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MPAC and Residential Property Assessment in Ontario
Each year, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) prepares an assessment roll for every Ontario municipality. The roll provides the assessed value of all the properties in a municipality or in the jurisdiction of a school board with taxing authority.
MPAC also prepares supplementary assessment lists, which municipalities use to add in-year tax revenue from new construction or major alterations to properties.
MPAC also sends Property Assessment Notices to property owners every year. Property owners can call MPAC at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722) if they need help understanding their assessed value or any other information included on the Notice. They can also ask MPAC to review the assessed value through a process called Request for Reconsideration.
In addition, property owners have the option to file a Notice of Complaint to an independent tribunal, the Assessment Review Board of the Ministry of the Attorney General of the Province of Ontario.
* MPAC assesses 4.4 million properties, more than any other assessment jurisdiction in North America.
* MPAC is also responsible for preparing voters' lists for municipal elections every three years and for reporting the population of each municipality in Ontario.
* MPAC employees are located across the province in 34 field offices, Customer Contact Centre/Central Processing Facility, and Head office.
* MPAC is a non-share capital, not-for-profit corporation funded by all 445 municipalities in Ontario.
* Every Ontario municipality is a member of the Corporation.
* MPAC is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors. Eight members of the Board are municipal representatives; five members represent property taxpayers; and two members represent provincial interests. All members of the Board are appointed by the Ontario Minister of Finance.
* MPAC provides quality assessment services at an affordable cost. MPAC's cost-per-property of less than $34.00 is lower than comparable assessment authorities.
* MPAC has received international recognition and awards for the systems it uses to determine the current assessed values of property in Ontario.
* Ontario's province-wide assessment updates of property values have all exceeded international standards of accuracy.
How MPAC assesses properties
MPAC's job is to accurately classify and value properties in Ontario in compliance with the Assessment Act and regulations established by the Ontario Government.
To establish your property's assessed value, MPAC's assessment professionals analyze property sales in your area. These sales provide the basis for assessed values. Our experts understand local real estate markets and work in our 33 offices located across the province.
We continually collect and update detailed information for every property in Ontario to ensure that similar property types are valued consistently within the market area.
This method is called Current Value Assessment. It is used by most assessment jurisdictions in Canada and around the world.
Property Information
In addition to sales, our experts regularly analyze property information through a number of sources, including:
* land title documents;
* building permits;
* on-site property inspections and communication with property owners;
* income and expense information (for apartment buildings or hotels); and
* real estate boards.
MPAC's database contains over two billion pieces of data, and is one of the most detailed in the world. Like all assessing authorities, MPAC is able to determine accurate values for large groups of properties based on common data and mass appraisal techniques.
Assessing Residential Properties
In addition to recent sales, MPAC looks at the key features of every property. Although as many as 200 different factors are considered when assessing the value of a residential property, there are five major factors that account for 85% of the value:
* location;
* lot dimensions;
* living area;
* age of the property, adjusted for any major renovations or additions; and
* quality of construction.
Other key features that affect value include:
* secondary structures such as garages, boathouses and pools;
* basement area (finished & unfinished);
* type of heating;
* air conditioning;
* number of bathrooms; and
* fireplaces.
Site Features
Site features can also increase or decrease the assessed value of your property. These include:
* traffic pattern;
* proximity to a golf course, hydro corridor, railway or green space; and
* whether or not the property is located on a corner lot.
Property Location
Under Current Value Assessment, recent sales of similar properties are analyzed and used as an indicator of the value of residential properties.
Location is the most important factor in determining the assessed value of any property. MPAC analyzes every property and land sale transaction in Ontario.
MPAC divides the province into approximately 140 market areas and then further divides each of those areas into neighbourhoods and sub-neighbourhoods to evaluate the degree to which location influences the market area.
For waterfront properties MPAC typically looks at the entire lake or a group of similar lakes. For condominiums, each condo plan is typically considered its own neighbourhood.
Property Classification
In addition to valuing your property, MPAC also classifies your property.
There are seven major property classes: Residential, Multi-Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Pipe line, Farm and Managed Forests. There are also several sub-classes for properties with specific or unique characteristics.
Some properties may belong to more than one class. For example, if a small business is being operated out of the home, the property would fall into two classes (residential and commercial).
A Simple Test
To find out if your assessed value is accurate, simply ask yourself if you could have sold your property for its assessed value on the applicable valuation date.
See your Property Assessment Notice for the value and valuation date. If the answer is yes, then your assessed value is accurate.
MPAC wants to make sure the classification and assessed value of your property is accurate. If you don't think it is, call them.
To Find Out More
MPAC will provide you with information, free of charge, to help you understand your property's assessed value.
You may request information about your property and comparable properties through AboutMyProperty at www.mpac.ca. You can also call 1-866-296-MPAC (6722) to learn more.
MPAC has increased the number of free detailed reports available through AboutMyProperty - from six to twelve. Property Owners who register on AboutMyProperty now have access to more detailed information to help them determine whether their property's assessed value is accurate. The additional six detailed reports replace the six, less detailed "look-ups" that were previously available.
Registered owners will have access to a profile of their property, as well as detailed reports on 12 similar properties of their choice. The detailed reports include address, roll number, current value assessment, sale and site information, and residential structure details such as square footage.
This enhancement is for new and current users, so if you're already registered with AboutMyProperty, you will have access to twelve new detailed reports.
Property Taxes
When your municipality sets property tax rates, they will be applied to the assessed value of your property to determine your property taxes.
Education tax rates, which are set by the Ontario Government, will also be applied to the assessed value. Questions about your local tax rate should be directed to your municipality.
What is MPAC?
MPAC is a not-for-profit corporation funded by all Ontario municipalities. Theirr job is to classify your property and assess its value.
To learn more about MPAC or if you have a question about your property's classification or assessed value, please visit their web site at www.mpac.ca.