Assessment Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is property assessment?

Property assessment is an estimation of the market value of your home as of July 1st of the previous year. The assessment value is used to impose property taxes fairly and equitably.

How often do you prepare assessments?

The Municipal Government Act requires that all assessments in Alberta are prepared annually.

What is Market Value?

Market value is the most probable price that a property would sell for on the open market from a willing seller to a willing buyer.

Why do I receive my Assessment Notice before my property tax bill?

Assessment notices are mailed earlier than the property tax bill to allow owners the opportunity to review the assessed value and ensure it is reasonable prior to the tax bill being sent out in May.

Is GST included in the assessment of my new home?

Yes. GST is a cost incurred by a purchaser as part of the value paid. This amount should be reported to the Land Titles office. GST is typically recovered in the resale of the home, so no adjustments are made to the market value.

How can my assessment go up when the Market Value has gone down?

There are a number of different factors that go into the determination of your assessed value. A variety of changes including extensive renovations, basement development, additions, fireplaces and decks can alter the assessed value of a property. The assessed value is determined through an analysis of properties that have sold in the previous year. Different neighborhoods or dwelling types may appreciate or depreciate in value at different rates from year to year. The average market value of single family homes may have decreased overall, but the difference between each neighborhood may not match the overall year to year change.

My home was built during the current taxation year. Will I receive an assessment notice?

Yes, you will receive a Supplementary Assessment and Taxation notice prorated for the number of months that the home was completed and/or occupied in the current year. This notice will reflect the total value of the property minus the amount that it has already been assessed at on your Annual Assessment Notice.

Why is my Assessment higher than my neighbors?

Is your home the same type of home ( Eg. two storey vs bungalow)? Are your homes the same size? Do you have the same size of lot? Is your home newer or have you had a number of renovations recently? Do you both have a garage or basement development? Does your neighbor back directly onto a main traffic corridor that you do not?

Any or all of these factors can come into play when determining your home’s assessed value.

How come my assessment is higher/lower than what I actually paid for it?

Assessment values are determined by a method called mass appraisal. What this means is that a common approach, using common data, provides a typical value for a property. For similar properties, there are a range of prices. Your sale price may be at the top or lower end of this range.

The practice of assessment is governed by the Municipal Government Act and legislated by a number of separate regulations. The Matters Relating to Assessment and Taxation Regulation requires that the median assessment to sales ratio for a specific class of properties must be between 95% and 105%. A property’s sale price can be outside this range and its assessment can still meet this standard.

You may not have purchased or sold your home prior to the July 1 valuation date. This would also result in a difference between the assessed value and the actual selling price.

How do renovations or additions affect my assessment?

aYour assessment is based on typical market value, so any significant changes to your home will likely increase its market value. Therefore, your assessment will increase.aa

How do you calculate the size of my home?

The size of your home is taken directly from the building plans provided to the City of Airdrie.

How do you calculate the size of my lot?

Lot sizes are determined from the registered plan of subdivisions and the Land Titles Registry system in Alberta.

What if I have a concern or believe there is an error on my Property Assessment Notice?

If you have a concern or believe there is an error on your Property Assessment Notice, please contact the City's Assessment Department (403) 948-8855 and speak with an assessor.

If your discussion with an assessor doesn't resolve your concerns, you may submit a formal written complaint to the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board.

How can I file a formal complaint?

Provincial legislation and City bylaws outline how complaints must be made: Your complaint must be submitted in writing on the form set out by the Government of Alberta. To access the Assessment Review Board Complaint form, please see the link below.

  • The reasons for a complaint must accompany the complaint form, including:
    • what information shown on the assessment notice is incorrect
    • in what respect that information is incorrect, including identifying the specific issues related to the incorrect information that are to be decided by the Assessment Review Board and the grounds in support of these issues
    • what the correct information is
    • the requested assessed value, if the complaint relates to an assessment
  • If you have discussed the matters of the complaint with an assessor, be sure to include a statement specifying the date and outcome of the discussion including details of any issues or facts agreed to. If you have not discussed the matters of the complaint with an assessor, specify why a discussion was not held.
  • An Assessment Review Board must not hear any matter in support of an issue that is not identified on the complaint form.
  • Your complaint form must be accompanied by the filing fee noted on your Property Assessment Notice.
  • You must include your mailing address.
  • Should you have an agent file a complaint on your behalf, you must complete and sign the Assessment Complaints Agent Authorization form. Please see the link below.
  • Complaints with an incomplete complaint form, complaints submitted after the filing deadline, or complaints without the required filing fee are invalid.
  • Complaint forms and filing fees may be dropped off at: the City of Airdrie, 400 Main Street SE or mailed to the Clerk of the Assessment Review Board, 400 Main Street SE, Airdrie, AB T4B 3C3.

How much does it cost to file a complaint?

Click here to download the Assessment Review Board Complaint form

Click here to download the Assessment Complaints Agent Authorization form

Residential - 3 or fewer dwellings and farmland $25
Information on Tax Notice $30
Residential - 4 or more dwellings with an assessed value of less than $1 Mil
Non-Residential less than $1 Mil		 $25
Residential - 4 or more dwellings with an assessed value of more than $1 Mil
Non-Residential more than $1 Mil		 $25

 

How can my taxes go up when my assessment went down?

Your assessment is the estimated market value of your property.  The tax rate is approved by Council on a yearly basis and is calculated based on budget requirements.   The yearly tax rate is applied to your assessed value to determine your share of the taxes.    Budget requirements may change on a year to year basis, requiring an increase to the tax rate and a subsequent increase in your taxes

When will I get my property tax bill?

Property tax notices are mailed out the end of May and payable the end of June of that same year.

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