At a glance (3-minute read)
- BCREA has identified four housing policy priorities for the 2026 provincial election.
- Its recommendations focus on housing tax reform, better policy development, strata legislation, and expanding prefabricated housing.
- REALTORS® can review BCREA's proposals and use its election resources to ask candidates about issues affecting BC's housing market.
Housing affordability remains a major concern for British Columbians. With the 2026 provincial election approaching, we’re joining BCREA in calling on political parties to address four issues we believe are critical to improving housing affordability and supply.
BCREA has outlined these recommendations on its provincial election resource page, along with questions members can ask candidates.
Here's a closer look at the four issues.
1. Reform housing and real estate taxes
BC's housing-related taxes add significant costs for homebuyers, homeowners, and developers, making housing less affordable.
We’re calling for a comprehensive review of taxes affecting real estate, including the Property Transfer Tax, Speculation and Vacancy Tax, Foreign Buyer Tax, and BC Home Flipping Tax.
Among our recommendations, we’re asking the province to:
- Review Property Transfer Tax exemptions and thresholds to better reflect current home prices.
- Repeal the Foreign Buyer Tax and BC Home Flipping Tax.
- Abandon the proposed expansion of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) to professional services, including non-residential real estate services.
- Introduce tax relief on new homes comparable to measures adopted in Ontario.
Tax reform could help reduce housing costs and encourage investment in new housing.
2. Establish a permanent provincial housing policy roundtable
Housing policy affects everyone from buyers and sellers to builders, renters, and local governments. We believe the province needs more input from housing experts before introducing major policy changes.
We’re proposing a permanent housing policy roundtable made up of 10 to 12 experts representing the real estate, mortgage, construction, and non-market housing sectors, among others.
The group would work with governments to review proposed housing policies, identify potential unintended consequences, and assess whether new measures are achieving their goals.
We recommend that the roundtable meet quarterly to evaluate existing policies and provide advice on new legislation.
The goal is to develop more effective housing policies through collaboration and consultation.
3. Review the Strata Property Act
Approximately 1.5 million British Columbians live in strata properties, making effective strata governance an important issue for homeowners and real estate professionals.
We’re calling for a comprehensive review of the Strata Property Act, with a particular focus on strata council training and access to documents.
Its recommendations include:
- Mandatory strata council training to help council members better understand their responsibilities, including financial management, building maintenance, insurance, and dispute resolution.
- Faster access to strata documents by modernizing document delivery requirements so buyers and sellers can access important information sooner.
- Regulation around rush fees to introduce clearer, more consistent pricing for urgent strata document requests.
For REALTORS® working with strata properties, these changes could make it easier for clients to access the information they need during a transaction while strengthening consumer protection.
4. Unlock BC's prefabricated housing potential
BC needs more homes, and we believe prefabricated construction could help deliver them faster and at a lower cost.
Prefabricated housing involves manufacturing building components in a controlled factory environment before transporting them to a construction site for assembly.
Research suggests this approach can reduce construction costs, shorten building timelines, and produce less waste than traditional construction.
However, inconsistent municipal zoning rules, financing challenges, and workforce shortages can make it difficult to expand prefabricated construction.
To address these barriers, we recommend:
- Harmonizing municipal zoning requirements to make prefabricated housing easier to build across communities.
- Developing a long-term provincial purchasing plan to give manufacturers more predictable demand.
- Expanding training opportunities for workers entering the prefabricated construction industry.
We believe these measures could help increase housing supply, particularly small-scale multi-unit housing.
Learn more about election priorities
These four issues reflect GVR and BCREA's recommendations for addressing housing affordability, improving consumer protection, and increasing housing supply across the province.
Understanding these proposals can help you stay informed about the housing policy discussions taking place during the provincial election.
BCREA's election page also includes suggested questions to ask candidates and links to provincial political party platforms.
Explore BCREA's four housing policy priorities and provincial election resources.