Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Discover the purpose of MPAC assessments and why they matter to property owners. Find out how to navigate and understand your assessment from MPAC.
Most people have a vague idea of what MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) is and the purpose of property assessment.
As a property owner, your MPAC assessment is critical, so when you receive it in the mail, you should review it, and if you have any questions, contact MPAC or file it away.
What Is MPAC?
MPAC uses one of three recognized approaches to establish an assessed value for properties: the direct comparison approach, the income approach or the cost approach.
The approach is chosen based on the property’s current use and how frequently similar types of properties are bought and sold on the open market.
Find Out Why MPAC Assessments Are Crucial For Property Owners
When you finally buy your first home, you learn about the MPAC assessment and why you need one.
You get a letter in the mail that says your house is worth less than what you paid for it, and you scratch your head, wondering what the bloody hell they are going on about.
If you are like us, we didn’t know what the Market Value, Appraisal Value, and Assessed Value were.
How did MPAC Value our Home?
We paid our mortgage in full after five years of owning our home in 2014, but that doesn’t mean we get to wash our hands of our MPAC assessment and property taxes.
As homeowners, we are still responsible for contributing to services within the city and the education system.
Related: Property Tax Bill- One You’ll Never Burn
MPAC Property Assessments
We used to be the people who had no idea about property taxes or MPAC, but we have since done our research, and here is what we learned.
Who are the people at MPAC?
Municipalities determine revenue requirements, set municipal tax rates and collect property taxes to pay for municipal services. Education tax rates, set by the Ontario Government, may also be applied using the assessed value.
It is the accuracy of our assessments that help to ensure property owners pay their fair share, and nothing more.
They are a not-for-profit public sector corporation whose role is to accurately value the properties of homeowners, government and business stakeholders, tenants, and municipalities in Ontario.
Related: 2018 MPAC Annual Report
They are responsible for assessing using uniform evaluation legislation brought out by the Ontario Government called CVA (Current Value Assessment which is the most probable sale price for your property.
They do this in compliance with the Assessment Act and other regulations.
New Home Purchase And MPAC
When we purchased our first home in 2009, we received a letter with a notice of property value form we needed to fill out.
This form was to be sent back to MPAC, and they would reply with an assessed value of our home.
We were then replied to, and there were minimal changes to our property value since Jan 1, 2008.
We received an assessment in 2009, even though it wasn’t the tax year, simply because of the change of home ownership.
They secretly want to see if the previous owner told the truth, as not everyone speaks up for fear their taxes will go up.
If you think when you purchase your home for, let’s say $320,000 that it is the Value of your home and property, that is far from the truth.
The good part is the lower the assessment potentially, the lower your property taxes, although seeing the property value number can be disheartening for some.
I say potentially, but in reality, anything could happen.
Plus, just because your property value went up doesn’t necessarily mean your property taxes will go up.
The municipal tax rate is applied to individual property values to calculate your and my property taxes and other factors.
Tell MPAC About Renovations
Should You Tell MPAC About Property Improvements and Renovations?
If you finished your basement or upgraded or made any significant renovations to your home in any way, they will ask you for this information.
The good thing is if your property taxes go up, they will be phased in over four years with the introduction of the new phase-in program.
This phase-in will help property owners with tax stability so that they are predictable.
If your property taxes have decreased, that will be applied immediately.
This is my understanding from speaking with a representative of how our home’s property value will be phased over the 4 years.
Currently, we pay around $3200, $4000 (2019) $5200 (2023) a year for our property taxes.
We pay our taxes in 4 installments throughout the year, although you can have the bank pay the installment by taking extra money off you when you pay your mortgage payment.
Some banks do this for free, and others may charge you a hidden fee for this convenience, so it’s worth asking your mortgage company or bank.
Update 2019
We changed how we pay for our property taxes and now authorize a monthly direct debit from our account.
This is because it eliminates one task from our monthly financial chores.
Example Property Tax Assessment on a home for the four-year phase-in:
- Property Value January 1, 2008- $240,000
- Property Value January 1, 2012- $280,000
Change in Value 2012- $40,000
- 2013-Value $250,000
- 2014-Value $260,000
- 2015-Value $270,000
- 2016-Value $280,000
What Your Municipality Does With An MPAC Assessment
The primary purpose of an MPAC assessment is so that your municipality can correctly calculate your property taxes as a homeowner.
Under the phase-in provision in the Assessment Act, an increase in assessed value will be introduced gradually.
A decrease in assessed value is introduced immediately. The January 1, 2016 assessed value and classification of your property will be used as the basis for calculating your 2019-2020 property taxes, as illustrated below.
MPAC’s assessed value of your property as of January 1, 2016 $228,000
MPAC’s assessed value of your property as of January 1, 2012 $162,000
Between 2012 and 2016, your property’s assessed value changed by $66,000
| Tax Year | Assessed Value |
|---|---|
|
2019 |
$211,500 |
|
2020 |
$228,000 |
Where Does All Your Tax Dollars Go?
Well, each city may be different in how they spend your tax dollars, but for the most part, it goes to pay for municipal services such as;
- Police
- Fire
- Public Transit
- Road Maintenance (i.e.: snow removal, repairs)
- Community Parks
- Community Pools
- Community Libraries and other local centres.
Lastly, they will pay for the rubbish collected at your home.
When Will I Receive My MPAC Assessment?
In Ontario, we go through a 4-year assessment cycle, with the next MPAC Assessment being held in the Fall of 2012, effective for 2013-2016, based on a valuation date from January 1, 2012.
2024 MPAC Assessment
Your Property Assessment Notice shows the assessed value and classification of your property as of a legislated valuation date. The fixed valuation date for 2024 remains January 1, 2016 – the end of the last assessment cycle.
When there is a change in a property (such as new construction or major renovation), MPAC updates the assessment and mails a Notice.
The 2024 assessment is what the property would have sold for on January 1, 2016 – in its current state and condition, including any major changes since then. Think of it as this property, selling on that date.
MPAC
2023 MPAC Assessment
Property assessments for the 2023 property tax year will continue to be based on January 1, 2016 current values.
This means your property assessment remains the same as it was for the 2022 tax year, unless there have been changes to your property, for example:
MPAC Website
- A change to your property, including an addition, new construction, or renovation.
- A structure on your property was assessed for the first time.
- A change to your property’s classification.
- A Property no longer qualifies as farmland, conservation land or managed forests.
- All or part of your property no longer qualifies to be tax-exempt.
Next Province-Wide MPAC Assessment
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government has postponed the 2020 Assessment Update.
On August 16, 2023, the Ontario government filed a regulation to amend the Assessment Act, extending the postponement of a province-wide reassessment through the end of the 2021-2024 assessment cycle.
Property assessments for the 2023 and 2024 property tax years will continue to be based on fully phased-in January 1, 2016, current values.
The next province-wide assessment will take place in 2016.
The next province-wide Assessment Update of all properties will take place in 2020.
MPAC continues to review properties during non-Assessment Update years.
New homes are built, owners renovate, additions are built, structures are removed or demolished and properties change use.
Notices were mailed in October and November 2015 to reflect changes made in 2015.
MPAC Website
MPAC Notices Update 2019
Every four years, MPAC conducts a province-wide Assessment Update and mails a Property Assessment Notice to every property owner in Ontario.
The Notice you received in 2016 is MPAC’s assessed value of your property as of January 1, 2016.
The information in the 2016 Notice will be used to calculate your property taxes for the 2017-2020 property tax years.
We continue to update property information during non-Assessment Update years.
We are legislatively responsible for updating this information, even when a province-wide Assessment Update is not occurring.
Notices are mailed to property owners throughout the year to inform them of changes made to their property information.
How Will MPAC Assess My Property?
When MPAC, also known as the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, looks at your property to assess its value, it looks at many major key factors, as listed below, accounting for up to 85% of the value.
However, they have hundreds of factors to consider.
- Location (Remember…location, location, location…yep, that could cost you)
- Lot Dimensions
- Living Area (you wanted the bigger home, you may pay for it)
- Quality Of Construction
- Age of Property and any major renovations or additions
Direct Comparison Approach
Recent sales of comparable properties factor in this approach, which means similar houses sold to that being valued by MPAC.
Income Approach
The ability of your property to earn revenue is factored into this approach.
So more for retail stores, buildings, malls, etc., as they rent out space.
Cost Approach
This approach is for properties that are rare or don’t have a comparable, so they use the current costs involved to reproduce the property.
How much will it cost to build it again?
This represents such facilities as grain elevators, gravel pits, marinas, warehousing, etc.
As mentioned above, MPAC will ask you for details about any major renovations and additions you have done over the 4 years since the last MPAC assessment.
It would help if you told the truth, as it’s important to keep statistics uniform across the board so property taxes are fairly assessed.
In saying that MPAC will review your assessment if you complete renovations, demolition, structural change, new build or if the property has new owners.
This means you may receive a new tax assessment even if it’s not that time of year yet.
What Can Affect My Property Value?
Some examples of what could potentially affect your property value are below.
I wasn’t shocked, but I had no idea about the fireplace, which could drive the price of your property value.
These are significant examples to know and understand, especially when upgrading your home.
Since we are doing extensive renovations, mainly upgrades and finishing our basement, this information will come in handy to us.
- Having a finished basement
- If your home has a pool
- Number of bathrooms in your home
- Type of Air Conditioning and Heating
- Fireplaces in the home
Why Your Assessed Value May Be Higher or Lower
Then you have some features that could drive the price up or down depending on whether your house
- Is your house a corner lot (nope, phew)
- What is the traffic like on the street (minimal, it’s not the main road for us)
- How close your house is to a golf course, green space, hydro corridor, or railway. (I’m unsure about why with the golf course, though, but that’s a big no for us)
MPAC Assessment Appeal
What if you disagree with your property assessment?
It sounds like an easy way out of paying your taxes, but nothing in life is that simple.
Yes, you still need to pay for your tax bill if you file a property assessment appeal, and it will be adjusted when they are notified of changes.
So although you may not agree with an MPAC assessment and try to fight it that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will help with lowering property taxes.
They say the number one question to ask when looking at the property assessment value they give you is.
“Can I sell my home today for this price?”
Fighting property taxes may take a miracle, but you can dispute property tax value if you feel it is incorrect.
If you want to appeal your property assessment you must send in a request for reconsideration to MPAC.
You can obtain the forms from their website or send them a letter.
Before You Appeal
Before you appeal, you should follow these steps detailed on the MPAC website
- Contact MPAC (1 866 296-MPAC (6722)
- Review similar properties to yours. I thought this was great and was unaware we could do this. You can request up to 24 additional properties of your choice and up to 6 chosen by MPAC to review for free. That’s great if you want to know if the Value of your home is precise.
- If you still don’t agree you can ask MPAC to review your assessment free of charge but you only have until March 31 of the tax year to do so. You can also send a written request to MPAC at P.O box 9808, Toronto, Ontario, M1S-5T9.
If you want more information on how your land assessment value will be processed, you can visit your local City’s On-line Website or MPAC for more information.
Visit aboutmyproperty.ca to learn more about how your property was assessed
Remember when you get your mortgage approval from the bank, and you set out to buy a home of all the little costs that could creep up.
Many people tend to overlook maintenance on a home and property taxes.
When you buy a home you want to renovate or a larger home in a desirable area, you could be paying more out-of-pocket.
Being informed about your MPAC Assessment and the Value of your home is very important.
Overall I think Mrs. CBB and I feel better informed about our MPAC Assessment and what it means to us as Ontario Homeowners.
Discussion: Have you ever had a problem with your MPAC Assessment?
Please leave your comments below, as I’d love to learn from your experiences.
thanks for sharing!!! I enjoy reading these kind of posts;)
Thanks Wendy, I’m glad you enjoyed the information as it is very important to learn if you are or want to be a homeowner in Ontario.
We have a similar system for our real estate taxes in Florida, except that your taxes are determined using a property appraisal from the county property appraiser. They are determined once per year, and might have very little to do with what your house is currently worth (as people found out when housing crashed).
The valuations are determined using a market date of January 1 of the calendar year. So for the tax bill that we will receive in October/November, the property appraiser will have determined the property’s value as of January 1 2012. They also have the right to limit this value to exclude transactions they consider to be “distressed” or not “arms-length”, so excluded foreclosures and short sales for a while, despite those being the greatest volume of sales during the crash.
We had to contest our property appraisal our first year, and with a careful understanding and using their valuation methods we were able to get a significant decrease in our appraised value for that calendar year, and an even bigger decrease the following year. It’s not easy, but here they are required to tell you exactly what they used to determine the appraisal, and you have to figure out why the comparable sales they chose are incorrect or an incomplete list.
Wow, sounds like that was one big headache for you. Amazing what the crash did for so many people. I can’t imagine how so many people are trying to get by. What did you contest when you requested what they used to determine the appraisal for your house?
We had MPAC sniffing around this year as we had a porch roof added to the house in 2009, we weren’t home when they showed up so I did talk to her on the phone and answered a few questions. She asked about the porch roof and I just told her we replaced one that had been there in past years before we had the house. You can still see where the old roof was by the paint marks on the brick. And actually we have had people stop to talk about how the house used to be. Have to see what the paper work says when we get the new accessment from them, last one said the house was worth up to $175,000.00. The assesser we had in last fall said $167,000.00. What ever, the taxes will still go up. I personally consider it almost useless as a house is only worth what some one is willing to pay for it, but they have to collect the money some how.
You are exactly right. A house is worth as much as someone is willing to pay. Since the prices of some of the house in the GTA and surrounding area .. or BC for that matter are outrageously overpriced people are still willing to pay for them. Everyone’s taxes go up… would take a miracle to see them go down lol..
I hear you on the taxes!!! We had a mayor for a few terms that loved the nick-name Mr Zero as his line was that he never raised taxes… which was BS. He didn’t raise the mill rate but the assessed value of the house went up and so did the taxes. He put off so many things that should have been done because “he didn’t want to raise taxes” ….then when things got to the point things just had to be done, he decided to ‘retire’. The poor guy that replaced him had to raise the money to do all the things he had put off and the town tore him a new butthole for spending so much money…. but it had to be done and he took the fall. He lasted one term and then Mr Zero decided he had to come back and save us from the second guy…. it was so much crap. I can honestly say I never voted for Mr Zero as I knew he was full of it and I couldn’t stand him or his crap. Politics!!!!!!!! I’ve seen some of the prices in the GTA and it blows my poor little mind!!!! I have no idea how some people can afford it!!
It’s not easy and although we don’t live right in Toronto the prices just outside are still as nutty as it is right downtown. Wow that mayor sounds like he did a real job for the city. I don’t vote for anything as I’m not a Canadian Citizen but Mrs.CBB and I both talk about it. Mr.CBB
I remember getting my assessment a few months after I moved in as I am the original owner of the house (it is 6 years old). I didn’t dispute it but I did request to change my taxes to the separate school board rather than the public board and the paper work they sent me was such a pain I decided to wait until I actually had a kid in school lol. My property taxes are constantly going up…popular place to live lol…at least the value of my house keeps going up too 🙂 MPAC is one of those things that a lot of people probably toss aside..thanks for bringing our attention to it 🙂
Most people don’t have any idea about what MPAC really is. They fill it out (if that) and send it back not knowing how it may impact your taxes. I have yet to come across a place where taxes go down so needless to say every area is a popular area lol…What did they want from the paperwork as Mrs.CBB wanted to do the same as you. Cheers Mr.CBB
I actually argued my value once – and they lowered it! Yay, lower taxes!
What did you argue the toss about? What did you do in order for them to lower your taxes? Did they miss something or overvalue something? Mr.CBB
We get an assessment once per year and it seem that you stay the same for years and then get a big increase. I don’t know the rhyme or reason behind it. No one comes to your property. I believe a large part of the sale of homes in your area. Our commercial property quadrupled a few years ago. When we called to ask why the huge increase, the said we have been undervalued for years and they were just catching up. I sometimes think Laurel and Hardy run the show with property valuation here. I can’t complain too much, though, our taxes are way lower than yours.
I think that is why they do the phase in here in Ontario so it’s not such a big hit all at once. I think it’s all a money grab crock of baloney but that’s just me and my thoughts on any taxes lol. They have to come up with something that sounds reasonable and that everyone will fall prey to so here it is. property assessments. Now that I researched and know more about it I will be much more inclined to be nosey about what’s going on in our area. Then I will make a final decision about this MPAC thing. Cheers Mr.CBB
Thanks for the info. As a new homeowner (well sorta, my boyfriend owns but it’s for all intensive purposes both of ours) there is a lot I need to learn about owning a house. We live in a townhouse so I am not sure how that factors in really.
It really depends on where you live and what your City does to come up with Municipal taxes for homeowners. You should be able to go to your city website or simply ring them up to see what they say. If you own a home you will pay taxes, that is for definite. Cheers and thanks for dropping in. Mr.CBB
Here in the States, I wish that our county assessor valued our house at less than what it is worth! The year we bought our house, it was “assessed” at $25,000 more than we bought it for…about 3 months later!!! We were not happy campers that we had to pay tax on a value assessment that seemed to come out of mid-air. When we questioned them about it, they said that they have a formula that they use. Of course, we told them that their formula was wrong since the market value of the house was what we paid for it. Long story short, we still lost:(
Nice, informative article Mr. CBB!
Ouch, that must have hurt. May I ask what you learned from that situation and what you would do differently next time.. hey maybe a blog post for you or a guest post for me… hahah!! Cheers Mr.CBB
Well, I learned that I hate the way that our county assesses property values:)
Ha, you’re funny mate. Death and taxes mate, Death and Taxes… lol.. Cheers
It seems like the assess value is always lower than the market value, at least where I live. I don’t out too much stock in it other than for tax purposes!
Yeah our’s is too – way lower!! Houses in our area are smaller than ours and going for well over $300,000 and yet our assessment says $198,000. Way off! But if it keeps my taxes lower – great.
It seems like the assessed value is always lower than market price, at least where I live. I just pay attention to it for tax purposes!
Yep most people view it for tax purposes only but they do say to ask yourself if you could sell it tomorrow for that price. Cheers Brian!
Thanks for sharing. We have a similar system in Nebraska. Of course, our state is completely backwards and the home valuations often become a political issue and there have also been allegations of shady deals going on.
Wow, that doesn’t sound so good. What have you come across in terms of shady allegations? What have people gone through that you know of? Mr.CBB
I had no idea! That’s good to know, especially as we start to looking to buy our second place.
What are you looking for in your second place? Is it to rent out? We may want to do that some day but are not sure yet. Thanks for dropping in. Mr.CBB
This process sounds similar to that in the US…although I’m not sure how often they come out and “view” the property. Our taxes go to our schools and the local law enforcement. I’ve never tried to do an appeal though although I’m sure it’s an option for those that want to consider it.
Oh I’m sure there is an option to appeal it as people make mistakes and someone has to assess whether an error was in fact made. Same here ours goes to the school board as well… and a host of many other things. Thanks for dropping in Jason! Mr.CBB
Strange – we have lived in our house for 11 years. We bought if for $182,000 and have done a LOT of work in the older house. Our home is about 65 years old; from finished basement, additional bathroom, new windows, flooring, updated washrooms, kitchen, etc. Well our newest assessment from MPAC came in at $198,000! Houses in my area are not selling for less than $300,00 so this makes NO sense! I know our house would sell for a good $340,000.
My neighbour has asked for an reassessment for MPAC and they showed up at his house today. He is saying his property is not worth as much . . . however he has let his house go into disrepair. I know I will not be able to sell my house (or for much lower) because of his disrepair and he is my adjacent neighbour. Can he actually get his taxes lowered because he does no maintenance? If so it would only motivate him to keep doing it and in the mean time bring market value of the neighbourhood properties down but likely not the MPAC value. I have been trying to find information on this but only find articles on neighbour’s improvements impacting your MPAC assessment
I recently signed a petition that is taking this to the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate MPAC and how they really come up with these ridiculous valuations. Check it out http://www.saynotompac.com
Thanks Vince, will do.
The valuations are determined using a market date of January 1 of the calendar year. So for the tax bill that we will receive in October/November, the property appraiser will have determined the property’s value as of January 1 2012. They also have the right to limit this value to exclude transactions they consider to be “distressed” or not “arms-length”, so excluded foreclosures and short sales for a while, despite those being the greatest volume of sales during the crash.