The city sent out more than 440,000 property assessment notices to Edmontonians on Monday. Property assessments are part of the property tax process as they determine each owner’s portion of taxes to support city services like fire, transit, police and road maintenance. The city asks that property owners review and check assessments to ensure they are accurate. Residents are also encouraged to compare the property assessment with similar properties in the same neighbourhood using Edmonton’s assessment tools. Property owners can call 311 for most assessment-related inquiries with no formal complaint fees. Formal complaints can be submitted through the Assessment Review Board by March 23. Property assessments reflect the city’s estimate of a property’s market value, which is the amount that a property would have sold for on the open market as of July 1, 2025, said the city. The assessment notice provides the assessed property value only and is not a tax bill. But Darlene Reid, chair of the board of directors for the Realtors Association of Edmonton, said assessments are subjective, and do not determine the actual value of a home. “If you look at homes in the Riverbend area, the assessments are way lower than what the properties actually sell for,” Reid told CTV News Edmonton. Reid says the city uses data from the Realtors Association of Edmonton to assess this year’s taxes, but that assessments do not determine market value. Anton Szabo, director of policy and data quality with the City of Edmonton, said the city has no incentive to get assessments wrong. “We’re not here to try to assess to get extra revenue, to pay for certain projects for council,” said Szabo at a press conference Tuesday. “We are here to distribute the tax burden fairly and equitably, and that is the role of assessment and taxation.” “We try to develop that en masse using a consistent approach, so that if a property value is higher or lower than another property, it’s going to be because of something within the data, because ultimately, it’s the same model that we’re using to determine those property values,” explained Szabo. “Of course, there are different models depending on what property type we’re talking about, but importantly, mass appraisal is the approach that we use to ensure that fair and consistent approach and always targeting market value.” The overall residential market value change in 2026 is 5.7 per cent and the overall non-residential market value change is 2.9 per cent, says the city. City council approved a 6.9 per cent tax increase for the 2026 budget, but the change in property taxes could be different depending on changes to your property assessment. If your assessment increased more than the overall market in your assessment class, your tax increase will be higher. Alternatively, if your assessment change is lower than the overall market, your increase will be lower than 6.9 per cent. City council will be reviewing the budget once more in April and could adjust the tax increase for 2026. Any adjustments will be reflected on tax bills sent in late May. Tony Colley bought a 1998 mobile home in northeast Edmonton in 2025 and said his assessment saw a 34 per cent increase from last year. “Right off the bat, that concerned us, being that this is a mobile home,” Colley told CTV News Edmonton Tuesday. “We don’t own the lot. We lease the lot.” Colley’s wife called 311 to inquire about the increase seen on the assessment. The representative said that because their mobile home has a fireplace and air conditioning, their property value increased. The retired couple on a fixed income said they intend to challenge the assessment and will swallow the $50 formal complaint fee. While looking to file a complaint, Colley said they couldn’t find their property on the city’s website. “There’s that avenue to challenge it, but it seems to us so convoluted and hard to do it properly,” said Colley. “It seems like it’s manufactured to fail.” But it’s not uncommon for property owners to see a big increase in their assessment, particularly if the previous owner made changes to the property, such as building a garage or fireplace, without telling the city. “When you buy a home and you see that the taxes are, say $6,000 a year, and then next year they go way way up, it’s because they sent an assessor around and they looked in your yard and saw the air conditioner (or) they saw a big renovation,” said Reid. “They’re going to adjust your taxes.” Reid warns that it’s important for buyers to know what’s been permitted and what the city knows about, because it could come back to bite you. “You’re supposed to get a permit for air conditioners, and a lot of people don’t. So when the city finds out, they adjust it accordingly,” said Reid. Neighbourhoods where property assessments increased the most for single detached homes include Sherwood, Glengarry, Westwood, Wellington and Elmwood Park. Those which saw a decrease or increased the least include Mattson, Astor Boyle Street, Riverview and Belgravia. The deadline to pay property taxes is June 30. Monthly payment plan applications are available through MyProperty. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
