B.C. Assessment is taking a page from Google Street View's playbook later this month as part of its effort to accurately assess the values of homes in Squamish.
B.C. Assessment officials plan to drive around town in a clearly marked van, snapping digital photos of approximately 4,500 single-family homes. The initiative is set to launch in Squamish next Wednesday (Feb. 23).
"As the Crown corporation responsible for accurately valuing all properties in B.C., we are always looking for innovative ways to provide more timely, accurate, equitable and fair assessments to all property owners," Paul Borgo, deputy assessor for the Vancouver Sea to Sky Region, said in a statement issued on Monday (Feb. 14).
B.C. Assessment officials will photograph only the public street front of a home, including the civic (street) address number, officials said. Officials will not retain images of people on the property at the time the photo is taken, signage not related to the home's street address (such as personal signs, vehicle licence plate numbers) or images showing the interior of the home or garage.
The initiative has already been used successfully in Nanaimo, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Surrey and White Rock, officials said.
