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How BC’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax can affect an estate when a homeowner dies

Leave it to our elected officials to create a system where the amount of tax an estate could owe depends, quite literally, on what day someone dies.

I wish I were exaggerating.

The culprit is British Columbia’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT).

How the First-Time Home Buyer GST Rebate—and the “Builder Loophole”—Actually Work

Most buyers assume GST on real estate is simple.

It isn’t.

In fact, who actually pays the GST on a new or “brand-new resale” home in British Columbia can depend on something you will never see on MLS, disclosure forms, or marketing materials.

That hidden variable?
The seller’s intent.

And under Canadian tax law, that single detail can quietly transfer significant tax risk onto an unsuspecting buyer—sometimes years after closing.

This is what I call the “Builder Loophole.”

There has been no shortage of alarming headlines lately about Aboriginal title and private property in British Columbia.

Some of them suggest—or at least imply—that homeowners could suddenly lose their homes as a result of recent court decisions. Others frame the issue in sweeping terms like “First Nation now owns X% of a municipality,” without explaining what that actually means in legal or practical terms.

It’s understandable that people are uneasy.
But most of the fear circulating right now is driven by headlines—not by what courts have actually said.

Let’s slow this down and look at what the law really does (and does not) say.

Every once in a while, a city feels like it’s suddenly “on fire”—where growth, lifestyle, and opportunity all converge at the same time. In Metro Vancouver, that city is Port Moody.

In just the last five years, 1 in 4 residents are newcomers—a staggering shift that highlights its growing popularity. But what’s behind the surge? Why are families, professionals, and investors choosing Port Moody over more established areas like Vancouver or West Vancouver?

Here are 9 reasons, backed by data and real-world appeal.

If you’ve lived in Metro Vancouver for any amount of time, you’ve heard of Port Moody—its SkyTrain access, breweries, and waterfront trails. But just five minutes up the hill, past the condos and cafés, sits a quiet, forested village that feels like a world of its own.

If you’re a landlord in British Columbia looking to sell your property, you might be asking: can I evict my tenant just to make the sale easier?

The short answer: No.

Under BC’s Residential Tenancy Act (RTA), tenants have strong protections. You cannot evict someone simply because you’d prefer to sell your home vacant. Evictions can only happen under specific legal grounds—and “because I want to sell” isn’t one of them.

But that doesn’t mean you’re without options. Here’s what you can legally do if you want to sell a tenanted property in BC.

Can I Still Airbnb My Property in BC in 2025?

Short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO have been under the microscope in British Columbia—and as of May 1, 2025, new provincial rules officially kicked in.

So, can you still Airbnb your property legally? Yes, you can, but it depends on where your property is and how you use it.

In early 2025, the BC Supreme Court issued a decision that could reshape Canadian property law. A First Nations group was granted title to 6% of Richmond, a land transfer that essentially took effect overnight.

While this case was limited to government-owned land, it has sparked a national debate: could Aboriginal title one day override private land ownership as well?

Ten years ago*, if you put $100,000 into real estate, you wouldn’t just have a home—you’d have $600,000 today. That’s not wishful thinking; that’s exactly what happened in Port Moody.

In 2015*, the average home in Port Moody sold for about $612,000. Today, that same home is worth roughly $1.23 million—and that’s in what many would call a slower market. In other words, values doubled in just one decade.

If you’ve been browsing homes lately—or trying to sell one—you’ve probably noticed a trend: listings are lingering. Open houses are quieter, days on market are stretching, and buyers seem hesitant to pull the trigger.

So, what’s really going on in the Metro Vancouver real estate market?