1. Google Images

A Google image has the Google logo on the bottom left corner of the property image and the Google copyright at the bottom right. No personal information is exchanged with Google in order to access and use their licensed images.

Privacy: For privacy and safety, Google automatically blurs the faces of people and vehicle license plates that may be inadvertently captured when the image is taken. If there are other parts of the image that concern you, Google provides a process to allow individuals to request that portions or the entire image of their property be blurred. The process can be initiated through the Google website. The link to the Google report a problem web page is https://support.google.com/maps/answer/68385.

BC Assessment does not have control over Google’s agreement to remove or blur an image. If Google does not resolve the problem, you can request that BC Assessment remove the property image from this site by contacting 1-866-825-8322 or using the Contact us form. Note that removing a Google image from this site does not remove the image from Google street view. That can only be done through the Google report a problem process as described above. BC Assessment may replace a Google image with a BC Assessment image.

Picture quality: The Google images are taken from a vehicle driving on the street. If there are obstructions to the view of the front of the property (e.g. hedges, trees, fences), Google is not permitted to enter private property to gain a better picture, so the image view will be obstructed. The Google property images are also affected by the position of the property (e.g. irregular or large sized properties, corner properties, properties with back alleys, mountainous and remote locations).

The age of the Google image is determined by the frequency with which Google updates their street view image collection. Currently the update is done approximately every three years, so it is possible that the image shown will not reflect current changes or improvements to the property.

Use of the Google image: The use of the Google image is meant to enhance the property information and you can request it to be removed from this site if the quality is poor, or you prefer it was not displayed. To remove it from this site phone 1-866-825-8322 or use the Contact us form.

2. BC Assessment Street Front Images

BC Assessment’s goal is to have a street front image available for each property. No text is displayed on the lower corners of the BC Assessment street front images.

Privacy: If you are concerned about a privacy issue with a BC Assessment property image (which will not have a Google logo on the bottom), please phone 1-866-825-8322 or use the Contact us form. BC Assessment’s privacy policy is available here.

Picture quality: The BC Assessment property image is taken from the street, typically from the front of a property. If there are obstructions to the view of the front of the property (e.g. hedges, trees, fences), BC Assessment is only permitted to provide images online that are taken from outside the property boundary (see exception below), so the image view may be obstructed.

The age of the BC Assessment property images can vary widely as the frequency for BC Assessment image updates is not established. As a result, it is possible that the image shown will not reflect changes or improvements to the property made since the posted image was taken.

Use of the BC Assessment Image: BC Assessment is permitted to acquire a street front image for each property in BC and display the image in this site. Unlike a Google property image, BC Assessment will not remove a property image from this site unless a review confirms that the image does not meet privacy requirements.

3. BC Assessment Image Posted at Property Owner Request

BC Assessment offers a current owner of a residential property (Class 1) the opportunity to have a BC Assessment employee take a photograph (“Image”) of their principle residence for posting to Assessment Search if:

1. the principal residence is not visible in the existing image posted on Assessment Search (e.g., embankment, high fencing, large shrubs, etc.), and
2. the current owner of the property contacts BC Assessment to request that the Image be taken, and
3. the current owner of the property agrees that:
1. they will be onsite during the mutually agreed upon time of the site visit;
2. the Image will be redacted in accordance with BC Assessment’s current practices and display a “Posted at property owner request” notation that the Image is posted upon the request of the property owner;
3. BC Assessment has permission to use the Image and grants BC Assessment a non-exclusive, royalty free license to reproduce, transfer, transmit and display the Image on BC Assessment’s public website and property information products;
4. the Image will be posted to BC Assessment’s publicly available “Assessment Search” website and subject to the same terms of use as the other BC Assessment images;
5. the Image is taken from a vantage point of the property that is the private property of the current owner of the residential property and not accessible to members of the public;
6. their consent is valid until such time as they are no longer the owner of the property; and,
7. the Image will remain publicly available until such time as a subsequent owner of the property requests that a new image replace the current image, which could be a BC Assessment street front or Google Maps API image.

If all of the above conditions are met, BC Assessment understands that the current owner of the residential property to have provided express consent in relation to the above, in accordance with sections 21(3)(a) and 22(4)(a) of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act concerning the disclosure of personal and confidential information.

Questions concerning the collection, use or disclosure of personal information may be addressed to BC Assessment’s Privacy Officer by email at access.privacy@bcassessment.ca.