Real estate professional Jason Anson is launching a 1,000-door campaign this summer to uncover over assessments on residential properties across Youbou, Honeymoon Bay, and Lake Cowichan and help correct them before BC Assessment finalizes next year’s property values.
Running from June 1 through July 31, the campaign is timed around BCA’s official July 1 valuation date, the snapshot used to determine property taxes for 2026.
Anson said the Cowichan Lake communities where he intends to knock on 1,000 doors are just one small part of the whole province, but based on what he has seen so far, and the conversations he has had with property owners and professionals elsewhere in the province, he believes the over-assessment problem is far more widespread.
He said Cowichan Lake is his home so he is starting here, but the implications go well beyond this region.
“It is not just about fairness at the individual level, but is also about how this system quietly shapes decisions and behaviours across the entire housing market,” Anson said.
Beyond the local numbers, Anson said he believes BCA’s role in the broader housing conversation is often overlooked.
“I rarely hear people talk about how BCA valuations feed into the affordability crisis, but I think there are some stark signs we need to consider,” he said. “When buyers and sellers negotiate, assessed value often becomes a psychological benchmark, whether it is accurate or not. If someone pays below assessed, it feels like a deal. If they pay above, it can feel like a loss. But what if the assessment itself was flawed from the start?”
Anson said that in his experience, BCA values are not reliable for use in a sale or property taxes, but that does not stop people from using them.
“Homeowners, agents, neighbours, everyone still checks the assessment,” he said.
“How much was it assessed for? What did it sell for? What about the house next door? These questions are constant, and when a system with this much influence is full of cracks, it can quietly distort the housing market.”
Anson said that, currently, many homeowners are looking at their property tax notices they have just received from their local governments, with taxes due by July 2, and trying to make sense of them.
He said that whether their taxes went up or not, this is when the questions start.
“That makes it the perfect time to talk about assessments, property values, and whether everything adds up,” Anson said.
“This is not about getting ahead of the process, it’s about hitting the date that actually matters. If you are over assessed on July 1 and do not catch it, you will likely be overpaying on your property taxes in 2026.”
Anson said his 1,000-door campaign is strategically timed ahead of BCA’s fall pre-roll assessment phase, which begins with internal reviews in September, but typically crystallizes by November.
He said this window allows BCA to finalize property data before the official assessment roll is published on Jan. 1.
“While corrections can be made without a formal appeal, they usually require clear and timely evidence and often only receive serious attention once values are more defined later in the fall,” Anson said.
“What we are doing in June and July is gathering that evidence. By the time pre-roll starts, BCA will already have well-documented, property-specific information in front of them. That opens the door for proactive corrections, which saves everyone time, stress, and resources.”
Anson brings a proven track record to this effort and has won more than 50 property assessment challenges to date, typically reducing assessed values by $400,000 per home and securing $2,000 in average tax refunds per owner.
BCA said it a statement that it encourages all property owners in B.C. to access their property data online at bcassessment.ca where anyone can search and compare property information and sales of similar properties, using BCA's free assessment search service.
"Our website also has detailed information about the assessment cycle and property value trends in B.C.," BCA said.
"If anyone has any concerns about an assessment, we are here to help. Give us a call us at 1-866-valueBC or visit bcassessment.ca. Whether online, over the phone or in-person, we are happy to help answer all questions people may have."
