Do I still need to file the Underused Housing Tax (UHT) in 2026?

Who was subject to UHT in the 2022-2024 years?

• Non-Canadian owners of Canadian residential property (unless a specific exemption applied).
• Foreign-controlled Canadian corporations owning residential property.
• Certain trusts and partnerships holding residential property.
• Canadian citizens and permanent residents holding property in their own name were generally excluded from filing.

What exemptions applied for rental properties?

A key exemption covered residential property rented to an arm's length tenant for at least 180 days in the tax year under a written lease. Even where the property qualified for the exemption, a UHT return still had to be filed to declare the exemption. This tripped up many non-resident landlords who thought "exempt" meant "no filing required".

What if I missed a UHT filing for 2022, 2023, or 2024?

Contact a Canadian tax accountant immediately. Late-filing penalties start at $5,000 per year per individual owner and $10,000 per year per corporate owner, on top of any tax owing. CRA has offered targeted relief in some cases; individual advice is essential.

What does the 2025 elimination mean going forward?

For 2025 and 2026 tax years, most owners have no UHT return to file. Non-resident owners still need to comply with other Canadian tax obligations including 25 percent withholding tax on gross rental income (Income Tax Act section 215) or the section 216 election to file on net rental income. UrbanLease coordinates non-resident tax compliance for out-of-country owner-clients through a Calgary-based accountant.