Detached homes in a row on a street

Empty Homes Tax drives Vancouver’s housing vacancies to record low

December 1 2025 –

For the first time since the Empty Homes Tax (EHT) was introduced in 2017, the number of vacant homes in Vancouver has fallen below 1,000 as of the 2024 reporting year. The latest EHT Annual report shows a record-low vacancy rate of 0.49% (compared to 0.90% in 2017, when the EHT program was implemented in Vancouver). 
  
The EHT has also generated $194.3 million to support affordable housing in Vancouver since 2017. For the 2025 reporting period, $24.5 million of this revenue will fund several key affordable housing initiatives, subject to Council approval:  

  • $15 million million for land acquisition to develop new social housing and Community Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) grants. The CHIP supports non-profit and co-op partners to deepen affordability in new social/co-op housing projects and deliver on the affordability targets set out in the Housing Vancouver strategy.
  • $4.5 million million in predevelopment and other upfront costs to accelerate new social housing projects to construction and support the preservation of existing affordable housing projects.  
  • $5.0 million for emerging priorities including new and improved housing programs that help the City meet its long-term housing goals. 

Learn more about the impact of the EHT and the affordable housing projects it supports in the 2025 Empty Homes Tax Annual Report (637 KB). Visit vancouver.ca/eht to learn more about the EHT program. 

2025 declarations now open 

EHT property status declarations are now open for the 2025 tax year. All residential property owners must declare their property status every year, even if they live in their home or rent it out. 

Over the coming weeks, declaration instructions will be mailed to property owners along with their advance property tax notice. Owners who have signed up to receive e-bills will receive their notice by email.

Declarations are due by February 3, 2026. A $250 by-law fine applies to declarations submitted after this date. The tax rate for the 2025 reference year is three percent of the property’s assessed value for vacant properties. Translated declaration instructions are available on our website.

Property owners can make their declaration:

  • Online at vancouver.ca/eht
  • In person at Revenue Services at City Hall
  • By mail
  • By calling 3-1-1

The City’s Empty Homes Tax is separate from the provincial government’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax .