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Overview Of The Land Owner Transparency Act

In This Volume

The first of its kind in Canada, the Land Owner Transparency Registry (the “LOTR”) is a registry of information about individuals who are deemed to have an indirect interest in land as defined in s. 1 of the Land Owner Transparency Act, S.B.C. 2019, c. 23 (the “LOTA”) (e.g., through corporations, trusts, and partnerships). The LOTR is housed in a searchable public database.

As of November 30, 2020, the LOTA requires that when an application is made to register an interest in land, as defined in s. 1 of the LOTA, a transparency declaration must be filed to the LOTA administrator by the transferee(s). A transferee that is a reporting body must also complete and file a transparency report setting out information about the reporting body and its interest holders. The administrator maintains all filed transparency declarations and transparency reports in the LOTR in accordance with rules established in the LOTA. The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (the “LTSA”) is responsible for developing and operating the LOTR, as set out in the LOTA. The Government of British Columbia enforces compliance with the LOTA.

GENERAL EFFECT ON LAND TITLE PRACTICE

Section 11 of the LOTA requires the registrar to refuse to accept an application for an interest in land, as defined in s. 1 of the LOTA, if a transferee fails to submit a transparency declaration. A transferee that is a reporting body must also complete and file a transparency report setting out information about the reporting body and its interest holders.

LOTR transparency declarations and transparency reports, while filed at the same time as an application is made to register an interest in land with the land title office, do not form part of the land title records.

CROSS REFERENCES AND OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Information, including the most recent version of the Administrator’s Requirements for Filing and Applications, can be accessed at www.landtransparency.ca. Version 1.2 of this document, dated April 8, 2024, is available at https://landtransparency.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Administrators-Requirements-for-Filings-and-Applications_April-2024.pdf.

The B.C. Government has created additional guidance and interpretation regarding the LOTR, available at www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/real-estate-bc/land-owner-transparency-registry.