Land Owner Transparency Registry

The Land Owner Transparency Registry is a publicly searchable registry of information about beneficial ownership of land in British Columbia. Beneficial land owners are people who own or control land indirectly, such as through a corporation, partnership or trust. The registry is intended to end hidden ownership of land in B.C.

The information in the registry is collected through transparency declarations and transparency reports. Whenever an application is made to register an interest in land, a transparency declaration must be filed by the transferee.

If land is currently owned by a relevant corporation, or through a trust or partnership, they must check if they are required to file with the registry and provide transparency reports regarding interest in land. These pre-existing reporting bodies must file with the registry before November 30, 2022.

Filing

The registry is administered by the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC (LTSA).

Visit myLTSA to file with the registry.

Visit landtransparency.ca to:

• Find out if you need to file
• Learn about filing obligations for pre-existing owners
• Read about general filing requirements
• Learn about exclusions and policy
• See terminology and definitions
• Access forms and resources

Filing exclusions

The Land Owner Transparency Act ("the Act") excludes specific types of corporations, limited liability companies, and trusts from filing obligations.

Failure to notify LOTR Enforcement that an exclusion applies puts your organization at risk of enforcement action that could lead to significant penalties under Schedules 1 and 2.

Learn more about filing exclusions.

Interpretation

Technical information is provided to help clarify the application of the Act and Regulation.

Learn about:

• Interpretations of the Act and Regulation in specific situations
• The meaning of indirect control

Enforcement

The Land Owner Transparency Act is enforced by the B.C. government.

Learn about:

• Enforcement and compliance

Background

Money laundering continues to be an issue in British Columbia and throughout Canada. In 2018, government convened an Expert Panel on Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate to review money laundering in B.C.’s real estate market.

The Combatting Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate report (PDF, 4.7MB) recommended steps that government can take to address money laundering in the province. One of the most important measures identified in the report was the disclosure of beneficial ownership.

In May 2019, government passed the Land Owner Transparency Act. The first-of-its-kind in Canada, it created an accessible registry of beneficial interests in land in B.C. – the Land Owner Transparency Registry.

The Land Owner Transparency Registry launched November 30, 2020 and opened to public search on April 30, 2021. The registry also fulfills a commitment in Homes for B.C.: A 30-Point Plan for Housing Affordability in British Columbia (PDF, 1MB) to end hidden ownership of land by establishing a registry.

Legislation

• Land Owner Transparency Act
• Land Owner Transparency Regulation