{"id":241,"date":"2026-01-08T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/dummy\/2026\/01\/08\/vacant-home-tax-declaration\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T21:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T21:25:50","slug":"vacant-home-tax-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/vacant-home-tax-declaration\/","title":{"rendered":"Vacant Home Tax Declaration and Why You Should Call Your Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"

Across cities in Canada\u2019s Province of Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor, and Sault Ste. Marie), homeowners are required to complete a Declaration of Occupancy Status<\/strong><\/a> for the annual Vacant Home Tax Program*\u2014even if they live in the property full-time. Many homeowners are unaware of this requirement, overlook the city’s notification, or simply forget to submit their Declaration. That\u2019s exactly why now is the perfect time for you to reach out to your clients about their primary residences and investment properties.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters<\/h2>\n

If a client fails to declare, their home can be automatically deemed vacant, triggering significant taxes and penalties. A quick reminder from you could save them thousands\u2014and they\u2019ll remember who protected their interests.<\/p>\n

A Built-In Opportunity to Call Your Clients<\/h2>\n

This is an excellent touchpoint that doesn\u2019t feel like a sales call. You can simply ask: \u201cHave you received your Vacant Home Tax reminder? Did you know that you can submit your Declaration online, on the phone or in person?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a natural, helpful conversation starter and a way to demonstrate your ongoing value long after the sale closes.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Strengthening Long-Term Client Relationships<\/h2>\n

Reaching out with timely, relevant information builds trust and reinforces that you\u2019re not just their realtor for one transaction\u2014you\u2019re their realtor for life. When clients consistently receive value from you, you become the person they refer to family, friends, and colleagues whenever real estate comes up.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s to closing deals and opening doors!<\/em><\/p>\n

*Disclaimer:
The information in this post is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, tax, or financial advice. Municipal Vacant Home Tax rules, deadlines, and requirements may change at any time, and details can vary by city. Readers should verify all information directly with their local municipality and consult a qualified professional for advice specific to their situation. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, no guarantee is provided, and the author assumes no liability for errors, omissions, or actions taken based on this content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is an excellent touchpoint that doesn\u2019t feel like a sales call. You can simply ask: \u201cHave you received your Vacant Home Tax reminder? Did you know that you can submit your Declaration online, on the phone or in person?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a natural, helpful conversation starter and a way to demonstrate your ongoing value long after the sale closes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91,92,93,94,95,53,96,97,98],"class_list":["post-241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-declarationofoccupancy","tag-homeowner","tag-investmentproperty","tag-ontario","tag-primaryresidence","tag-realtorforlife","tag-toronto","tag-vacanthometax","tag-vht"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":798,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions\/798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.techsystintel.com\/coachable_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}