one, and that an owner may have to pay both. Filing one declaration does nothing for the other.

Vancouver Empty Homes Tax: who declares and when

Every residential property owner in Vancouver must submit a property status declaration every year, even if you live in the home yourself. Only one declaration is needed per property, so co-owners file once between them.

The declaration looks back at a calendar-year "reference period." For the 2025 reference year:

• Reference period: January 1 to December 31, 2025
• Declaration deadline: February 3, 2026
• Tax payment due: April 16, 2026
• Rate: 3% of the property's 2025 assessed taxable value, for a property declared, deemed or determined empty

If you miss the deadline, the City deems the property vacant, applies the 3% tax, and issues a $250 by-law ticket. Late declarations are possible through a Notice of Complaint, within the windows the City publishes. Declarations can be audited, and the City states that false declarations can bring fines of up to $10,000 per day, on top of the tax.

The current reference year is 2026, which runs to December 31, 2026. The City publishes the rate and declaration deadline for each year on its Empty Homes Tax page, so check there for the 2026 figures before you file early next year.

How renting counts for the Empty Homes Tax

A rented property is not subject to the tax if it was rented to an arm's length tenant for residential purposes for at least six months of the year, in periods of 30 or more consecutive days. A few details matter for landlords:

• The six months can add up. Several rentals of 30 consecutive days or more can combine to reach six months. A single long-term lease of six months or more also qualifies.
• The tenant does not need to make it their principal residence. The City allows rentals to people renovating their home or working temporarily in Vancouver, for example.
• Listing it for rent is not enough. There is no exemption for a home that sits empty because it is listed for rent, even if you could not find a tenant.
• Residential use only. A property rented and used solely as office space does not qualify.

If your home is selected for audit, the City may ask for evidence such as tenancy agreements, bank statements showing recurring rental income, homeowner's insurance with a rental provision, and tax returns showing rental income. Evidence is not needed when you declare, only if you are audited.

Short stays and mid-term stays

Nightly and weekly guest stays fall below the 30-consecutive-day minimum, so they do not count toward the rental test. In the City of Vancouver, stays under 90 consecutive days are only allowed in a principal residence with a City short-term rental licence. A hosted home is therefore usually covered by principal residence status instead: the owner must use it as their principal residence for at least six months of the year. See can I Airbnb my condo in Vancouver for the licensing side.

Furnished stays of 90 consecutive days or more sit well above the 30-day minimum, so they count toward the six months. That is one reason a mid-term rental can work for an investment condo that cannot be hosted nightly.

BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax: who declares and when

Every owner of residential property in a taxable area must declare every year, even if they qualify for an exemption. Unlike the City tax, each person on title makes their own declaration, even if the other owner is a spouse or relative.

The provincial declaration looks back one year:

• Declaration letters are mailed in January and February.
• You declare by March 31.
• The declaration covers the previous calendar year. The declarations made in 2026 covered how the property was used in 2025, and the 2026 tax payment was due July 2, 2026.

If the Province receives no declaration, it issues a notice of assessment. Late declarations can be accepted for up to six years after the tax year.

SVT rates

Rates are a percentage of the property's assessed value. The 2026 rates apply to use during 2026, which you will declare in early 2027.

How renting counts for the Speculation and Vacancy Tax

The SVT tenancy exemption also needs at least six months of the year, but the details differ from the City's test:

• Rentals must be in at least one-month increments. You can combine several tenants across the year, but each tenancy must meet the requirements on its own.
• Arm's length tenants need a written tenancy agreement under the Residential Tenancy Act, and the tenant must make the residence their home.
• Family members can count as non-arm's length tenants, with different conditions for Canadian owners and foreign owners.
• One rented unit can exempt the whole property. If you rent one or more residences on a property, such as a basement suite or laneway home, the entire property can be exempt.

Because the arm's length test is built around a tenancy under the Residential Tenancy Act, nightly guest stays do not fit it. A principal residence exemption is available separately, with eligibility conditions set by the Province.

Where the two tests differ

A home rented to one long-term tenant for the full year comfortably meets both. Mixed calendars, gaps between tenants, and family occupants are where owners should check each test separately. This guide is general information, so confirm your own situation with the City, the Province or a tax adviser.

Keeping the records that support a declaration

Both declarations stay with the owner, but they depend on records: signed tenancy agreements, move-in and move-out dates, and rent received. For long-term rentals, Artin Realty keeps the tenancy records and rent held in trust that support a declaration, and our Vancouver property management page explains how each rental length works under the City's rules.