EDMONTON, ALTA. – Edmonton City Council has approved a new tax subclass for derelict residential properties in mature areas.
Edmonton is the first city in Canada to create a subclass specifically for derelict properties that “show serious signs of neglect, are dilapidated, are falling into significant disrepair or are unlivable. The subclass will allow the city to charge a higher tax rate to owners of properties in these neighbourhoods that are assessed as derelict,” a City of Edmonton release stated.
“The derelict tax subclass is a new tool in the city’s toolbox for addressing the harmful impact that derelict and problem residential properties can have. Managing derelict properties often comes with additional costs to the city and a higher tax rate will help to cover those costs while encouraging property owners to clean up derelict houses. We hope this will play a role in improving the vibrancy of mature neighbourhoods in the long run,” City of Edmonton assessment and taxation branch manager Cate Watt explained.
The city will notify an estimated 300 voters about the potential for their property being assessed as derelict in a letter to be sent out later this fall. All property assessments will be confirmed in January 2024 when assessment notices are sent in the mail to over 400,000 Edmonton property owners, the release said.
A sample of 31 problem properties created an estimated $1.3 million in city costs for bylaw inspections and enforcement, fire inspections and suppression, safety codes and development compliance inspections, and police inspections and responses, according to an independent case study from 2017 to 2020.
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