Monday, July 28, 2014

Maria Mak. Burnaby Real Estate Agents- cost saving programs for home / property buyers and owners

Wise real estate decisions are made when you have a clear understanding of your personal financial circumstances. When assessing your situation, it is important to know there is a broad range of cost-saving programs available to help you.

Top Grants and Rebates (updated July 2014) - PDF 
50 Ways to Green Your Home and Save $$$ (updated December 2013) - PDF

Updated: July 2014

Home Buyers’ Plan: Registered Retirement Savings for down payments

Canada Revenue Agency’s Home Buyers' Plan lets qualifying home buyers use up to $25,000 of their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to buy a home. Couples can use up to $50,000. The home must be the principal residence, the home buyers must not have owned a home within the past five years and the loan must be repaid with 15 years.

Disabled home buyers upgrading to a more accessible home also qualify as do relatives helping disabled home buyers. Home buyers who have already used the plan and have fully repaid their RRSP may be eligible to use the plan a second time.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
Home Buyers' Plan
1-800-959-8287

 

First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit

This federal non-refundable income tax credit is for qualifying buyers of detached, attached, apartment condominiums, mobile homes or shares in a cooperative housing corporation.

It’s calculated by multiplying the lowest personal income tax rate for the year by $5,000.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
www.cra.gc.ca/hbtc
1-800-959-8281

GST Rebate on new homes

New home buyers can apply for a rebate of the 5% GST if the purchase price is $350,000 or less. The rebate is up to 36% of the GST to a maximum rebate of $6,300. There is a proportional GST rebate for new homes costing between $350,000 and $450,000.

Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
GST-New housing rebate
1-800-959-8287

BC Property Transfer Tax (PTT)

Home buyers in BC pay a provincial Property Transfer Tax (PPT) when they buy a home. The tax is charged at a rate of 1% on the first $200,000 of the purchase price and 2% on the remainder.

First-time home buyers may be exempt from paying the PTT of 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the remainder of the purchase price of a home priced up to $475,000. There is a proportional exemption for between $475,000 and $500,000. At $500,000 and above the rebate is nil.

BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property Transfer Tax
250-387-0604

BC property tax deferment programs

Seniors
Qualifying home owners aged 55+ may be eligible to defer property taxes.

Financial hardship
Qualifying low-income home owners may be eligible to defer property taxes.

Families with children
Qualifying low-income home owners who financially support children under age 18 may be eligible to defer property taxes.

BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property tax deferment programs
and enter ‘Property tax deferment’ in the search box or contact your municipal tax office.

BC Home Owner Grant

Reduces property taxes for home owners with an assessed value of up to $1,100,000. The basic grant gives home owners:

• a maximum reduction of $570 in property taxes on principal residences in the Capital, Greater Vancouver, and Fraser Valley regional districts
• an additional grant of $200 to rural homeowners elsewhere in the province
• an additional grant of $275 to seniors aged 65+, those who are permanently disabled and verterans of certain wars

BC Ministry of Finance
For information: 
Home Owner Grant
Or contact your local municiple tax office.

Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI)

program jointly funded by federal and provincial governments provides up to $20,000 to help eligible low-income seniors and disabled home owners and landlords to finance modifications to their homes to make them accessible and safer.

For information: 
BC Housing
604-646-7055
1-800-407-7757 ext 7055

Rain barrel subsidy programs

Many Metro Vancouver municipalities offer rain barrels for sale, often at a discount for their residents:
Burnaby - $70
Coquitlam - $72
Richmond - $30

Other municipalities have similar offers.

For information:

Burnaby
Coquitlam
Richmond

Local Government water conservation incentives

Your municipality may provide grants and incentives to residents to help save water. For example, the City of Coquitlam offers residents a $100 rebate and the City of North VancouverDistrict of North Vancouver, andDistrict of West Vancouver offer a $50 rebate when residents install a low-flush toilet.

For information: 
Visit your municipality’s website and enter ‘toilet rebate' to see if there is a program.

Local Government water meter programs

Your municipality may provide a program for voluntary water metering so that you pay only for the amount of water you use. Delta, Richmond and Surrey have programs and other municipalities may soon follow.

For information: 
Visit your municipality’s website and enter ‘water meter’ to see if there is a program.

BC Hydro rebates/savings for the home

Fridge buy-back: $30 to turn in spare fridges in working condition.

Appliance rebate: save on selected ENERGY STAR clothes washers, refrigerators, and freezers from $25 to $75. Next rebate period is October 2014.

Lighting: switch to ENERGY STAR LEDs, CFLs and lighting fixtures.

Home electronics: televisions and other electronics identified with Power Smart messaging use significantly less energy than standard products.

For information: 
BC Hydro - Rebates and Savings

BC Hydro Power Smart Partner program for business

The Power Smart Partner program partners BC Hydro with BC’s largest commercial, government and institutional customers (who spend $200,000 or more/year on Hydro). Customers gain access to a wide range of energy management programs, tools and incentives.

For information:
BC Hydro
1 866-522-4713

BC Hydro Power Smart Express (PSX) for business

Launched June 2, 2014, the PSX program partners BC Hydro with BC’s largest commercial, government and institutional customers (who spend $200,000 or more/year on Hydro). The program provides incentives for various technologies, including lighting, cooking and refridgeration appliances.

For information:
BC Hydro
1 866-522-4713

FortisBC rebate program for homes

Rebates for home owners include:
• $300 rebate for buying an EnerChoice® fireplace
• up to $1,000 off an ENERGY STAR® water heater
• $1,000 rebate for switching to natural gas (from oil or propane) and installing an ENERGY STAR® heating system

For information: 
Fortis BC
1 888-224-2710

FortisBC rebate program for businesses

For commercial buildings, provides:
 • a rebate of up to $45,000 for the purchase of an energy efficient boiler
• up to $15,000 for the purchase of a high-efficiency water heater
• funding towards a new construction energy study

For information: 
Fortis BC
1 866-884-8833

Energy Conservaton and Assistance Program

BC Hydro and FortisBC offer free energy assessments and energy saving products to low-income customers. Qualified contractors will install upgrades ranging in value from $300 to $5,000 depending on the need of the home.

For information: 
BC Hydro
FortisBC

Energy Savings Kit Program

BC Hydro and FortisBC offer low-income customers a free energy saving kit containing products to help save energy and money.

For information: 
BC Hydro
FortisBC

Home Energy Rebate Offer

BC Hydro and FortisBC offer home owners rebates for various upgrades and improvements, including insulation, draftproofing, space heating systems, water heating systems and ventilation.

These improvements can reduce the average residential customer’s energy bill by 30%. There is a bonus offer for completing three or more of certain upgrades. Total value of available rebates is almost $6,000 per household.

For information: 
BC Hydro
FortisBC

Financial institutions - energy-related savings

RBC's Energy Saver Mortgage
Home owners who have a home energy audit within 90 days of receiving a RBC Energy Saver Mortgage may qualify for a rebate of $300.

RBC's Energy Saver Loan
Offers a 1% interest rate discount or a $100 rebate on a home energy audit with a qualifying purchase through a fixed rate loan over $5,000

BMO Eco Smart Mortgage
Offers home buyers a special rate on qualifying green properties.

Vancity’s Bright Ideas home renovation loan
Offers home owners up to $20,000 at prime + 1% for up to 10 years for green renovations.

CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance Premium Refund
Provides home buyers with CMHC mortgage insurance, a 10% premium refund and possible extended amortization without surcharge when buyers purchase an energy efficient home or make energy savings renovations.


Monday, July 21, 2014

Maria Mak , Burnaby Realtor - Cost saving programs for home-property buyers and owners



Updated: July 2014
 
Home Buyers’ Plan: Registered Retirement Savings for down payments

 
Canada Revenue Agency’s Home Buyers' Plan lets qualifying home buyers use up to $25,000 of their Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to buy a home. Couples can use up to $50,000. The home must be the principal residence, the home buyers must not have owned a home within the past five years and the loan must be repaid with 15 years.

Disabled home buyers upgrading to a more accessible home also qualify as do relatives helping disabled home buyers. Home buyers who have already used the plan and have fully repaid their RRSP may be eligible to use the plan a second time.
 
Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
Home Buyers' Plan
1-800-959-8287
 
First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit
 
This federal non-refundable income tax credit is for qualifying buyers of detached, attached, apartment condominiums, mobile homes or shares in a cooperative housing corporation.
It’s calculated by multiplying the lowest personal income tax rate for the year by $5,000.
 
Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
www.cra.gc.ca/hbtc
1-800-959-8281
GST Rebate on new homes
 
New home buyers can apply for a rebate of the 5% GST if the purchase price is $350,000 or less. The rebate is up to 36% of the GST to a maximum rebate of $6,300. There is a proportional GST rebate for new homes costing between $350,000 and $450,000.
 
Canada Revenue Agency
For information:
GST-New housing rebate1-800-959-8287
BC Property Transfer Tax (PTT)
 
Home buyers in BC pay a provincial Property Transfer Tax (PPT) when they buy a home. The tax is charged at a rate of 1% on the first $200,000 of the purchase price and 2% on the remainder.
First-time home buyers may be exempt from paying the PTT of 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the remainder of the purchase price of a home priced up to $475,000. There is a proportional exemption for between $475,000 and $500,000. At $500,000 and above the rebate is nil.
 
BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property Transfer Tax
250-387-0604
BC property tax deferment programs
 
SeniorsQualifying home owners aged 55+ may be eligible to defer property taxes.
Financial hardshipQualifying low-income home owners may be eligible to defer property taxes.
Families with childrenQualifying low-income home owners who financially support children under age 18 may be eligible to defer property taxes.

 
BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Property tax deferment programs
and enter ‘Property tax deferment’ in the search box or contact your municipal tax office.
BC Home Owner Grant
 
Reduces property taxes for home owners with an assessed value of up to $1,100,000. The basic grant gives home owners:
• a maximum reduction of $570 in property taxes on principal residences in the Capital, Greater Vancouver, and Fraser Valley regional districts
• an additional grant of $200 to rural homeowners elsewhere in the province
• an additional grant of $275 to seniors aged 65+, those who are permanently disabled and verterans of certain wars
 
BC Ministry of Finance
For information:
Home Owner Grant
Or contact your local municiple tax office.
Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI)
 
A program jointly funded by federal and provincial governments provides up to $20,000 to help eligible low-income seniors and disabled home owners and landlords to finance modifications to their homes to make them accessible and safer.
 
For information:
BC Housing604-646-7055
1-800-407-7757 ext 7055
Rain barrel subsidy programs
 
Many Metro Vancouver municipalities offer rain barrels for sale, often at a discount for their residents:
Burnaby - $70
Coquitlam - $72
Richmond - $30
Other municipalities have similar offers.
 
For information:
Burnaby
Coquitlam
Richmond
Local Government water conservation incentives
 
Your municipality may provide grants and incentives to residents to help save water. For example, the City of Coquitlam offers residents a $100 rebate and the City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, and District of West Vancouver offer a $50 rebate when residents install a low-flush toilet.
 
For information:
Visit your municipality’s website and enter ‘toilet rebate' to see if there is a program.
Local Government water meter programs
 
Your municipality may provide a program for voluntary water metering so that you pay only for the amount of water you use. Delta, Richmond and Surrey have programs and other municipalities may soon follow.

 
For information:
Visit your municipality’s website and enter ‘water meter’ to see if there is a program.
BC Hydro rebates/savings for the home
 
Fridge buy-back: $30 to turn in spare fridges in working condition.
Appliance rebate: save on selected ENERGY STAR clothes washers, refrigerators, and freezers from $25 to $75. Next rebate period is October 2014.
Lighting: switch to ENERGY STAR LEDs, CFLs and lighting fixtures.
Home electronics: televisions and other electronics identified with Power Smart messaging use significantly less energy than standard products.
 
For information:
BC Hydro - Rebates and Savings
BC Hydro Power Smart Partner program for business
 
The Power Smart Partner program partners BC Hydro with BC’s largest commercial, government and institutional customers (who spend $200,000 or more/year on Hydro). Customers gain access to a wide range of energy management programs, tools and incentives.
 
For information:
BC Hydro
1 866-522-4713
BC Hydro Power Smart Express (PSX) for business
 
Launched June 2, 2014, the PSX program partners BC Hydro with BC’s largest commercial, government and institutional customers (who spend $200,000 or more/year on Hydro). The program provides incentives for various technologies, including lighting, cooking and refridgeration appliances.
 
For information:
BC Hydro
1 866-522-4713
FortisBC rebate program for homes
 
Rebates for home owners include:
• $300 rebate for buying an EnerChoice® fireplace
• up to $1,000 off an ENERGY STAR® water heater
• $1,000 rebate for switching to natural gas (from oil or propane) and installing an ENERGY STAR® heating system
 
For information:
Fortis BC1 888-224-2710
FortisBC rebate program for businesses
 
For commercial buildings, provides:
 • a rebate of up to $45,000 for the purchase of an energy efficient boiler
• up to $15,000 for the purchase of a high-efficiency water heater
• funding towards a new construction energy study
 
For information:
Fortis BC
1 866-884-8833
Energy Conservaton and Assistance Program
 
BC Hydro and FortisBC offer free energy assessments and energy saving products to low-income customers. Qualified contractors will install upgrades ranging in value from $300 to $5,000 depending on the need of the home.
 
For information:
BC Hydro
FortisBC
Energy Savings Kit Program
 
BC Hydro and FortisBC offer low-income customers a free energy saving kit containing products to help save energy and money.
 
For information:
BC Hydro
FortisBC
Home Energy Rebate Offer
 
BC Hydro and FortisBC offer home owners rebates for various upgrades and improvements, including insulation, draftproofing, space heating systems, water heating systems and ventilation.
These improvements can reduce the average residential customer’s energy bill by 30%. There is a bonus offer for completing three or more of certain upgrades. Total value of available rebates is almost $6,000 per household.
 
For information:
BC Hydro
FortisBC
Financial institutions - energy-related savings
 
RBC's Energy Saver MortgageHome owners who have a home energy audit within 90 days of receiving a RBC Energy Saver Mortgage may qualify for a rebate of $300.

RBC's Energy Saver Loan

Offers a 1% interest rate discount or a $100 rebate on a home energy audit with a qualifying purchase through a fixed rate loan over $5,000

BMO Eco Smart Mortgage

Offers home buyers a special rate on qualifying green properties.

Vancity’s Bright Ideas home renovation loan

Offers home owners up to $20,000 at prime + 1% for up to 10 years for green renovations.

CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance Premium Refund

Provides home buyers with CMHC mortgage insurance, a 10% premium refund and possible extended amortization without surcharge when buyers purchase an energy efficient home or make energy savings renovations.
For information visit your financial institution or

RBC-mortgage
RBC-loan
BMO
Vancity
CMHC  1-800-668-2642


Maria Mak. Burnaby Real Estate Agent - $165,000 Best deal - Renovated 1 bdrm top floor condo close to Highgate Mall in Burnaby.


$165,000 Best deal - Renovated 1 bdrm top floor condo close to Highgate Mall in Burnaby.






 
Contact Maria Mak. Burnaby Realtor @ www.mariamak.com

Monday, July 14, 2014

June 2014 Housing Market Update from REBGV




Contact Maria Mak and her elite team @ Sutton Centre Realty @ 604-839-6368 or visit her website www.mariamak.com for all your premium first class real estate services, Maria has been serving her clients in Metro Vancouver for over 25 years with a big heart, with a big smile, most importantly with passion. 

Contact Maria Mak @ Sutton Centre Realty today for all your top notched real estate services, THANK YOU.





Maria Mak. Burnaby Realtor- June 2014 Housing Market Update from Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver



http://www.rebgv.org/podcasts/rebgv-market-update-june-2014


Contact Maria Mak and her elite team @ Sutton Centre Realty @ 604-839-6368 or visit her website www.mariamak.com for all your premium first class real estate services, Maria has been serving her clients in Metro Vancouver for over 25 years with a big heart, with a big smile, most importantly with passion. Contact Maria Mak today for all your top notched real estate services, THANK YOU.


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Maria Mak. Burnaby Realtor - A rental property for retirement income: Is it worth it?

Tenants, anyone?

When pondering how to produce an income in retirement, people tend to fixate on stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Rarely mentioned is one other option: becoming a landlord.

Many people rule out the possibility because they don’t want to spend their golden years dealing with rowdy renters and peeling paint. But, under the right circumstances, it may pay to reconsider.

Richard Ballenthin, a retired Lutheran clergyman, sold his house a year and a half ago and bought a small commercial building in Durham, Ont., about 45 minutes south of Owen Sound. Today, at 71, he lives in a spacious apartment in the building and rents out two small retail spaces. He figures the move has boosted his retirement income by about 40 per cent.

“This can work well for someone who is prepared to downsize and has been debating a move to a condo or apartment,” he says. “It has certainly worked out far better than I ever expected.”

To find out whether a similar move may make sense for you, it’s important to have a realistic view of the pros and cons of property investment.

At its best, a rental property can throw off cash, much like an annuity, guaranteeing you a lifelong source of income. Better yet, the amount of that income will tend to rise with inflation since rents usually go up in tandem with prices.

The downside? Owning a rental property can leave you exposed to a downturn in the local economy. Go a few months without a tenant and the financial pain can be severe.

The only thing worse than having no tenant is having a bad tenant. If an occupant is particularly unruly, you may be forced to go to court to evict him.

Even with a good tenant, you have to be prepared for the regular grind of maintenance work. Especially as you enter your seventies, you may not want to shovel snow or fix clogged toilets.

For all those reasons, most seniors who want to derive income from the property market should look first at real estate investment trusts, or REITs. Buy units in a REIT and you receive regular payouts from a diversified, professionally managed portfolio of properties, without the hassles of actually dealing with tenants yourself.

But don’t automatically dismiss the notion of buying a rental property yourself. It all comes down to the specifics of the situation.

Becoming a landlord can be particularly attractive if you’re thinking of downsizing anyway. In that case, swapping a large home for a property with smaller living space and a rental unit can allow you to both trim maintenance expenses and generate income.

Caution is important. Since retirement is not a time to take financial gambles, you want to find a property that you can buy without going into debt.

You should be confident that it will generate a healthy return based on the cash it is generating right now, after accounting for all expenses. Sure, it’s possible that the property will be worth more than you paid for it at some point, but you shouldn’t factor such uncertain future gains into your buying equation, especially since some observers believe property prices are headed down, rather than up, in the years ahead.

Right now, some of the best values for downsizing homeowners appear to lie in small commercial buildings that are too tiny to appeal to a REIT, and that also contain a living space for a landlord.

Mr. Ballenthin says he stumbled into buying such a building largely by accident. After his kids reached adulthood, he sold his two-storey house and decided to purchase his current property because his daughter was thinking of opening a store. She later changed her mind, but by that point the deal was done.

Mr. Ballenthin has never regretted his move, though. He says dealing with commercial tenants is far easier than screening residential tenants. His renters – an accounting firm and a store – take care of minor maintenance themselves and pay the rent reliably. While one of his spaces was vacant for two months, he’s had few problems finding good tenants.

To Mr. Ballenthin’s delight, he has also found that his maintenance costs are far lower than they would be if he stayed in a house. Since his building sits between similar structures on both sides, he has only two exterior walls and a roof to worry about. And he can write off a portion of his property taxes, utilities and insurance fees as a business expense.

He calculates that his building produces as much income as a conservatively invested portfolio of $750,000 – but he paid far, far less than $750,000 for it.

“Until two years ago I never considered going this route but the income generated [while] all the while retaining ownership of the property is unbeatable,” he says.

Monday, July 7, 2014

How to avoid real estate investment scams

The global slowdown has shaken everyone’s investment portfolio in one way or another, while real estate values in most geographical areas continues to rise. No doubt many investors are asking themselves if they should be putting more of their money into real estate.

Real estate is one of the biggest investments people make. Unfortunately, criminals and con artists go where the money is – which means real estate and mortgage fraud. While there is no centralized database that tracks figures, most experts agree that real estate fraud is on the rise.

Common Scams

Title fraud is one of the most devastating types of scam. Imagine coming home to find your house has vanished into thin air. In some ways, this is what happens with title fraud, in which a criminal assumes your identity and uses forged documents to sell your house or get a new mortgage. This kind of fraud is often perpetrated against houses that are mortgage free – which means it often targets seniors. Scammers can also use personal information to impersonate you when applying for a loan or mortgage, leaving you – the unsuspecting victim – on the hook for the loan.

Foreclosure rescue and home equity fraud preys on those struggling with their mortgage payments. The homeowner pays up-front fees and transfers the property title to a new lender in exchange for a consolidation loan and/or lower monthly payments. The scammer then has the victim’s monthly payments and the option to sell or remortgage the house without the victim knowing.

Of course, owning a home is the way most investors will get into the real estate market, but those wanting more might look at real estate syndicates, in which a pool of investors become limited partners in a real estate project, and are part-owners of the assets. The general partner or syndicator manages the assets and investment on their behalf.

Sounds easy, right? Yet last year in Ontario, a well-known real estate syndicate collapsed into bankruptcy, and in April of this year, a real estate financier from Chilliwack faced the B.C. Securities Commission, accused of fraud and misleading investors through millions of dollars raised for Falls Capital Corp. and Deercrest Construction Fund. The allegations have not been proved in court and no charges have been laid, but these examples should serve as cautionary tales.

Tips for protecting yourself

  • First and foremost, make sure you are following best practices in protecting your personal information. Protect your SIN, shred documents before recycling and put a lock on your mailbox. Don’t give personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call. Learn how to protect yourself from phishing, update security software regularly and change your passwords on a regular basis.
  • Be skeptical in all transactions – scammers are successful because they engender trust. Rely on your own team of experts to verify the fine print. Know and understand what you are signing. Ask questions. Never sign incomplete documents.
  • When money changes hands, ensure the funds are held in trust until the paperwork clears.
  • Do some basic research on the property. A land title search can show you the name of the owner, mortgages and liens, and a record of previous transactions.
  • Regularly check your credit report to make sure there are no surprises. Consult the provincial land registry office to make sure your house is in your own name.
  • Consider purchasing title insurance to protect against title fraud.

Remember the golden rule of investing – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and there’s no such thing as a guaranteed return. Don’t be swayed by fancy marketing. Do your research, get professional third-party advice, and you may well reap the rewards.

Maria Mak. Burnaby Real Estate Agent - Finding the truth about a property | Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

What's not on the property title may be important

In West Vancouver in 2007, on the advice of her REALTOR®, a property seller checked to see if there was an underground fuel storage tank on her property.
There was and the seller had the tank removed and the contaminated soil remediated. The bill was $202,963.07.
The seller had bought the property in 2001 without using the services of a REALTOR® and had been told by the previous owner that the tank had been removed or decommissioned.
The seller sued the former property owned and won because the owner hadn’t disclosed the severity of the problem.(Note: a REALTOR® was not involved in the 2001 sale).

What do these examples have in common?

• In Richmond, an illegal drug lab in a rental home on a busy street
  resulted in a neighbourhood evacuation.
• In Marpole, the owners of a non-profit theatre learned from a
  neighbouring business that the building they own is one of a dozen
  commercial sites sitting on a midden, the location of Aboriginal artifacts.
None are registered on the property title.
This means that current and future owners may not know about issues associated with their property that could affect its safety, ease of sale and ultimate value.

What is registered on the property title?

The legal description of a property, including:
• the parcel identification (PID);
• taxation authority;
• registered owner and their address;
• the title number;
• the previous title number;
• legal notations against the property (may include heritage);
• charges, liens and interests (under-surface rights, rights of ways, covenants, judgments);
• whether a duplicate title has been ordered and by whom, and
• transfers and pending applications.

What is not registered on title?

• Archaeological sites.
• Former grow ops and illegal drug labs.
• Heritage designations (not always on title).
• Highway entitlements.
• Stigmatized property.
• Streamside issues – if there are fish-bearing ditches or creeks on the property.
• Underground fuel storage tanks.

How can you discover the facts about a property?

1  Ask the owner.
 Visit the local government (municipal) website where you will find a range of information, for example: 
        • Richmond provides a road map of designated heritage buildings and homes, and includes photos. (Note: there is no 
          available universal public registry of homes previously used as grow ops and illegal drug labs.)
        • The City of Vancouver confirms if a property has been used as a grow op or illegal drug lab to anyone phoning 
          604.871.6231. The City does not provide the owner’s name in keeping with privacy legislation.
        • West Vancouver provides a list of properties known to have underground storage tanks.  Visit: 
          www.westvancouver.ca and search Fuel Storage Tank Program. Scroll to More Information and see Fuel/ Oil Tank 
          Records Search.
If you don’t find what you need online, phone your local government or go in person. Depending on the municipality, there may be comprehensive data.
• There is a BC Heritage Sites Inventory. Information about its properties comes from local governments, so start there
  first.
• Check the BC Archaeological Site Inventory at 
  www.for.gov.bc.ca/archaeology/accessing_archaeological_data/index.htm.You can also phone: 250 953-3338.
• Search the BC Government’s Contaminated Sites Registry which lists some contaminated sites. It is available through 
  www.bconline.gov.bc.ca.(Go to Products). There is a charge to access the database.

Fuel tanks facts

Throughout the Lower Mainland aging fuel storage tanks in yards are potentially corroding and leaching toxic materials into the soil.
In worst case scenarios, the contamination extends to neighbouring properties and the groundwater system.
These tanks, used until the 1960s when natural gas became readily available, were never required to be registered.
In the 50 years since, many tanks have been decommissioned or removed, while others have been long forgotten.
This makes it difficult to determine how many still exist, although estimates indicate there are still tens of thousands remaining underground throughout the Lower Mainland.
In more remote areas such as Pemberton and the Gulf Islands, tanks may still be in use.
Oil tanks are regulated by the BC Fire Code, Part 4, which covers tank installation, maintenance, repair, removal or abandonment.

What happens if your property has an old tank?

Each municipality has different requirements and provisions for enforcing the removal or abandonment of underground or aboveground storage tanks.
Contact your local fire department. They will advise you on how to properly deal with your tank.
Tanks can contaminate soil and groundwater, may pose a fire and explosion hazard, and may impact human health.
If you plan on selling your property, you must tell your REALTOR® about the tank and also disclose the tank on the Property Disclosure Statement.
If you are buying a property, your REALTOR® will advise you to have the property inspected and to seek an expert opinion on the matter, especially if the underground or aboveground storage tank is thought to be leaking. If you have questions about fuel storage tanks, contact your municipality.