Vacant Unit Tax
For additional information
Call 905-546-2489
Email VacantUnitTax@hamilton.ca
Vacant Unit Tax Update
Following Council’s direction, plans to implement a Vacant Unit Tax in Hamilton will not proceed in 2024.
Residential property owners will no longer be required to declare their property’s occupancy status starting January 2024.
The proposed Vacant Unit Tax was one of the measures meant to address the ongoing affordable housing crisis in Hamilton, by creating a disincentive for keeping properties vacant, proposing an additional one percent tax on properties vacant for more than 183 days in a year. The revenue generated from this tax was intended to be reinvested into City programs to strengthen housing initiatives.
The City of Hamilton remains committed to increasing the supply of affordable and supportive housing and reducing chronic homelessness in Hamilton.
To learn more about the City programs that are underway to make more housing available, including investments in affordable housing units, support for non-profit housing providers, rent subsidy programs, and investments in homelessness outreach and emergency shelters, please visit www.hamilton.ca/housing.
Documents
Public Engagement
The City conducted a Vacant Home Tax online engagement survey from September 7 to 30, 2021. The goal of the survey was to collect feedback from interested stakeholders on the need to implement a tax on properties that are left vacant for a certain period of time, as well as possible issues to consider in implementing the tax.