• 2026 Annual Tax Sale

  Local Government Act (RSBC 2015) 
  Part 16, Division 7 

  At 10:00 am on Monday, September 28, 2026, in the Council Chambers of the City of Kamloops, the following parcels of property may be offered for sale by public auction unless the delinquent taxes with interest are paid. PLEASE NOTE:  The City may bid on all or any of the properties listed for sale at up to 75% of the current assessed value.

  BASIC INFORMATION - ANNUAL PROPERTY TAX SALE 

  1. The lowest amount for which parcels may be sold is the upset price.  The upset price includes:
     1. delinquent and arrears taxes plus interest to date of sale; 
     2. current year's taxes plus penalty; 
     3. the sum of 5% of the foregoing amounts; and 
     4. $165.04 per lot for the Land Title Office fees.
  2. The highest bidder at or above the upset price shall be declared the purchaser. PURCHASERS MUST PAY BY CERTIFIED CHEQUE, DRAFT, INTERAC, OR CASH (purchasers will be given one hour from the end of the sale to secure funds). 
  3. If no bids are received, the City will be declared the purchaser. 
  4. The purchaser has no legal rights to the property until one year has expired from the date of the sale. 
  5. The owner has one year to redeem the property by paying back the upset price plus interest accrued to the date of redemption and any other related costs incurred by the purchaser. 
  6. At redemption, the purchaser will be refunded any amounts paid plus interest accrued from the date of the tax sale. Please allow up to four weeks to process the refund. 
  7. Title to property not redeemed within one year from the date of the tax sale will be transferred to the purchaser on receipt of Land Title Act fee. 
  8. The purchaser will be responsible to pay the property purchase tax on the fair market value of the property at the time of the transfer of the title. 
  9. The City of Kamloops makes no representation, express or implied, as to the condition or quality of the properties being offered for sale. 
  10. Prospective purchasers are urged to inspect the properties and make all necessary inquiries to municipal and other government departments, and in the case of strata lots to the strata corporation, to determine the existence  of any bylaws, restrictions, charges or other conditions that may affect the value or suitability of the property.

  For more information, property owners can contact the City of Kamloops Revenue and Taxation Section at 250-828-3437 or email revenue@kamloops.ca. Prospective bidders can visit City Hall.
   
  Norman Thompson, CPA, MBA, CGP, ICDD 
  Taxation Manager

More Information

• Local Government Act - Tax Sale

  The Local Government Act requires the City to sell at tax sale all properties whose taxes have not been paid for three years. The Local Government Act gives the Collector (the City) authority to sell a property for the upset price, which equals all outstanding taxes + penalties + interest + 5% tax sale costs + Land Title Office fees. All property sales are "as is" without warrant or guarantee by the City of Kamloops.

• Advertising

  The Local Government Act requires municipalities to publish and advertise information in advance of the tax sale including legal descriptions and street addresses.

  Property owners wishing to avoid having their address publicly listed must pay delinquent taxes and interest prior to the publication date, which could be up to 10 weeks prior to the tax sale date.

• Tax Sale - Public Auction

  A public auction will be held at 10:00 am on the last Monday in September each year in Council Chambers, City Hall. Bidding is accepted on all properties. 

  If the last Monday in September is a holiday, the annual tax sale will instead be held on the next Monday that is not a holiday. 
  
  Prospective bidders are advised that it is their responsibility to search the title of the property in advance to determine if there are any charges registered against the property. 
  
  The minimum bid is the amount of the upset price. 
  
  If no bidding takes place within three calls by the Collector (auctioneer), the City is declared the purchaser at the upset price.

• Purchasing Property

  Upon purchasing, full payment must be remitted immediately. If payment is not remitted, the Collector (the City) will offer the property for sale again.

• Notifying Charge Holders

  The Collector (the City) is required, by law, to search all property titles and, within 90 days after the tax sale, notify all registered charge holders shown on each property.

• Redemption

  The original owner has one year after the property is sold at tax sale to pay the taxes and buy back their property. This is called redemption. All registered charge holders have full right to redeem the property. 
  
  To redeem the property, the charge holder must remit the full upset price, plus interest on the purchase price at a rate set by the Province, within one year of the tax sale. 
  
  If the property has been sold at tax sale and the City has been declared the purchaser, 50% of the upset price, plus interest, may be paid as an instalment, thus extending the redemption period by 11 months and 21 days. This applies only to property having improvements. 
  
  Once the property is redeemed, the City will refund to the tax sale purchaser the purchase price, plus interest, to the date of redemption. Please note, it may take four weeks before a refund cheque is issued to the tax sale purchaser. Interest on the purchase price is only paid up to the date of redemption.

• Rights During Redemption Period

  Section 421 of the Local Government Act provides that when real property is sold at tax sale, all rights held by the person who, at the time of the sale was the owner, immediately cease to exist, except for the right of redemption, the right to bring an action to set aside the tax sale, and the right to possession.

  The registered owner's right of possession is subject to the purchaser's right to bring action against the original property owner for waste (i.e. damage or destruction to the premises) and the right of the purchaser to enter onto the property to maintain it in the proper condition and to prevent waste. Damage, destruction, or loss of property during the redemption period are at the risk of the purchaser. The purchaser is advised to insure his interest in the property.

• Property Not Redeemed

  If the property is not redeemed during the one-year period, the Collector registers the new owner at the Kamloops Land Title and Survey Authority, thus cancelling all previous registered charges, except for those matters set out in Section 276(1)(c) to (g) of the Land Title Act and any lien of the Crown, an improvement district, or a local district.

  The new owners are required to pay the property sales tax to the Provincial Sales Tax Administrator after application has been made to register in the Land Titles Office.