Property Taxes and Utilities

The Home Owner Grant Program is a Provincial Government program designed to help homeowners with their Property Taxes. The Home Owner Grant reduces the amount of Property Taxes home owners pay on their principal residence. 

Basic grant is up to $570 and Additional grant is for those 65 years and older is up to $845. The home owner grant threshold for 2023 is $2,125,000. The grant is reduced by $5 for each $1,000 of assessed value over $2,125,000 to a maximum of $2,239,000 for basic grant and $2,294,000 for additional grant. 

Home owner grants must be claimed EACH YEAR with the Province of BC. The City of New Westminster no longer accepts retroactive and current year Home Owner Grant applications. If you didn’t apply for Home owner grant last year (2022), you may qualify for a retroactive home owner grant. All Home Owner Grant (Current and Retroactive) applications must be submitted directly to the Province of BC. 

For more information please visit the Provincial Government Home Owner Grant Administration website, or contact their office at 1-888-355-2700. 

*Please use your folio number listed on your statement in the required roll number field. 

The Province’s Property Tax Deferment program provides low-interest loans for qualifying BC homeowners to defer their property taxes until they sell or transfer ownership of their home. 

The Province has taken over the administration of this program and municipalities will no longer be collecting any information or application. 

All deferment applications, including renewal applications, must be submitted online through the Provincial Tax Deferment Application Portal. 

For full details, and to ensure you qualify, please refer to the Province's website, or contact their office at 1-888-355-2700.

Any property with delinquent taxes will be sold at the City’s annual tax sale. The City is obliged to hold the annual tax sale each year. The sale is a public auction with the successful bid being the highest bid above the upset price. The upset price is the total of all outstanding taxes plus penalties, interests and costs.

Notice is required to be given for the list of properties that may be available for tax sale and will be given or published in accordance with section 94 of the Community Charter. The Notice shall be posted to the City’s Public Notice Posting Places and, pursuant to Public Notice Bylaw No. 8417, 2023, via the following additional means of publication:

(a) electronically via Citypage, and email subscription service; and

(b) printed and posted to one or more information boards at the New Westminster Public Library.

At least one of the latter two Notices will be published no less than 3 and no more than 10 days prior to the date of the tax sale

The minimum bid is the amount of the Upset price. If no bidding takes place within three calls by the Collector (auctioneer), the City is declared the purchaser at the Upset price.

The highest bidder at or above the upset price shall be declared the purchaser. The purchaser must pay by certified cheque or bank draft. Bidders will be given until 2pm on September 25, 2023 to secure funds for the balance of the bid price. Upset price to be paid at time of tax sale.

The owner of the property, or any registered charge holder, will be notified of the sale of the property for taxes. They have a period of 12 months to redeem the property by paying the outstanding taxes. Only at the end of the redemption period, if the property has not been redeemed will title pass to the successful bidder.  If the property is redeemed, all the amounts paid to the City by the successful bidder will be returned with interest at the rate prescribed under section 11(3) of the Taxation (Rural Area) act.

The successful bidder has only limited legal rights to the property during the redemption period. The registered owner continues to have use and enjoyment of the property.

The successful purchaser of tax sale property results in transfer of title at the end of the redemption period will be required to pay any property purchase taxes and goods and services which may apply to the tax sale.

Tax Sale

Time & Date:
10:00 am, Monday, September 25, 2023 

Location:
City of New Westminster Council Chambers
511 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC

All bidders must:

1. Pre-register between 8:35am - 9:55am at City Hall.
2. Pay $175 non-refundable registration fee by cash or debit payment.
3. Only registered bidders will be allowed into designated Council Chambers for the tax sale process. Friends or family of registered bidders are prohibited.
4. Registered participants must be the age of majority, 19 or older, to register and will be required to show photo ID showing their legal name and their Social Insurance Number (SIN) when registering.
5. Registered bidders must have in their possession certified funds of the upset price at the time of registration.

To qualify for the Pre-Authorized Pre-payment Plan (PAPP), current taxes or water and sewer must be paid in full.

The pre-authorized pre-payment plan is designed to put money towards next year’s Property Taxes and Annual Utilities. The pre-payment plan will accumulate 10 monthly withdrawals from your bank account and apply the funds towards your:

• Annual utilities balance in February (withdrawal starts May 1 to Feb 1)
• Property taxes balance in May (withdrawal starts August 1 to May 1)  No payments are taken for June and July.

After the instalment payments are applied, you must pay any difference and claim the Home Owner grant (if eligible) and make the final payment manually by the property tax due date, this payment will not come out of the PAPP.  Check the balance on your statement for this final payment amount to avoid penalty.

Download the PAPP form. 

Terms and conditions apply. 

MyCity is a secure, all-in-one, online service that allows residents and businesses to access information about their City of New Westminster accounts, and register for eBilling. It's easy to use and all information is protected by private access codes.

Use MyCity to:

• Access account information
• View current and past bills
• View account payment history
• Receive your tax notice electronically (eBilling)

Go paperless by signing up at www.newwestcity.ca/mycity

By mail or in person at:
511 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, B.C.
V3L 1H9

Phone: 604-527-4550
Email: 

City Hall hours of operation:

Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (excluding holidays)