A new provincial deed transfer tax and property tax regime for non-residents of Nova Scotia

Home
Thought Leadership
A new provincial deed transfer tax and property tax regime for non-residents of Nova Scotia

A new provincial deed transfer tax and property tax regime for non-residents of Nova Scotia

March 31, 2022

Effective April 1, 2022, the Province of Nova Scotia announced that it will be implementing new property taxes impacting non-resident property owners. As a part of the 2022-2023 provincial budget, the Province of Nova Scotia is introducing the Nova Scotia Non-Resident Property Tax and Non-Resident Provincial Deed Transfer Tax.

The province has not provided comprehensive details, but has made the following information available regarding the taxes:

Nova Scotia Non-Resident Property Tax

The non-resident property tax will be calculated at $2 per $100 of assessed value and is effective April 1, 2022.
If housing owned by a non-resident is rented out for twelve (12) months or longer, then they will not have to pay the tax as they are providing homes for Nova Scotians.
If a property has multiple owners, an exemption from this tax is provided if fifty per cent (50%) or more of the owners are residents of Nova Scotia.

Non-Resident Provincial Deed Transfer Tax

Residential property purchasers who are non-residents of Nova Scotia will be required to pay a deed transfer tax rate of five per cent (5%).
All purchasers of residential properties who are residents of Nova Scotia are exempt from the non-resident deed transfer tax.
If a purchaser is planning to move to Nova Scotia to live and buys a home, the purchaser will be exempt from the deed transfer tax – usually within six (6) months.

Key details are yet to be provided leaving many questions regarding the scope of these taxes unanswered. Legislation is expected to be introduced in the Financial Measures Act 2022 (“FMA”) addressing these changes. The FMA should provide further clarity on considerations such as what constitutes a residential property, a resident and a non-resident, and payment, collection and reimbursement mechanisms.

We will provide a follow-up thought leadership piece as details become available.

This client update is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about the above, please contact a member of our Real Property group.

Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.

Archive

Back to school: What employers need to know about hiring international students

BY Brittany Trafford & Chiara Nannucci September 8, 2026

By Brittany C. Trafford, Chiara Nannucci, and Erickson Miranda, Summer Law Student As university and college students head back to class this month, many international students will be applying for work. These students…

Modernizing disclosure delivery: New online Access Model for delivery of financial disclosure documents

BY Andrew Burke & David Slipp & Noah Archibald August 20, 2026

By Andrew Burke, David Slipp and Noah Archibald The Canadian Securities Administrators recently finalized a new “Access Model” that will change how reporting issuers can make financial disclosure documents available…

Spoiler Alert!: The Supreme Court of Canada revisits spoliation of evidence in SS&C Technologies Canada Corp. v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., 2026 SCC 29

BY Joe Thorne & Danielle Harris August 18, 2026

By Joe Thorne and Danielle Harris For the first time in over a century, the Supreme Court of Canada has considered the impact and consequences where a litigant intentionally destroys…

A changing tide: The Ontario Court of Appeal adopts a common-sense approach to interpreting termination clauses and provides much-needed guidance

BY Rick Dunlop & Jennifer Ronalds August 7, 2026

By Rick Dunlop and Jennifer Ronalds There has been much uncertainty in recent years with respect to the enforceability of termination clauses in employment contracts. In Baker v. Van Dolder’s…