Land Owner Transparency Registry

The B.C. Land Owner Transparency Registry (LOTR) is a registry of information about individuals who are deemed to have an indirect interest in land; an interest not appearing on the title to the property maintained by the Land Title Office. This term refers to an estate in fee simple; a life estate in land; a right to occupy land under a lease that has a term of more than 10 years, or a right under an agreement for sale to occupy land, or require the transfer of an estate in fee simple (e.g. through corporations, trusts and partnerships) which is housed in a searchable, public database. This often involves an in-depth legal analysis of the reporting bodies involved in order to identify the individual humans behind the scenes.

The deadline for the pre-existing reporting bodies (a relevant corporation, a trustee of a relevant trust or a partner of a relevant partnership)  to file a transparency report with the Land Owner Transparency Registry (LOTR) is approaching. After a previous extension the new deadline is November 30, 2022.  Failure to file can result in penalties of up to $25,000.00 for individuals and $50,000.00 other than individuals (e.g. a corporation)

File Your Transparency Report Today
If you or someone you know owns real property in B.C. through a corporation or a partnership, or is holding land in trust for an individual or entity not registered on legal title, it is more likely than not that you are required to file a transparency report. For legal advice on your specific circumstances and to assist you with filing your transparency report, please contact us at info@peaklaw.ca  and we would be happy to assist. 

For further information please visit the BC Government’s LOTR’s web page.

This article is intended to be an overview of the law and is for informational purposes only. Readers are cautioned that this article does not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied on as such. Rather, readers should obtain specific legal advice in relation to the issues they are facing.