Ottawa-Gatineau Housing Market

[rocketphish]

It's Vacant Unit Tax Declaration time again!

So if the City is already monitoring your water usage patterns and can tell you that you might be using too much, why can't it also flag homes using no water for 6+ consecutive months a year and target them for VUT... and stop hassling the rest of us?!

Residents with My Service Ottawa account to be notified about possible plumbing leaks

By William Eltherington, CTV News
Published: March 09, 2026 at 4:00PM EDT

The City of Ottawa can now automatically notify residents with high water consumption caused by hidden leaks, possibly saving homeowners from incurring costly water bills.

A news release from the City of Ottawa says homeowners with a My Service Ottawa account will be sent an email notification when its system detects continuous uninterrupted water flow over a seven-day period that could indicate a leak inside a home.

“This allows a quicker turnaround to identify and resolve the issue or contact a licensed plumber, if needed, potentially avoiding higher water consumption and unexpected water bill charges,” the city says.

The city has been using an automated device to track hourly water usage since 2014, but courtesy notifications were only be sent by mail, taking several days to arrive.

Last June, CTV News Ottawa reported on a local senior who was hit with a $1,547 water bill all because of a silent leak in the basement.

Residents were previously able to receive email notifications on their water usage but only if they registered for consumption alerts.

“Please keep in mind that these courtesy alerts usually point to a leak on private property. Homeowners are responsible for all water usage on their property, leak monitoring as well as the repair and maintenance of plumbing fixtures,” the city says.

Residents without a My Service Ottawa account can register online.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/re...-notified-about-possible-plumbing-leaks/

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

It's Vacant Unit Tax Declaration time again!

So if the City is already monitoring your water usage patterns and can tell you that you might be using too much, why can't it also flag homes using no water for 6+ consecutive months a year and target them for VUT... and stop hassling the rest of us?!

Yeah, seriously. There are easier ways than the current system. It's been long enough that they could cross check vacant tax reporting and homes with no water usage over that same time period of time at each household and see the accuracy.

Could also use power consumption in there as well (at least for Hydro Ottawa customers).

[Lakeofthewood]

I still haven't seen a good argument for getting rid of the VUT from these councillors who always ask for it to be removed. It takes maybe 5 minutes to do.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

I still haven't seen a good argument for getting rid of the VUT from these councillors who always ask for it to be removed. It takes maybe 5 minutes to do.

Has anyone proposed a better way of doing it like checking for water/power consumption?

[Kitchissippi]

Last year I got a random "audit" notice for the VUT declaration to check if people were being truthful. I had to submit 6 months of a utility bill. I thought WTF, doesn't the city bill me for water and sewer, and don't they control Ottawa Hydro? The language they use in the letter is borderline threatening. This declaration process really pisses me off, inconveniencing all homeowners just so they can collect a tax from a small minority of vacant properties.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Has anyone proposed a better way of doing it like checking for water/power consumption?

It's our weird obsession with "privacy" that doesn't allow this.

I mean it's not hard to run the water once a month for 15 minutes in every tap if you want to avoid it.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

It's our weird obsession with "privacy" that doesn't allow this.

I mean it's not hard to run the water once a month for 15 minutes in every tap if you want to avoid it.

Privacy? They already collect all the data. Just add a line of consent "if you want water and hydro, we'll use that data for xyz".

And I imagine that the City is able to see a minute by minute usage of water, certainly hydro (for a while they provided a free graph on the Hydro account "guessing" where your usage was coming from based on usage patterns), so running taps for 15 minutes wouldn't do anything.

[stolenottawa]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Last year I got a random "audit" notice for the VUT declaration to check if people were being truthful. I had to submit 6 months of a utility bill. I thought WTF, doesn't the city bill me for water and sewer, and don't they control Ottawa Hydro? The language they use in the letter is borderline threatening. This declaration process really pisses me off, inconveniencing all homeowners just so they can collect a tax from a small minority of vacant properties.

That happened to me the first year, their system didn't even allow you to upload 6 attachments at that time. I had to get in contact with them to resolve the issue.

[rocketphish]

Province planning to remove HST on new homes for 1 year
Eligible buyers could receive a maximum rebate of $130K for new homes valued up to $1 million for one year

CBC News
Posted: Mar 25, 2026 9:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

The province is planning to temporarily remove Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) for buyers of new homes.

Premier Doug Ford announced the plan Wednesday at a news conference in Mississauga, saying the full 13 per cent tax will be removed for new homes valued up to $1 million from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

"For too many families, the dream of home ownership is being pulled out of reach by high costs and economic uncertainty," said Ford.

Taxes, development fees and other costs add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home, said Ford.

The release said eligible buyers could receive up to $130,000 from the rebate, which will be included in the upcoming provincial budget.

The maximum rebate will be available for homes valued up to $1.5 million and then proportionally decrease to a rebate of $24,000 for homes valued at $1.85 million or more, said the release.

"[This] could stimulate an additional 8,000 housing starts in Ontario next year, supporting up to 21,000 jobs and boosting Ontario’s GDP growth by $2.7 billion," said the province.

Ford repeated ahead of the budget his government "will never, ever raise a tax."

"Government doesn't have an income problem, it has a spending problem," he said, adding the province is "laser focused" on keeping costs down across sectors, including housing, transit and gas.
Who is eligible for the HST break?

Eligible buyers must meet the following conditions, according to the province’s release:

• Purchase agreement is signed with a buyer between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.
• Homes bought as a primary residence must have construction begin on or before December 31, 2028 and be completed on or before December 31, 2031.
• Homes bought as a rental property must have construction completed on or before December 31, 2029.

Other eligibility criteria will be posted on the province’s website by the end of March.

Ford said the full HST will be covered — including the federal five per cent portion — thanks to a partnership with the federal government.

The federal government has agreed to split costs with Ontario until legislation passes to cover the federal HST portion for new homes.

This announcement comes after the provincial and federal government's existing HST rebate for first-time buyers of new homes valued up to $1 million.

The province is taking a "massive step forward" to get more shovels in the ground to build new homes faster, said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack in a news release.

"Homeownership is a cornerstone of Ontario’s economic success,” he said. “Ontario thrives only when its people thrive."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-remove-hst-new-homes-9.7141269

[lrt's friend]

Has anybody been audited on the vacant unit tax? I have and I was not happy with the underlining threats in the letter of extra taxation, fines and penalties. The demand of 6 months of utility bills (often issued by the City of Ottawa) from 2 years ago is ridiculous. I have noted that this policy has not made one bit of difference on vacant houses that I know of in my neighbourhood. Like other social engineering policies. it is just a cash grab and a nuisance to residents and worse for those who may be struggling with increasing bureaucratic demands.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Has anybody been audited on the vacant unit tax? I have and I was not happy with the underlining threats in the letter of extra taxation, fines and penalties. The demand of 6 months of utility bills (often issued by the City of Ottawa) from 2 years ago is ridiculous. I have noted that this policy has not made one bit of difference on vacant houses that I know of in my neighbourhood. Like other social engineering policies. it is just a cash grab and a nuisance to residents and worse for those who may be struggling with increasing bureaucratic demands.

Concur... My wife was audited on her rented Condo last year. She had exactly the same gripes as the first half of your statement.
I have exactly the same gripes as the last half of your statement.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Has anybody been audited on the vacant unit tax? I have and I was not happy with the underlining threats in the letter of extra taxation, fines and penalties. The demand of 6 months of utility bills (often issued by the City of Ottawa) from 2 years ago is ridiculous. I have noted that this policy has not made one bit of difference on vacant houses that I know of in my neighbourhood. Like other social engineering policies. it is just a cash grab and a nuisance to residents and worse for those who may be struggling with increasing bureaucratic demands.

Haven't been audited, but yeah, that's dumb that they demand 2 years of utility bills that they themselves sent-out.

I guess that's one pit-fall of going with utility bills; rural folks on a well powered by Hyrdo-One, or self sufficient.

[rocketphish]

New home sales jump in Ottawa as tax break takes effect
Ottawa Home Builders' Association says sales rose more than 160% in 1st month of HST relief program

CBC News
Posted: May 28, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Home builders in Ottawa say their sales offices in new developments are getting busier as more buyers take advantage of HST relief on new home purchases.

A report from the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association (GOHBA) shows 744 new homes were sold in April, up more than 160 per cent from the previous month. Sales in the Greater Toronto Area showed similar growth in April.

The jump is being credited to a federal and provincial tax relief program that went into effect that same month. It cuts the HST on new home sales in Ontario, essentially offering 13 per cent off the sales price to a maximum of $130,000.

"It's really a lot of people who were sort of on the edge of wanting to buy," said GOHBA's executive director Jason Burggraaf.

"Now it seems a lot of those people ... have now gone ahead and started to sign deals, which is fantastic.”

At the Tamarack Homes sales office in Findlay Creek Village, Stephanie Vintinner can watch houses being built from her window while she helps customers looking to buy a new home.

"People love that opportunity, and you get exactly what you want," she said of new home purchases. "It's always been kind of an attractive avenue for a lot of people, if it's attainable, and the rebate really helped that."

With the first month of the HST rebate window yielding strong results across the province, home builders are advocating for the HST relief on new homes to be extended beyond 2026.

"I'm really hoping that as sales stay strong that that convinces the government that it needs to do this on a longer-term basis," said Burggraaf.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/new-home-buys-9.7214193