Home Owner Grants

Qualifications - all MUST be met:

1. You live in British Columbia
2. You occupy the residence as your principal residence
3. You are a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident
4. You are the registered owner of the residence

Required Action and Documentation:

Application must be submitted/filled out each year - no additional documentation is required

Qualifications - all must be met

1. You live in British Columbia
2. You occupy the residence as your principal residence
3. You are a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident
4. You are the registered owner of the residence
5. You are 65 or over during the current year.

Required Action and Documentation:

Application must have your birth date and year filled out and must be submitted/filled out each year - no additional documentation is required

To qualify for the additional grant you must also meet the criteria for the basic grant and one of the two options listed below:

Basic Requirements: 

1. You live in British Columbia
2. You occupy the residence as your principal residence
3. You are a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident
4. You are the registered owner of the residence

PLUS either:

Option 1

Person receiving disability assistance:  You are a person with disabilities receiving assistance under the Province of British Columbia's Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act. 

Note: CPP disability pension or WCB does not automatically qualify a person for this grant

Required Action and Documentation: 

• Consent for Release of Information Form (FIN 81) (PDF)Completed and signed by you and your Ministry of Social Development representative

or

• A copy of your Confirmation of Assistance Statement from the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (SDSI)

 Option 2

As a Person with severe mental or physical disabilities or living with spouse or relative with disabilities you are incurring one of the following costs:

• You are paying at least $150 per month for assistance with daily living activities in your principal residence
• You have spent at least $2,000 for qualifying modifications to your principal residence
• You purchased your principal residence with qualifying modifications made by a previous owner that have a value of at least $2,000

Required Action and Documentation: 

If this is your first year applying, you will need to provide the following form:

• Certificate of Health Professional and Property Owner (Form B) (PDF)along with original receipts clearly showing out-of-pocket expenses.  Please note that this form has a section that MUST be filled out by your health care professional.

The Home Owner Grant may be available retroactively if you qualified last year and didn't apply. Please review the Home Owner Grant Eligibility Requirements (above) to ensure you apply for the correct grant.

Retroactive Home Owner Grant applications (PDF) must be submitted to the City of Nanaimo by December 31 of the year following the year to which the grant applies.

After Approval

After the Home Owner Grant Administration office in Victoria approves your grant application, the following will occur:

• If your Property Tax account is paid in full on the day the Retroactive Home Owner Grant application is finalized at the City’s Property Tax Division, the City will instruct the Home Owner Grant Office in Victoria to forward the refund directly to you
• If your Property Tax account has an outstanding balance, the Home Owner Grant Office in Victoria will forward the funds directly to the City to be applied to the Property Tax account

More Information:

Visit the Province's website for more information regarding the Retroactive Home Owners Grant or contact the Home Owner Grant Administration office at 1-888-355-2700.  All applications are subject to approval from the Home Owner Grant Administration Office in Victoria.

You can apply for the home owner grant for a property that is still registered in the name of a deceased owner or in the name of the executor or administrator of their estate, if you meet the following requirements:

• You’re the spouse, child, grandchild, parent, brother or sister of the deceased owner
• The deceased owner would have qualified for the home owner grant
• You occupied the residence as your principal residence on the date of the owner’s death
• The property is still your principal residence

If the owner’s death occurred in the current year, you’ll receive the amount they would have been entitled to. If the owner would have qualified for an additional grant, you'll be entitled to the extra grant amount regardless of your status.

If the owner’s death occurred in previous years, you’ll receive the amount you qualify for.

The Home Owner Grant phase-out threshold has increased to $1,525,000 for the 2020 tax year.

• The additional grant is eliminated on properties assessed at $1,624,000 or more
• The grant amount is reduced by $5 for every $1,000 your property value is over the threshold
• The regular grant is eliminated on properties assessed at $1,679,000 or more

The home owner grant reduces the amount of property taxes you pay each year on your principal residence. Most veterans can apply for the home owner grant as a person under 65, senior, or a person with a disability. 

The low income grant supplement allows the surviving spouses of veterans who received a War Veterans Allowance and who have a low income to supplement their home owner grant if it’s been reduced or eliminated because of the high assessed value of their principal residence. Visit the Province's website for more details.