Property Valuation Services Corporation

PROPERTY VALUATION SERVICES CORPORATION (PVSC)

Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) provides property assessment services and information for Nova Scotia's municipalities and property owners in accordance with the Nova Scotia Assessment Act.

PVSC was created on April 1, 2007 as an independent, not-for-profit organization under the terms of the Property Valuation Services Corporation Act.

Who We Are:

We are governed by a Board of Directors and led by Chief Executive Officer, Scott Farmer.

Our Board includes municipal officials, members with municipal experience, independent members, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM).

We employ approximately 120 people that live and work in over 60 communities across the province. In 2018, we shifted to a predominantly work-from-home model, but we also have offices in Dartmouth and Truro.

What We Do:

Each December, we deliver an Assessment Roll to all 49 Nova Scotia municipalities so local governments can set their property tax rates. Every January, we deliver over 638,000 Property Assessment Notices to property owners so they can review, make inquiries, or appeal their assessments before receiving their municipal property tax bills.

We also administer the Capped Assessment Program (CAP) and the Seasonal Tourist Business Designation Program on behalf of the Nova Scotia government.

We do not have the authority to set tax rates, collect taxes, create tax policy or provide tax relief. Those important roles are fulfilled by Nova Scotia's provincial and municipal governments.

We follow internationally accepted standards for mass appraisal from the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and our assessors hold a variety of professional assessment and appraisal designations.

In 2015, PVSC was the first assessment jurisdiction in North America to be certified by the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI) for compliance with our legislative mandate and with IAAO best practices and quality standards.

In 2020, we were presented with the "Distinguished Assessment Jurisdiction" award by the IAAO in recognition of our achievements applying machine learning to property assessment.