Vacant Home Tax

There shouldn’t be vacant homes during a housing crisis. People in our community are looking for housing that they can afford, and we’re looking into options to help meet this need.  

In Guelph, we know of about 50 homes that are vacant — 50 homes that could be spaces for Guelph families to rent or own. To address this, Council has approved the development of a vacant home tax.  

The goal of the tax is to encourage owners to live in, rent or sell vacant properties. Any tax revenue will go into the City’s Affordable Housing Reserve Fund. The fund was created in 2002 to help support more affordable housing in Guelph.  

How can I participate right now?

Our survey closed on March 9, 2026. We're presenting findings and recommendations to Council on June10 at a special council meeting. Visit the council calendar for the Agenda and report to be posted two weeks in advance.

You can still familiarize yourself with what a vacant home tax is and what it’s intended to do by reviewing the information on Guelph.ca.

You can also find out more about this project by reviewing the “In depth project background” section below.

If you have questions or comments to share, reach out to our project team. You can find us in the "Who's listening" section.

Check out the summary of what we heard during our survey.

Do you have questions about the Vacant Home Tax?

Visit the Vacant Home Tax project page on guelph.ca to:

• Find background on the vacant home tax
• Review common questions, such as when exemptions may apply and how revenue will be used
• Learn about next steps

Further reading