Here is the part of a Calgary property assessment most homeowners never check. If the City has your home assessed higher than it should be, you are paying more property tax than your fair share, and you can do something about it.

Start with what your assessment actually is, because it explains how this happens. Your assessment is the City of Calgary's estimate of what your home would have sold for on July 1 of the previous year. The notice you open in January of 2027 is built on the market as it stood back on July 1 of 2026. It is also produced by mass appraisal, which means the City groups similar homes together and values them with a model instead of looking at yours specifically. That keeps the system consistent across hundreds of thousands of properties, but it misses everything that makes your home different.

That is exactly where homes get assessed too high. The model does not know that a renovation was lower quality than it looks on paper, that there are foundation or moisture issues, that an addition was never permitted, or that the roof and mechanical systems are near the end of their life. With over 30 years in residential construction behind me before I moved into real estate, these are the details I look for, and they are the details a model cannot see. When they get missed, your number ends up higher than your home warrants.

Here is why that costs you. Property tax works by dividing the City's total bill across every property, so what you pay comes down to your assessment compared to everyone else's. If your home is assessed higher than genuinely comparable homes around you, you are carrying more of the load than you should. Bring that number back in line and your tax bill comes down with it.

The good news is that checking costs nothing and the process is more approachable than most people expect. Every assessment notice opens what the City calls a Customer Review Period, which runs for roughly 67 days after the notices go out in January. The deadline is printed right on the front of your notice, so look for it first. Then call Assessment directly at 403.268.2888 and ask about your property. If there is a plain error, say the City has your square footage wrong or credits you with an amenity you do not have, they can often correct it on the spot. If you cannot resolve it that way and you still believe the number is too high, you can file a formal complaint with the Calgary Assessment Review Board, an independent body that hears these disputes. There is a filing fee, shown on your notice.

What wins these cases is evidence, not the feeling that your number looks high. That means comparable sales from around that July 1 date and the assessments of similar homes near you. It is also worth knowing the Board can leave your assessment where it is or even raise it, so the smart move is to look at the evidence before you file, not after. If the comparables show your assessment is out of line, you have a real case. If they show it is fair, you have saved yourself the trouble.

This is where I can help. What I can do is pull the comparable sales from around the valuation date and the comparable assessments in your area, so you can see quickly whether your number is too high or about right. If it is too high, that same information is the backbone of your case, and if construction quality or condition is part of the story, that is the part I know best.

While I am in there, I will also give you a current home evaluation showing what your Calgary property could sell for today, which is a different number for a different purpose. Knowing both puts you in a stronger position whether you are planning to sell, thinking about your equity, or simply making sure you are not overpaying the City.

If you want me to check whether your assessment is costing you more than it should, reach out any time.

Shane Edlund
REALTOR®, CIR Realty
403-827-7809 | sedlund@cirrealty.ca