Property tax assessment shocked me this year - found a big error on my lot size

I was going through my 2025 property tax assessment from the city of Edmonton last week and noticed something weird. My lot size was listed as 4,200 square feet but when I pulled up my original survey from when I bought the place in 2018, it's actually 3,850. That 350 square foot difference might not sound huge but it changed my assessed value by nearly $18,000. I called the assessment office and after digging through their records they admitted the city database had the wrong dimensions from a 1990s update error. They're sending someone to re-measure next month and I should get a revised assessment plus a small refund on my 2024 taxes. Has anyone else caught mistakes on their city assessment and gotten it corrected? Kind of makes me wonder how many people just pay what they're told without checking.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera28d ago

The 1990s database error you mentioned is actually way more common than people think. I know a guy who works in the city's GIS mapping department and he told me their whole parcel system is held together with duct tape and good intentions. A lot of those lot dimensions were digitized from old paper maps back in the late 80s/early 90s and nobody ever double-checked the data entry. Your 350 square foot mistake is probably part of a much bigger pattern. If half the lots in your neighborhood are off by even 100 square feet each, thats thousands of extra tax dollars the city collects without anyone batting an eye.

gavine4128d ago

Big error on lot size, huh? Yeah I mean I guess it's a few hundred bucks but is it really worth all that hassle and waiting around for some city guy to come measure your yard? You're probably gonna spend more time on the phone and shuffling papers than you'd ever get back in refund. Besides, property values go up and down all the time anyway, so an 18 grand difference on paper doesn't mean you're actually losing money. You gonna sell the place tomorrow? Didn't think so. Just pay the tax and move on, that's my take.