Impacts of a disaster on property assessment

Last updated August 16, 2022
Reading time: 2 min

Has your building been damaged by flooding? Has your house been partially destroyed by fire? Both of these cases could result in a review of your property value. Learn what you need to know in the event of a disaster.

The property assessment roll reflects the actual value of property within the Montréal agglomeration. In general, the values shown on the roll are valid until the next roll is tabled — for a period of three years.

Nevertheless, some situations can have a major impact on the value of your property and result in a review of its assessment.

Severity of damage and review of assessment.

If an event (fire, destruction, demolition or disappearance) causes damage to your property, the city appraiser, depending on the scope of the damage, could review the value of your property on the assessment roll.

In the event of a natural disaster, such as the floods in 2017 and 2019, the Service de l’évaluation foncière systematically looked at all the buildings that suffered significant damage. This property may have been reported by departmental staff or by property owners affected by the disaster.

The damage must be significant to result in a review of your property’s value. If such is the case, you will receive a revised invoice with your municipal tax account. The change is retroactive to the date of the disaster.

If your property is located in a disaster area, but did not suffer significant damage, its assessment will not change.

Deadline to request a review

Do you believe that the appraiser should have reviewed your property’s value following a disaster? You have until December 31 of the following year to request a review of the property assessment roll.

For example, if the event occurred in April 2022, the deadline to submit an application for review is December 31, 2023.

Rehabilitating your property

Has your property’s value been reviewed following an incident? If you perform work aimed at rehabilitating your property, the appraiser will schedule a new visit to your property. Two scenarios are possible:

  • The work simply restores the property to its pre-disaster condition: The value of your property on the assessment roll remains the same.
  • The work considerably improves your property: Its value could be adjusted upward, depending on the nature and scope of the work.