Property tax assessment appeal appraisers in Canada
A property tax assessment appeal challenges the value your provincial or municipal assessment authority has placed on your property. Property tax is calculated from that assessed value, so an assessment that is too high means a tax bill that is too high, every year until it is corrected.
The appraisers listed here prepare appraisals and evidence for residential and commercial assessment appeals across Canada, and some will represent owners at a hearing.
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Are you an appraiser? List here freeAppraisal vs assessment
An assessment is a mass appraisal. The authority values every property in the jurisdiction using statistical models, sales data and property records, all as of a single valuation date set by the province, which may be well before this year. An appraisal values one property, inspected individually, at a stated date for a stated purpose.
Because a mass model cannot see inside your home, it errs on individual properties, wrong square footage, a finished basement that is not, condition much worse than the records suggest. Those errors are the easiest grounds for an appeal.
How to appeal a property assessment
Each province has its own process, but the pattern is similar. Start by reading the assessment notice for the deadline, which is strict. Many provinces offer an informal review or request for reconsideration first; if that does not resolve it, the appeal goes to an assessment review board or tribunal.
The question is almost always what the property was worth on the valuation date, not what it is worth today. Evidence should be sales of comparable properties from around that date, and the assessments of similar properties nearby, which can support an argument that yours is out of line.
When an appraisal is worth commissioning for an appeal
For a straightforward factual error, an appraisal is usually unnecessary: correct the record with the authority. When the disagreement is about value, an independent appraisal at the valuation date is the strongest evidence you can bring.
The fee is weighed against the tax at stake over the years the assessment applies. That arithmetic usually favours an appraisal on commercial and high-value residential property and often does not on an ordinary home with a small overstatement.
Common questions
What is the difference between an appraisal and an assessment?
An assessment is a mass valuation of every property for property tax, as of a fixed valuation date set by the province. An appraisal is an individual opinion of market value for one property, at a date and for a purpose the client specifies. The two often differ, sometimes substantially.
How do I appeal my property assessment?
Check your assessment notice for the deadline and the first step, which in many provinces is an informal review or request for reconsideration. If that fails, file an appeal with the provincial review board or tribunal, with evidence of value as of the valuation date.
Will appealing my assessment increase it?
It can in some provinces. Review bodies can confirm, lower or, in some cases, raise an assessment. Check the rules in your province before filing, and be confident of your evidence.
Is my assessed value what my home is worth?
Not necessarily. It is a model estimate as of the province’s valuation date, which may be a year or more before the notice. Market value today can be higher or lower.
Do I need an appraiser to appeal my property taxes?
No. Owners can appeal on their own. An appraiser is most useful when the dispute is about market value rather than a factual error, and when the tax at stake justifies the fee.