One homeowner opened his 2017 housing assessment this year to a big surprise: an assessment worth $37,500 for a piece of property under a lake assessed at only 538 square feet.
Owen Wright received two assessments in the mail for his property this year: one for his house, and one for a piece of property in the lake where Wright has had a geothermal loop system installed since 2008. The loop system allows Wright to heat and cool his house using heat from the water. The $37,500 assessment for the use of the lake struck Wright as outrageous.
"I was furious. Literally furious," he says. Wright reached out to MLA Donna Barnett to take up his case.
Soon after, Wright says BC Assessment gave him a call.
According to Wright, BC Assessment apologized for the error. Wright says that after his conversation with them, the property under the lake initially valued for $37,500 was changed to a value of $500.
"I'm very pleased its been resolved and hopefully no others have to go through the same thing," Wright says. He's still happy with his geothermal heating system – despite the assessment and applying for a new lake use permit during the past year.
"It's clean. It gives us heat. It's from the lake. It's like a refrigerator in reverse," he says. "You take the heat from the lake and you put it into the house." Although Wright is based in Vancouver, he visits the South Cariboo and says he loves his home there.
While BC Assessment could not speak to any individual cases, they did say they place a nominal value ranging around $1000 on lake use involving geothermal loops.
Wright says this is the first year he has received the assessment. David Keough, a deputy assessor with BC Assessment, says BC Assessment has analyzed the effect of geothermal on property value since it came into use. A re-assessment of a property could be triggered by anything from a sale to a building permit or a lease from the government, he says.
Wright renewed his permit for lake use in 2016.
Both Keough and Wright encourage anyone who has a problem with their BC property assessment to get in touch with the assessment offices at 1-866-825-8322. Keough says property owners can compare their properties to others online and to look at recent sales in the area. "If they are still unsure of their value, they are welcome to give our assessors a call."
Property owners have until Jan. 31 to appeal their 2017 assessment.