The City is required under the Local Government Act to hold an annual Tax Sale, auctioning any property with unpaid taxes for the past two years. The following notes are intended to provide a general outline of the Tax Sale process. For complete information, prospective purchasers should consult the Local Government Act.
About the Tax Sale
- The Local Government Act gives the Collector authority to sell a property for the Upset Price which equals all outstanding taxes + penalties + interest + 5% Tax Sale cost based on the value of outstanding current, arrears and delinquent taxes + Land Title Office fees.
- Interest will be applied to the outstanding redemption amount, based on the purchase value of the property at Tax Sale. The interest rate is determined quarterly by the Province of BC and as of the date of the 2026 tax sale, the quarterly rate is currently set at 2.45%. For current interest rate, please contact Revenue Services.
Know Before You Go
- Before the tax sale date, a list of properties that may be included in the sale is published in the North Shore News, twice within a 10-day period.
- Prospective bidders are advised that it is their responsibility to search the title of the property in advance to determine if there are any charges registered against the property.
- All property sales are "as is" without warrantee or guarantee by the City.
Day of the Tax Sale
- Pre-registration is between 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at City Hall
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Provide a bank draft made out to the City of North Vancouver for the maximum amount you will be spending at the auction
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Provide photo ID, occupation, current contact number, social insurance number (individual) or business number (corporation)
- If a bidder is successful in purchasing a property or properties, the successful bid prices will be deducted from the bank draft provided and a refund of the balance will be issued within a week
- If a bidder is unsuccessful, the bank draft will be returned
*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.
Redemption Period
- The original owner has one year after the property is sold at Tax Sale to pay the taxes and buy back their property. This is called redemption.
- All registered charge holders have full right to redeem the property.
- To redeem the property, the charge holder must remit the full upset price, plus interest on the purchase price at a quarterly rate set by the Province, within one year of the Tax Sale. As of the date of the 2026 tax sale, the quarterly rate is currently set at 7.45%. For current interest rate, please contact Revenue Services.
- As soon as the property is redeemed, the Collector will refund to the Tax Sale purchaser the purchase price, plus interest to the date of redemption.
If the Property is Not Redeemed
- If the property is not redeemed during the one year period, the Collector registers the new owner at the Land Titles Office.
- The new owners are required to pay the property sales tax to the Provincial Sales Tax Administrator after application has been made to register in the Land Titles Office.
Contact Us
Revenue Services
Email: revenueservices@cnv.org