On-line Dispute Resolution Guide

Welcome to our On-line Dispute Resolution (ODR) Guide, here you will find Tips on How to Resolve your Appeal. Choose a category below.

Help me understand the steps.
- stages in my appeal
- tips on resolving my appeal
- working with the Board’s facilitator
- what happens if we do not resolve
Help me understand the appeal issues.
- common issues
- how to research support?
Do I have a strong case?
- concerning the description or condition of my property
- concerning the market value of my property
- concerning the fairness of my assessment

← Choose A Question

The best way to resolve your appeal is to provide good arguments and supporting evidence.

Focus on the issues in your appeal – not the personalities:

Communicate in a respectful tone and explain why you disagree with your assessment. Be open to the explanations from the other party. You will usually not reach agreement if you insult or criticize the other party. This often causes the other person to become defensive and prevents good discussion on a solution.

Recommendation to you and BC Assessment:

Review your text in ODR message box before you click on "send".

Ask yourself: Have I used a respectful tone in my communications? Am I listening to the other person's position or being defensive?
If you are not sure about your answers to these questions, take a break before you click "send".

Just like emails, it is easy for the other party to misread your tone (as they cannot hear your voice).

Do your homework:

You will more likely reach agreement if you provide good information, supported by market evidence. Even if your appeal is not settled, this work will assist you in preparing your submissions to the Board for a decision.

Neither you nor BC Assessment has a burden of proof in the appeal. Both of you should provide evidence to support your position. It is not enough to simply criticize the other party’s evidence.

Use this Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Guide to:
ο research support for your position
ο Evaluate the strength of your position

Ways to communicate:

Use the ODR website for discussion rather than your normal email. If you and BC Assessment do not reach mutual agreement, the Board facilitator will review all discussions in the ODR website and will not see any emails or other communications outside ODR.

Do not be afraid to pick up the phone or meet at your property. Sometimes this will be more effective than an online discussion.

Respond within 24 to 48 hours. See Expected Timelines. If the other party is not responding or cooperating in the online discussion, please email the Board at: office@paab.bc.ca

Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance:

Ask for the Board’s help at anytime. You may need help in deciding whether to accept a proposal from BC Assessment or in deciding if you have a strong case.

To bring in the Board into the ODR discussions, click on the “Request Board facilitator” button.

Questions:

If you have any other questions, contact the Board:
Email: office@paab.bc.ca
Phone: 604-775-1740
Toll free: 1-888-775-1740

If you and BC Assessment do not reach agreement, you can request a Board facilitator by clicking on the request button in ODR. You then have a three-way chat and this stage is called Board facilitation.

The Board facilitator:

will review the messages and documents in ODR;
may ask you and BC Assessment questions or require either of you to upload additional documents;
may set certain deadlines;
may provide you and BC Assessment with a non-binding opinion on the appeal.

You do not have to accept the Board facilitator's opinion. The facilitator’s comments are not a decision of the Board and the facilitator is NOT providing legal advice. Rather, the facilitator’s opinions are based on his/her experience as a Board member and are non-binding.

If you and BC Assessment agree with the facilitator’s suggestions, your appeal will be completed (by either keeping the assessment the same or changing the assessment). If you or BC Assessment disagrees with the facilitator, we will go to the next stage called adjudication.

Please note:

The facilitator may require you or BC Assessment to do something by a certain deadline. This is called a Board Order and must be complied with. If you do not follow a Board Order, the Board may dismiss your appeal.
If the appeal proceeds to adjudication, another Board member will make a formal decision. This Board member will not know what opinions were expressed by the facilitator or have access to the ODR discussions. The Board member will only see documents that you and BC Assessment select for him/her to consider for the decision. See: what happens if we do not resolve my appeal?

Role of the Facilitator

The Board’s facilitator is there to provide you and BC Assessment with independent feedback. The facilitator will be a Board member or the Board’s Registrar.

The facilitator will attempt to provide you and BC Assessment with feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your positions on the appeal issues. Sometimes the facilitator can also give you an indication of the likelihood of success if you were to continue with your appeal to adjudication. However, due to the complexity of some appeals, the facilitator may not be able to provide you with an opinion.

The facilitator can issue Board orders for:

• Releasing documents to each other;

• Setting deadlines for next steps – including status reports;

• Requiring you to confirm whether you want to continue with the appeal;

• If the appeal is not settled, setting the adjudication steps and deadlines (by written submission or in-person hearing).

Note: most residential appeals are adjudicated on the basis of written submissions (without an in-person hearing).

The facilitator has the same powers in the On-line Dispute Resolution website as described in the Board Rules for Appeal Management and Settlement Conferences. For a full list of the possible orders that the facilitator can make, see the Board Rules.

If a party does not comply with a Board order issued by the facilitator, the Board may impose consequences (including dismissing an appeal). See the Board Rules.

Click on one of the below subjects for assistance:

Log into ODR
When you are trying to settle your appeal (in Negotiation and Facilitation stage):

Send or view messages
Upload or view evidence and documents

When the appeal is not settled (in Adjudication stage):

Send or view messages
Upload documents for Board Decision
View documents before Board member

Change your password
View appeal details
Where to go for more help

Log into ODR:

Before you start:

You should have received an email with instructions to log in and set your password.
If you have not seen this email, check your junk email folder. You may need to adjust you email system to accept emails from ODR.
Email Isabella Chin at office@paab.bc.ca if you need assistance.

Log in steps are:

Go to the website: https://paab.justiceeducation.ca/
Click on the link: Log in to ODR
Enter your email and password and click on Log in
You will be taken to a My Cases list. Homeowners will usually have only one case in this list. Click on View Case.
You will be taken to a page where you can have an online discussion with BC Assessment.

When you are trying to settle your appeal (in Negotiation and Facilitation stage):

Send or view messages:

To send a message:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the My Cases page
this takes you to the communication page.

To enter a message in ODR, first click with your mouse in the interior of the message box called “Type your message”. You can then type your message.

NOTE: You can copy and paste text from a Word document or email into this message box. You will lose any formatting like underline or bold.
When you have finished typing your message, click on the Send button.
The other party will receive an email to view and respond to your message.
You will receive an email once they have replied (so you know when to log in).

To view messages:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the My Cases page
this takes you to the communication page.

Scroll to the bottom of the page which shows the Communication History.

NOTE: the messages are displayed in date order with the newest message at the top.

Upload or view evidence and documents:

To upload evidence and documents:

You must first:

save the document on your computer
Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the My Cases page
this takes you to the communication page.

Click on the "Choose file" or "Browse" button, find the file on your computer and select it (by double clicking on the document name or using the open button).
You should now see your document name next to a "Remove" button.
Click on the “Upload” button.
You should now see a message which says “Document has been saved” and document name will show under the “Uploaded Evidence” section (on the right side of the screen).

To view evidence and documents:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the My Cases page
this takes you to the communication page.

All documents are located under the “Document Library” title (on the right side of the screen.
Under “Appeal Documents” you will see:
1. User Expectations (details on confidentiality and your responsibilities in ODR)
2. Notice of Appeal (which you sent to the Board to start your appeal)
Under “Uploaded Evidence” you will see the names of all the documents that have been uploaded in ODR
To view any document: click once on the document title

NOTES:

Documents are stored in date order (with the most recent at the top).
Document names have a letter before them to note who uploaded them:

A – Appellant (normally the property owner)
R – Respondent (normally BC Assessment)
B – Board (the Board facilitator or staff).

When the appeal is not settled (in Adjudication stage):

Send or view messages (when in Adjudication stage)

You can still send and view messages when your appeal is in the Adjudication stage. Go to the Communications page and follow the above instructions to Send or view messages

You can send messages to:

• BC Assessment (use All Parties)
• Board facilitator
• Board admin

You cannot send messages to:

• Board member making a decision on your appeal (the Adjudicator).

The Board member making a decision will not see any messages you send in the Communication page. The Board member will not see any of the previous messages you sent earlier in your appeal.

The Adjudicator can only see documents you upload using the Upload Documents for Decision page.

Upload documents for Board Decision:

Introduction:

Use this section if you did not reach agreement on your appeal. The status of your appeal will be listed in the My Cases page as “Adjudication” - look on the right-hand status column.

The Board facilitator will set deadlines for you and BC Assessment to upload your documents for a Board decision. The deadlines are listed in the Upload Documents for Decision page.

You have two options to upload documents:

a) Upload new documents that you have not uploaded to the ODR website in earlier stages of your appeal; or

b) Upload previous documents (that you already used in the ODR website).

Note: you can also revise a document you previously used in ODR by opening the document, making your changes, saving the document to your computer and following the below instructions for Option (a).

Option (a) - upload new or revised documents:

You must first:

save the document on your computer
Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the “My Cases” page
you should now be in the “Upload Documents for Decision” page.

In the Upload New Documents section (left side of the page):

click on the "Choose file" or "Browse" button,
find the file on your computer and select it (by double clicking on the document name or using the open button).

You should now see your document name next to a "Remove" button.
Click on the “Upload” button.
You should now see a message which says “Document has been upload” and the document counter (above the upload section) will increase by one.
For each deadline, you can upload up to 10 documents. If you want to upload another new document, repeat the above steps 2 to 5. See the below instructions, if you want to upload a document that you previously used in the ODR website.
Click on the “View Documents Before Board Member” button to confirm that all your documents have been uploaded.

NOTES:

If you make a mistake or want to replace a document you uploaded, you can delete it in the “View Document Before Board Member” page (see below instructions).
You cannot upload documents after your deadline or if it is the other party’s turn to upload.

Option (b) – upload previous documents:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the “My Cases” page
you should now be in the “Upload Documents for Decision” page.

View documents: In the “Upload Previous Documents” section (right side of the page), you will see all the documents that you, BC Assessment and the Board facilitator previous uploaded to the ODR website. You can open and view any of these documents by clicking on the name of the file.

CAUTION:

You can view these previous documents from the earlier stages of your appeal. HOWEVER, now that we are in adjudication stage, either you or BC Assessment may decide to not use these previous documents. Both of you can upload different documents.
If you want to see what documents the other party is now using, YOU MUST open them in the “View Documents Before Board Member” page.

Upload documents: You can only upload your own documents:

click on the box on the left side of the date and name the document. A tick mark will now show in the box. You can select more than one of your previous documents at once.
Click on the “Upload” button.
You should now see a message which says “Document has been uploaded” and the document counter (above the upload section) will increase.

For each deadline, you can upload up to 10 documents in total (including new documents). If you want to upload another document, repeat the above steps.
Click on the “View Documents Before Board Member” button to confirm that all your documents have been uploaded.

NOTES:

If you make a mistake or want to replace a document you uploaded, you can delete it in the “View Document Before Board Member” page (see below).
You will not be able to upload documents after your deadline or if it is the other party’s turn to upload.
You cannot upload documents created by the other party (or the Board).

View documents before Board member:

Introduction:

This is the only page the Board member will see for making a decision on your appeal.

After you upload your documents for a Board decision you should view them to confirm you have included what you want the Board member to consider.

Steps:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the “My Cases” page
click on the button called “View Documents Before Board Member”

This page will show you which documents were uploaded for a decision by you, BC Assessment and the Board. The documents from you and BC Assessment are listed separately for each deadline. Usually there are 3 deadlines:

For the homeowner - listed under the Appellant
For BC Assessment – listed under the Respondent
For the homeowner to reply or respond to BC Assessment’s documents – listed under Appellant (reply only)

To view or open documents: click on the name of any document to open and view it.
To delete any of your own documents:
You can delete a document before your deadline for uploading. After the deadline you cannot delete.

To delete:

Click on the box beside the name of the document (a tick mark will then show in the box)
Click on the Delete button and the document will be removed

To upload more documents:

If any of your documents are missing from this page, you can upload them clicking on the “Upload more documents” button. This will take you to the “Upload Documents for Decision” page. See the above instructions for uploading.

NOTE: You can only upload more documents before your deadline. You can not upload after your deadline.

Change your password:

You can change your password at anytime:

Note:
Before you start ODR, you will receive an email with instructions on how to sign in and set up your password. We will now show you how to re-set your password later on.

You must first:

Log into ODR website using your current password.

Click on the My Profile link at the top left of the webpage. You will be taken to the “Edit Profile” page.
Enter in the following boxes:

your current password in the "Current password" box
your new password in the "Password" box (lower down the page)
your new password again in the "Confirm password" box

Click on the "Save" button at the bottom, then you should see a message saying the changes have been saved.
You can then go to your appeal (by clicking on the My Cases link) or Log out.

View Appeal Details:

You can view details on your appeal such as contact information for those involved in the online discussion and which property is under appeal.

Instructions:

You must first:

Log into the ODR website
click on View Case in the My Cases page
this takes you to the communication page.

Click on the Appeal Details tab (next to Document Library).
To return to the main appeal page, click on Back to Communication.

Where to go for more help:

For any questions or problems using the ODR website contact:

Isabella Chin
Email: office@paab.bc.ca
Phone: 604 775-1740 (toll free 1-888-775-1740)

For questions on your appeal issue and how to research support contact:

Jason Bowman
Email: office@paab.bc.ca
Phone: 604 775-1740 (toll free 1-888-775-1740)

For help to resolve your appeal:

In this ODR Guide: Do I have a strong case?

To evaluate the strength of your position
Help in deciding if you should accept a suggestion from BC Assessment.

In the ODR website: Request a Board facilitator

If you still need help to resolve your appeal.
If you are not able to reach agreement in your online discussions with BC Assessment.

← Choose a Question

Common Issues for Residential Appeals:

(For guidance on how to research your issue, click on one of the issues below)

The description, including the condition of my property is wrong, creating an inaccurate assessment:
Description of issue: There may have been changes to the improvements or “physical inventory” (number of buildings and details such as size, number of rooms, etc.) that are not reflected in your assessment. There may be a physical problem with your house that BC Assessment is unaware of that significantly affects its value (e.g. the foundation is cracked). Alternatively, BC Assessment records for items such as size are inaccurate.
My assessment is not at market value (too high or too low):
Description of issue: Your assessment should be what your property's market value was on July 1st of last year. For example, you may believe you could have sold your property for only $250,000 last July, but your assessment is $300,000.
My assessment is not consistent or fair compared to assessments of other similar properties (equity issue):
Description of issue: You may be concerned that your property has not been fairly assessed compared to the assessments of similar properties. Your assessment may be inequitable if other properties are assessed at a lower proportion of their market value than your property is.

For example, you may agree that your property's $300,000 assessment is at its market value. However, you find that other properties throughout your area area assessed 20% below their market values. Equity would dictate your property should also be assessed 20% below its $300,000 market value, or at $240,000.

Other concerns:
You may have other concerns. See the below information on concerns that we often hear from homeowners. These are usually directly related to one of the above common issues.

Instructions:

For how these concerns are usually handled: click on the links in the left column of the below table;
For what research you should do: click on the related issues in the right column.

Some Common Other Concerns:	Which issue to Research:
I cannot sell my property now for as much as it is assessed	Issue 2: Market value
Negative factors (e.g. noise) reduce the value of my property	Issue 2: Market value
My property requires repairs	Issue 1: Property condition
My assessment went up more than my neighbour's or average for the area	Issue 2: Market value
My improvement assessment went up, but my property did not change	Issue 2: Market value
My assessment is higher than other properties	Issue 2: Market value or 3: Equity

There are other issues the Board can deal with that are not covered in this Guide. We do not use On-line Dispute Resolution for all issues. Contact the Board if you wish to deal with some other issues that are not listed on this webpage. The Board will then advise you of the next steps. See: full list of possible issues.

I cannot sell my property now for as much as it is assessed:

Your property should be assessed at its market value as of July 1^st last year – not what it is currently worth. If the market has changed recently, it may not be valid to compare your property’s current value with your assessment. To do this comparison you must adjust for any difference in the market between July 1^st of last year and now. Also, you should have some evidence to support how much the market has changed.

It is usually easier and much more effective to look for sales evidence on your property’s market value around July 1^st last year. (Rather then spending time trying to find evidence on what it is currently worth).

For guidance click on researching market value.

Negative factors (e.g. noise) reduce the value of my property:

Property owners often state that a negative factor has reduced the value of their property. For example:

Traffic noise from a busy road;
Noise or odours from a neighbouring property;
Site is too steep;
View is impaired; or
The lot is subject to flooding.

The key is to determine your property’s market value as of July 1^st last year. Your assessed value should also take into account the negative factor (if it does, in fact, reduce your value).

To demonstrate the impact of a negative factor on your property’s value, you could look for evidence, such as:

Sales of properties that are similar to yours and also have this negative factor. Ask yourself: how close is your assessment to these sale prices?
Sales of properties that are very similar to yours except they do not have this negative factor. Are the sale prices significantly different from your assessment?
An appraiser or realtor’s opinion (preferably written) stating that, in their experience, what impact this negative factor has on the price of properties in your area.

For guidance on determining market value, click on researching market value.

My property requires repairs:

This issue is described under: The description, including the condition of my property is wrong, creating an inaccurate assessment

Also see researching support on condition

My assessment went up more that my neighbour’s or average for the area:

Often property owners look at how their assessment changed compared to other properties. Looking at this may help you figure out if your assessment is possibly wrong. However, it is rarely considered strong evidence in an appeal to the Board. This is because there may be good reasons why your assessment changed at a higher rate.

There may be differences between your property and other properties. For example: the property across the street has a superior view; view properties increased more than other properties.
Last year’s assessments may be wrong – so the percentage change in the assessments is in doubt. You will need to demonstrate that the change in your assessment is not simply due to correcting the assessed value – possibly you were under assessed last year.

It is usually easier and much more effective to look for sales evidence on your property’s market value. (Rather then spending too much time comparing different assessments).

For guidance click on researching market value.

My improvement assessment went up, but my property did not change:

Your assessment splits the total value between “land” and “improvements”. Improvements may be a house, garage, or other buildings.

Sometimes homeowners say: “How could my improvement assessment go up from last year? It is one year older and I haven’t made any renovations”. Before you spend too much time examining this concern, we suggest you keep in mind:

Sometimes your house value can increase, even if it stays completely the same. For example, increasing costs of building can drive up the prices that buyers will pay for older improvements. Or, in a rising market, the overall market value of the property may increase, and when BC Assessment allocates this total value to land and buildings, both may increase.
It is often difficult to know whether the specific dollar amount assigned to improvements versus land is correct. This is because when a house sells no one really knows how much the buyer paid for the house versus the land. We only know how much the total package is worth based on the selling price.
It is possible that the value assigned to your building may be too high. However, it is also possible that your land value may be too low. You are taxed on the total assessment. That is what the Board normally concentrates on.

It is usually easier and much more effective to look for sales evidence on your property’s total market value. (Rather then spending too much time concentrating on just land or improvements).

For guidance click on researching market value.

My assessment is higher than other properties

Property owners often compare their assessments with others in their area. This may help you figure out if your assessment is possibly wrong. However, usually these comparisons are not strong evidence in an appeal to the Board. This is because there may be good reasons why your assessment is different than others.

1. Is your property different?

If your property has significant differences compared with others, it is reasonable to expect the assessments to be different. Assessment is based on a property’s market value. Properties with superior characteristics should have higher assessments. Properties with inferior characteristics should have lower assessments.

It is usually easier and more accurate to look for similar properties that sold.

For guidance click on researching market value.

2. If your property is quite similar to the others:

It is possible that the other properties are assessed correctly at their market values and yours is over assessed above its market value. You can continue with these comparisons, however, you must be able to provide evidence on what these other properties are worth. This is difficult unless they have recently sold.

It is usually easier and more accurate look for similar properties that sold. For guidance click on researching market value.

It is also possible that the other properties are under assessed. This issue is called equity or fairness. The law says that you are entitled to an assessment that is accurate and consistent with similar properties in your taxing jurisdiction.

For guidance click on researching equity.

Instructions

This Guide will help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your appeal. Start, below, by picking your issue, which will take you to a series of questions and answers.

Keep in mind:

Often you will have a feel for whether you have a good argument. Even if you are not fully familiar with the technical aspects of appraisal, you may be aware of what properties are selling for in your neighbourhood and how comparable they are to your house.

Please consider the following answers as general guidance only. Given all the possible variables in an appeal, we cannot provide you with a definitive answer. If you need specific help from the Board, click on the Request Board Facilitator button in the On-line Dispute Resolution (ODR) website.

Start your evaluation now: (choose your issue)

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

If not, you can still talk with BC Assessment about your concerns. This may resolve your appeal. Often, you will need to do at least some of the analysis to support your position. More support provides a better chance for convincing BC Assessment of your point of view and settling the appeal.

If you have not taken one of the steps, you may not have sufficient justification to support your position. You can, however, view the next question if you want to see the rest of the evaluation. To view another question, click on the one of the question letters at the top of the question & answer box.

Questions for Issue 1

Question 1a

Have you obtained BC Assessment’s description or inventory of your property (list of buildings and details such as size, number of rooms, etc.)?

Yes No

Request the description (often called the property inventory or property valuation summary) from BC Assessment to check if there are any errors.

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

If not, you can still talk with BC Assessment about your concerns. This may resolve your appeal. Often, you will need to do at least some of the following analysis to support your position. More support provides a better chance for convincing BC Assessment of your point of view and settling the appeal.

For guidance, see Common weaknesses in market value positions

Questions for Issue 2

Question 2a

Do you have market evidence to support your opinion on the market value of your property as of July 1st last year?

Yes No

Instructions:

You need to estimate the market value of your property as of July 1 last year. This is the valuation date for your assessment.

For suggestions on how to obtain market evidence see researching market evidence.

Before you proceed further, make sure you obtain your own evidence. If you do not have better evidence than BC Assessment, you may not have a strong case and you may wish to consider if it is worth the time and effort to continue with your appeal.

You are finished evaluating this issue.

Question 2d

Have you analyzed the differences between the sales and your property to estimate the value of your property?

Yes No

Instructions:

This is the trickiest part of estimating value. There are two possible methods to account for differences. We recommend you use the qualitative method, which is the quickest and easiest. For assistance see in Step 2 in Preparing Submissions on the Market Value of your Property.

Introduction to adjustments:

After picking the “best” sales, you should compare the characteristics of these properties to your property. Basically, look at the differences between your property and the sales to determine what these sales indicate about the market value of your property.

This involves making adjustments to the sales comparables. There are two alternative methods:

Qualitative adjustments: You subjectively rate the quality of the sales compared to your property, using descriptors such as “inferior”, “similar” or “superior”. Homeowners may find this method easier and more practical than method 2.
Quantitative adjustments: This method is more complex and involves quantifying the differences between your property and the sales with dollar amount or percentage adjustments.

For more details on how to do these adjustments: see Step 2 in Preparing Submissions on the Market Value of your Property.

At the negotiation stage, you and BC Assessment do not have to take all the steps to make adjustments. For example, if you use the qualitative adjustment method you might not take the time to make individual adjustments for each different attribute. You might only make one overall rating for each property. Is the sale inferior, similar or superior compared to your property? If the appeal is not settled, you can then proceed with the more intensive research on adjustments.

You must consider the key differences between your sales comparables and your property.

If you decide not to conduct this analysis, you can still discuss your appeal with BC Assessment as recommended in the next question. This may assist you in deciding whether or not to continue with your appeal. Otherwise, you are finished evaluating this issue.

Question 2g

Are you and BC Assessment significantly far apart on your positions on the market value?

See acceptable variation.

Yes No

Examine whether you have support to counter BC Assessment’s position. See common weaknesses in positions which may assist you.

If you do not have good support, you may decide to discontinue (withdraw) your appeal.

If you have good support, make sure you have added it to the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) website so BC Assessment can respond. If you and BC Assessment still do not agree, then request a Board facilitator (use the request button in the ODR website). The facilitator will assist you and BC Assessment re-evaluate your positions.

Due to acceptable variation in market value estimates, unless you have very strong market evidence (that demonstrates a precise market value), the Board will usually not award a small change in the assessment. You may wish to consider if it is worth your time and expense to continue with your appeal. See common weaknesses in positions which may assist you.

You have two options:

Accept BC Assessment’s position on the assessment; or
Ask for the Board facilitator to join the on-line discussion.

To request a Board facilitator (use the request button in the Online Dispute Resolution website). The facilitator will try and provide you and BC Assessment with some online feedback so you can both re-evaluate your positions and possibly resolve the appeal.

You are finished evaluating this issue.

Acceptable Variation:

Estimating market value is not an exact science and is usually subject to a certain amount of acceptable variation. This means there may be a range of values, all of which are equally appropriate.

The amount of acceptable variation will vary with the type of property and market evidence. If it is difficult to find sales that are very similar to your property, there may be more variation that is reasonable. The variation can also be magnified if there is uncertainty on how to adjust for things like negative factors.

Because of this, small adjustments to an assessment may not be justified. Board decisions have often stated that a difference of 5% or less is generally not considered significant.

For example:

If you estimate the value of your property is $540,000 and your assessment is $560,000, the difference is $20,000 – which is slightly less than 4%. Unless you have precise market evidence (such as the sale of your property), a difference this small will usually be considered to fall within the normally accepted range. In other words, your assessment would likely not be reduced.

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

If you have not taken one of the steps, you may not have sufficient justification to support your position. You can, however, view the next question if you want to see the rest of the evaluation.

Equity cases may be complex. For guidance see:
Equity Guide
Common weaknesses in equity positions

Questions for Issue 3

Question 3a

Have you calculated the “level of assessment”?

See level of assessment example.

Yes No

Instructions for question:

You first need to estimate the market value of your property. Then, compare this to your assessment to calculate your "level of assessment".

For further assistance, see Step 1 in Equity Guide.

Common weaknesses in equity positions:

In doing your self-evaluation, watch out for these common weaknesses. If you cannot provide better evidence, then you may not have a strong case.

Assessment increase from last year:

You may be unhappy your assessment went up more than your neighbours. Usually, you will not succeed with this argument:

We cannot tell if your previous year's assessment was correct.
Your higher increase could be due to last year's assessment being too low.
This year's assessment may be fully correct.

Only choosing equity comparables that support your point of view:

Have you compared your assessment with all similar properties in your area?

Probably, we will not agree with you if there are similar properties that you have not used.

Comparison group:

What is the best comparison group?

Are you only using a few properties to demonstrate your assessment is unfair?
- You must show why they are unique compared to other properties in your area.
We usually prefer to look at the largest possible group of comparables.

Only comparing assessments within the same area:

When you are looking at equity, you cannot compare properties that are in different municipalities or taxing jurisdictions from your property.

Must look at the total assessment:

When you are comparing your assessment with others, you cannot just look at the land or improvements.

The Assessment Act requires that you look at the total assessment. This is because it is possible that your land or improvements appear unfair, but that your overall total assessment is fair.

You will need to first estimate the market value of your property and compare this to your assessment. If you are trying a different methodology, you should first check common weaknesses in equity positions. If you take an unrecognized approach, you may not have a strong case in demonstrating inequity.

Level of assessment examples:

My property is assessed at $500,000 and it sold on July 1^st last year for $450,000. The level of assessment is $500,000 / $450,000 = 1.11. Your property is assessed 11% above its market value.
My property is assessed at $270,000 and I have an appraisal that shows its market value on July 1^st last year was $300,000. The level of assessment is $270,000 / $300,000 = 0.9. Your property is assessed at 10% below its market value.

Note: You may have other issues or concerns. See: List of other issues.

Step	When
Board gives you log in instructions to ODR website to start confidential settlement discussions	In April or May
BC Assessment: uploads the Property Valuation Summary	In first 3 days
Appellant: details concerns with the assessment and uploads supporting documents	In first 5 days
BC Assessment: responds, includes their position on the issues and uploads supporting documents	In next 5 days
Both parties: try to reach agreement with further discussions and sharing of documents	In next 5 to 7 days
Both parties: can request the assistance of the Board facilitator	At anytime
Board facilitator: assists parties reach mutual agreement. If not resolved, sets deadlines for adjudication	In 2 to 3 weeks from start
If agreement not reached, both parties: prepare documents with all their arguments and evidence and uploads them to the ODR website	Additional 4 to 8 weeks
Board member: decides whether the assessment will change and uploads the decision with written reasons	60 to 90 days later

On-line Dispute Resolution Guide

Welcome to our On-line Dispute Resolution (ODR) Guide, here you will find Tips on How to Resolve your Appeal. Choose a category below.

Help me understand the steps.

Help me understand the appeal issues.

Do I have a strong case?

← Choose A Question

Role of the Facilitator

← Choose a Question

Common Issues for Residential Appeals:

(For guidance on how to research your issue, click on one of the issues below)

Background on equity appeals:

Instructions

Keep in mind:

Start your evaluation now: (choose your issue)

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

Questions for Issue 1

Question 1a

Have you obtained BC Assessment’s description or inventory of your property (list of buildings and details such as size, number of rooms, etc.)?

Question 1b

Is there a defect or problem with your house or improvements (such as need for repairs)?

Question 1c

Do many properties of similar age in your area also have this defect or problem with their improvements? See example

Example:

Question 1d

Do you have a professional estimate of the cost to repair the problem or evidence of its impact on the property's market value?

Question 1e

If the description or inventory of your property is wrong, do you have any evidence or supporting documents to demonstrate this error in your assessment? See example

Example:

Question 1f

Does the cost of repairs or difference in the property description represent a significant factor in your overall assessment? See example

Example on significance of cost of repairs:

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

Questions for Issue 2

Question 2a

Do you have market evidence to support your opinion on the market value of your property as of July 1st last year?

Question 2b

What type of market evidence have you obtained?

Question 2c

Are the other properties you are comparing to reasonably similar to your property?

Hints on comparables:

Question 2d

Have you analyzed the differences between the sales and your property to estimate the value of your property?

Introduction to adjustments:

Question 2e

Can you and BC Assessment agree on your property's market value or do your ranges in values overlap?

Question 2f

Can you and BC Assessment agree on what change (if any) is needed to your assessment?

Question 2g

Are you and BC Assessment significantly far apart on your positions on the market value?

Have you taken the steps listed in the questions for this issue?

Questions for Issue 3

Question 3a

Have you calculated the “level of assessment”?

See level of assessment example.

Common weaknesses in equity positions:

Question 3b

Which group do you want to compare your assessment with?

Question 3c

Is your smaller group of properties unique in some important way from other properties in your area?

Question 3d

Do you have the equity statistics for your comparison group (called Assessment to Sales Ratios or ASRs)?

Equity basket example:

Question 3e

Is the level of assessment for your property significantly higher than the Assessment to Sales Ratio (ASRs) for your comparison group (i.e. more than a few percent)?