Transfer to taxes FAQ

Home > City Services > Utility billing > Transfer to taxes FAQ

Find answers below to commonly asked questions about the transfer of outstanding utility account balances to property tax accounts.

Overview
Why has this utility arrears amount been added to my property taxes?

The Water and Sewer utilities within the city service area are owned by the City. As such, Section 258 of the Province of British Columbia’s Community Charter establishes that all utility accounts of municipally-owned utilities are liens against the property, and outstanding balances of accounts in default on Dec. 31 are transferred to the tax account where the services were originally provided.

What is your process for notification of property owners acting as landlords? Will I get notified of tenants in arrears?

Overdue balances are shown on your property's utility bill. If you’re unable to confirm with your tenant that the bill has been paid regularly on time, we recommend signing up for a Property Account and ebilling to provide you with convenient access to view all your utility accounts. It’s your responsibility as a landlord to ensure that any outstanding balances are paid prior to Dec. 31 to avoid the balance being transferred to the tax account and any interest charges.

The interest rate is set every three months by the Province.

Account status
Where can I get information on an overdue account?

Utility Billing Customer Care can provide the property owner with the applicable utility billing information. Please contact utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757 (option 2).

Payment
Can I make a partial payment now and pay the rest later?

Payments can made at any time, however Section 258 of the Province of British Columbia’s Community Charter (which regulates this process) requires that the transfers be applied as an arrears balance which sets up an interest charge.

The interest rate is set every three months by the Province.

How can I pay the utilities that were transferred to my tax roll? Where can I make payment?

The outstanding utility arrears amount is now part of taxes. Therefore, payment must be made to the tax roll, not the utility account. Visit our Property tax info and payments page for more information.

What happens if you get a payment from this tenant later? Who gets that money? How will I know?

If the City receives any payments on utility arrears amounts transferred to taxes, those funds will be credited to the tax account where the transfer to tax was originally charged.

Contact
Who can I talk to about the transfer to taxes process?

For utility billing-related questions, please contact Utility Billing Customer Care at utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757 (option 2) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For property tax-related questions, please contact the Revenue Branch at revenue@kelowna.ca  or 250-469-8757 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.