Manufactured home owners in Fort St. John and the North Peace sticker shocked from dramatic spikes in their property assessments this year are being encouraged to file an appeal by the end of the month.
Assessments for the typical single-family home in Fort St. John rose 4% this year, according to BC Assessment figures released this week.
But city and rural owners of manufactured homes have reported assessment spikes far above average, ranging between 50% to 150% in many cases.
Northern BC Deputy Assessor Teria Penner said Wednesday that the agency was aware of the unusually large increases in the city and surrounding area.
"This was due to an internal calculation error, which we have identified and are in the process of correcting for impacted property owners," Penner said in an email to Alaska Highway News.
Assessment notices for 2023 are in the mail, and based on market values as of July 1, 2022. The assessments are used to calculate municipal property taxes.
In Fort St. John, assessments for the average single-family home rose 4% from $329,000 to $343,000 year-over-year. For condos and townhouses, assessments were up an average 3%, from $196,000 to $201,000.
No data was available for average increases for manufactured homes. However, a search of units in the BC Assessment database sheds light on the increases owners are facing.
A search in Southridge Estates found hikes ranging from 40% to 88% for several units. In Peace Country Park, increases ranged between 35% to 50%.
Outside the city, increases were found ranging between 130% to 148% for units in Shady Acres in Charlie Lake. In Forest Lawn, increases ranged from 104% to 140%.
“We are currently working on identifying the impact and determining how many home owners are affected. We will be issuing corrections where necessary," Penner said, adding, “I would encourage anyone who is concerned with the assessment to file an appeal prior to January 31st."
Homeowners can check their home’s value, as of July 1, 2022, by searching the BC Assessment database here.
For more, visit bcassessment.ca or call 1-866-825-8322.
