{"id":2071,"date":"2026-01-30T08:59:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.century21yk.ca\/blog\/?p=2071"},"modified":"2026-01-30T21:45:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T04:45:49","slug":"heres-what-you-actually-need-to-know-about-your-2026-property-tax-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.century21yk.ca\/blog\/2026\/01\/heres-what-you-actually-need-to-know-about-your-2026-property-tax-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s What You Actually Need to Know About Your 2026 Property Tax Assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had enough clients and friends ask me about their property tax assessments over the last two weeks that I think it warrants a blog post.\u00a0 Just to be clear, the Notice of Assessment you recently received in the mail does not include the details you need in order to determine whether or not your assessment was done properly, and the City of Yellowknife\u2019s 2026 Guide to Property Taxes<\/a> won’t give you all the information you need either.\u00a0 There was also a recent sponsored post on Cabin Radio<\/a> that contains some incorrect information.<\/p>\n

For those who have concerns about their assessments but don\u2019t have time to read this full blog post, just do yourself a favour and e-mail City Hall and ask for the detailed version of your assessment.\u00a0 Here is their e-mail form link.<\/a> Make sure you give them more than just your civic address.\u00a0 They’ll need your lot, block and plan numbers from City Explorer<\/a> or your tax roll number.<\/p>\n

Now for the detailed explanation.\u00a0 The Guide to Property taxes tells you on page six that if you have concerns about your assessment, the first step is to file a complaint with the Board of Revision.\u00a0 That\u2019s incorrect.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have enough information yet to know if you should file a complaint.\u00a0 All you know is the total assessed value of your land and the total assessed value of your “improvements:” your house, outbuildings, fence, etc.\u00a0 That\u2019s not enough to go on.\u00a0 You need to know what the assessor recorded as the size, age and quality of all of the various components of your home and other improvements.\u00a0 Do you have an old shed that was recorded as a garage?\u00a0 Was a covered patio assumed to be interior square feet?\u00a0 Was the age of your house or its components misjudged?\u00a0 You don\u2019t know yet.<\/p>\n

The small print on your NoA contradicts the Guide to Taxes and tells you that the first step if you have concerns is to check the accuracy of your assessment by making an appointment with the Assessor.\u00a0 You could do that, but the better first step is to contact the City and ask them to send you the full details of your assessment.\u00a0 Only once you have that information will you be prepared to meet with the Assessor.<\/p>\n

I was on the Board of Revision years ago and what I saw while in that role was a whole lot of debates between property owners and assessors over things like the condition of roofs, the age of garages, whether the fence is on one property or the other, etc.\u00a0 The big landlords in town make a habit of disputing all of these details every time there is a general assessment, because there is so much at stake for them.\u00a0 They hire consultants to evaluate assessments for their entire real estate portfolios.\u00a0 And it makes sense to do so, because sometimes the City’s Property Assessor gets details wrong.\u00a0 In my experience the Assessor gets the vast majority of things right, but I would never advise a client to just assume he got it right.\u00a0 Trust is fine, but always verify (\u2026one of my favourite aphorisms.)<\/p>\n

With respect to the City\u2019s sponsored post on Cabin Radio<\/a>, there are a couple of things I should correct as well.<\/p>\n