Alberta Land Titles are experiencing the longest delays in their history, and this will impact new property owners.
? Alberta home buyers across the province are in a property tax predicament.
As of May 29, Land Titles are processing new registrations from February 24, 2022… so unfortunately, this may put new property owners in a bind when it comes to paying property taxes at the end of June.
If the legal land transfer has not been completed through land titles, new property owners won’t receive the bill from the municipality, and the municipality could be reluctant to receive payment from a “third party”.
But, the new (and current) owners are still required to pay the property taxes on or before the due date. It is a Catch-22!
If you are in this situation, read below to find out what you should do!
Some municipalities are accepting a copy of the Transfer of Land to verify ownership of property or additional information and providing a verbal notice of the amount owing. Other municipalities are suggesting property owners fill in an online form or call 311 to find out tax balance/account summary and sign up for the monthly payment program.
Others are not as lenient and have been very clear that the municipality is not responsible for delays and may penalize property owners if the property balance is not paid before the due date.
The lawyers we spoke to are working with their clients to find solutions. Sellers can be asked to pay the property taxes in full and adjust through the Statement of Adjustments. Or the purchaser can request the copy of the tax notice from the seller so a copy can be provided to the purchaser. Purchasers are being encouraged to work with the municipality and their lawyer to provide closing information or request a tax certificate.
If you have purchased a property and have not received your tax statement, please contact your lawyer or your municipality.
We recommend that our clients confirm options with their lawyers and/or municipality to avoid being caught with any property tax late penalties!
