It’s that time of year again, yard work (if you have a yard) and property taxes. Vancouver, like many other places bills property taxes for the beginning of July…a whopping bill and that’s after the advance payment made in February!

The bill arrived yesterday and because our bank collects and pays the property taxes on our behalf I went on-line to claim the Home Owner Grant. At the same time I checked our mortgage property tax account to ensure there would be enough money to pay the bill. I’m not sure what caught my eye but I noticed that the amount billed in February was $20 less than the amount paid by the bank! An ‘8’ instead of a ‘6’. Imagine my surprise when I investigated and learned that the City of Vancouver charges a $20 administration fee because the bank pays the property taxes on our behalf! I’m not sure when this started but I do know that it doesn’t feel fair.

I will pay the bills myself in the future…I know that lots of people might say that my time is worth more than $40 (2 bills x $20 each) but it irks me.

Moral of the story…..review your bills!