Tax Sales

All taxes must be paid by December 31 each year. Properties with delinquent taxes (three years outstanding) are subject for sale. If taxes are not paid, the property will then accrue interest on a daily basis according to rates assigned by the provincial government.

Attend a tax sale

Tax sales are held annually on the last Monday in September, unless that Monday falls on a holiday. Then the sale is held on the next Monday that is not a holiday.

The 2024 Tax Sale will be held on October 7, 2024 at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Tax Sale information for potential purchasers

Before attending a tax sale

View the properties

At the tax sale, you are not given access to the properties listed and all information will be based on the curbside view of the property or any information you can get from the building files or other sources.

Do a title search

Search for the property online at www.ltsa.ca or view the titles two days before the sale at City Hall. This will tell you if there are any charges or liens on the property.

Most charges will be removed if the property is transferred at the end of the year of redemption, but ones that will be transferred to you as the new owner will be any senior government liens (ie. Province of BC or Government of Canada).
All other mortgages and charges will be removed before ownership is transferred to you.

Talk to your bank

If you are writing a cheque, you will need a letter of verification from your bank authorizing you to write a cheque up to a certain dollar amount.

Since you do not know the total purchase price you will pay until after the auction is over, we suggest that you get an authorization letter for more than the upset price, as this is the opening bid.

Talk to our Tax Clerk

The property owners have until 10:00 AM on the tax sale date to pay their delinquent taxes. The Tax Clerk can let you know if a property will no longer be going up for tax sale.

Contact our Tax Clerk by email or call 250-784-3608

Tax sale process

Attend the tax sale

Be in Council Chambers on the top floor of City Hall before 10:00 AM on the last Monday of September. The tax sale will start right away and the Tax Collector will auction off the properties in the order advertised.

If you are a successful bidder, you will be required to make a payment before leaving City Hall. If you do not make a payment, the property will be re-auctioned off at 1:00 PM that afternoon.

Wait one year

The property owner has one year to redeem the property.

If the property is redeemed, your purchase price plus interest will be refunded to you.

Pay the fees

If the property is transferred to your name after the one-year redemption period, you will be responsible for the following fees before the title will transfer.

Current outstanding property taxes, utilities and receivables for the property
Property Transfer Tax (on the current assessed value)
Any liens from Senior Government that transfer with the property

Tax sale disclaimer

It is your responsibility to verify any and all information to your own satisfaction and to determine the nature and scope of all risk related to any tax sale property prior to placing a bid. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to conduct all legal, actual and other audits, enquiries, evaluations, inspections, and investigations of any tax sales property as you consider necessary prior to bidding on any property. Upon submitting a bid, you are deemed to have relied solely and entirely on your own audits, enquiries, evaluations, inspections, and investigations of any tax sales property. You acknowledge that the City and the Tax Collector are not responsible for any loss, damage and/or unresolved liens attached to the tax sales property.