Vancouver senior slapped with empty homes tax when renovations were delayed due to pandemic
An 89-year-old woman who has been renting out a Vancouver apartment for 27 years, has been told by the City of Vancouver that she owes more than $5,000 in empty homes tax.
When the senior’s tenant moved out in December 2019, she decided to renovate the home on Hamilton Street before renting it out again. The kitchen was 30 years old.
But she didn’t know then that the renovations would take a lot longer than expected due to pandemic setbacks.
New countertops, cupboards and appliances were ordered. The old kitchen was ripped out, “and then everything went sideways,” said her son Greg Jacklin, who helps his mother manage the apartment.
The family estimated the renovations would take eight weeks tops, but delays due to COVID-19 lockdowns and labour shortages saw the upgrade take almost a year.
What’s more, some items were stuck at facilities on the prairies, trapped by railway shutdowns. When the items finally arrived, the wrong boxes had been sent.
As the months passed, the bills piled up and nobody was paying rent.
“Every retired widowed school teacher can use some cash,” said her son.
Each year, Vancouver homeowners are required to declare whether their properties are empty. If they are, the owner may be charged 1.25 per cent tax. The empty homes tax is designed to make finding a place to rent easier, and force speculators to rent their homes.
Greg Jacklin told CTV News they declared the apartment empty, because it was. It couldn't be rented in its current state.
“I wasn’t going to lie, because I didn’t want anything to come back at us,” he said. “The unit was empty, there’s no kitchen so we couldn't rent it out.”
Despite pleading their case, the City of Vancouver’s tax department didn’t back down and told her she owes $5,152.06. Jacklin even appealed the decision, and argued extenuating circumstances, but that plea was also denied.
“You know you get to a point where are you were just tired of the whole thing,” Jacklin said. “My mother at 88 years old did not suddenly turn into a real estate speculator.”
A spokesperson for the city told CTV News tax exemptions are sometimes made for owners with building permits.
But Jacklin was renovating a kitchen. A permit isn’t needed for that.
Today the Hamilton apartment is looking brand new, and a new tenant has finally moved in.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.