Transfer to taxes FAQ
Find answers below to commonly asked questions about the transfer of outstanding utility account balances to property tax accounts.
The Water and Sewer utilities within the city service area are owned by the City. As such, Section 258 of the Province of British Columbia’s Community Charter establishes that all utility accounts of municipally-owned utilities are liens against the property, and outstanding balances of accounts in default on Dec. 31 are transferred to the tax account where the services were originally provided.
Overdue balances are shown on your property's utility bill. If you’re unable to confirm with your tenant that the bill has been paid regularly on time, we recommend signing up for a Property Account and ebilling to provide you with convenient access to view all your utility accounts. It’s your responsibility as a landlord to ensure that any outstanding balances are paid prior to Dec. 31 to avoid the balance being transferred to the tax account and any interest charges.
The interest rate is set every three months by the Province.
Utility Billing Customer Care can provide the property owner with the applicable utility billing information. Please contact [email protected] or 250-469-8757 (option 2).
Payments can made at any time, however Section 258 of the Province of British Columbia’s Community Charter (which regulates this process) requires that the transfers be applied as an arrears balance which sets up an interest charge.
The interest rate is set every three months by the Province.
The outstanding utility arrears amount is now part of taxes. Therefore, payment must be made to the tax roll, not the utility account. Visit our Property tax info and payments page for more information.
If the City receives any payments on utility arrears amounts transferred to taxes, those funds will be credited to the tax account where the transfer to tax was originally charged.
For utility billing-related questions, please contact Utility Billing Customer Care at [email protected] or 250-469-8757 (option 2) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
For property tax-related questions, please contact the Revenue Branch at [email protected] or 250-469-8757 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
