What this is and who administers it
The Home Owner Grant is a provincial grant in British Columbia (BC) that reduces the amount of property tax you pay each year on your principal residence. It is administered by the Province of British Columbia.
You can apply if you pay property taxes to a municipality, or to the province if you live in a rural area. If you pay your property taxes to a First Nation, contact the First Nation directly to access an equivalent home owner grant benefit.
Grant amounts
The official page states that effective January 1, 2027, the regular grant (also called the basic grant) amount is $570 for properties located in B.C.
A higher amount, called the additional grant, may be available if you are:
- A senior
- A veteran
- A person with a disability
- Living with a spouse or relative with a disability
- A spouse or relative of a deceased owner who would have qualified for the additional grant
The official page also states that property owners must pay at least $350 in property taxes before receiving the regular grant. Property owners who may qualify for the additional grant (for example seniors, veterans, or persons with a disability) must pay at least $100 in property taxes before receiving the grant. These minimum amounts fund services such as road maintenance and police protection. The page notes that grant amounts may be adjusted to ensure the minimum amount of annual taxes are paid.
Who qualifies
The official eligibility conditions are:
- Be the registered owner of the residence (or a spouse or relative of the deceased owner)
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Live in B.C.
- Occupy the residence as your principal residence
- The assessed or partitioned value of your property does not exceed the grant threshold
On principal residence, the page states you can have only one principal residence for the purpose of claiming the grant. If you own more than one home, you cannot designate which one is your principal residence. Your principal residence is the usual place you make your home, where you live and conduct daily affairs such as paying bills and receiving mail. It is generally the residence used in government records for income tax, Medical Services Plan, driver's licence and vehicle registration.
To qualify, your principal residence must be assessed and taxed as an improvement, such as a single family dwelling, strata duplex, strata condominium, strata townhouse, manufactured home or modular home.
You must occupy your principal residence when you apply, except in special circumstances. The page lists exceptions including: your residence was damaged or destroyed, you are moving into a residential facility, or you are absent for reasons such as work, medical, travel, education or home renovations.
Grant threshold
The grant threshold is the maximum assessed or partitioned value of a property where home owners are eligible to claim the grant.
- The grant threshold for 2026 is $2,075,000. You may claim the full grant if your property's assessed or partitioned value is $2,075,000 or less.
- If you meet all requirements but your property's assessed or partitioned value is above $2,075,000, you may qualify for a reduced grant. The grant is reduced by $5 for each $1,000 of assessed value over $2,075,000.
- The regular grant amount is $0 if the residential or partitioned value is over $2,189,000 ($2,229,000 in the northern and rural area).
- The additional grant amount is $0 if the residential or partitioned value is over $2,244,000 ($2,284,000 in the northern and rural area).
On partitioning: you may apply to have the assessed value partitioned if you previously could not claim, or could only claim a reduced grant, because of the high assessed value, and your property consists of your principal residence and at least one additional separate residence. The partitioned value is the assessed value divided by the number of residences. Each residence must have cooking, sleeping, bathroom and living room facilities. Laneway homes and multi-family dwellings like a duplex, triplex and fourplex qualify as separate residences. A suite in your principal residence does not qualify as a separate residence.
Buying or selling your property
The page states that if you purchased your property during the current tax year, you may be eligible if:
- The previous owner did not claim the grant on the property
- You did not receive the grant this year for another property
- You are occupying the property as your principal residence when you apply
How to apply
The page states that you must apply for the home owner grant each year, and only one grant can be claimed for a property each year. You may also be able to apply for a retroactive grant if you qualified last year but did not apply.
If you are the registered owner of a land co-operative or multi-dwelling leased parcel, you can work with eligible occupants to apply for the multiple home owner grant.
If you receive a Notice of Disentitlement indicating you are not eligible, the page says you can find out how to pay your outstanding balance or contact the office for further explanation.
Auditing
The page states that home owner grant applications are audited for up to 7 years to ensure taxpayers are eligible for the grants they receive. When requested, you must provide all information necessary to confirm your eligibility.
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