Property Management for Absentee & International Owners
Rather keep your Vancouver property than sell it? We place a qualifying tenant and manage everything — so you earn income, stop the region-wide vacancy tax, and never take a 3 a.m. maintenance call from another time zone.
By Hani Faraj | Senior Partner, REALTOR® | RE/MAX Crest Realty, Vancouver
In This Guide
1. Why renting makes sense for owners abroad
If you're not ready to part with your Vancouver property, renting it is usually the smartest way to hold it from a distance. It flips the economics: instead of paying strata fees, property tax, insurance and — critically — the vacancy taxes on an empty home, the property earns monthly income and, for most owners, becomes exempt from those taxes at the same time.
The reason more absentee owners don't simply rent is the day-to-day reality of being a landlord from another country: the late-night leak, the lease renewal, the tenant who pays a few days late, the annual inspections. Handled from overseas, that's a genuine burden. Handled by a local team, it's nothing you have to think about. That's the service.
A qualifying long-term tenancy is one of only two things that legally exempts most owners from the vacancy taxes. So the same decision that earns you rent can also remove up to 5% of the property's value in annual tax.
2. Everything we handle
Renting a property from the other side of the world only works if someone reliable runs it here. Through RE/MAX Crest Realty and licensed property managers, we take the property from empty to tenanted to genuinely hands-off:
Rent-ready & priced
Cleaning, minor repairs, and a realistic rent set against current comparables in your building and area.
Tenant placement
Marketing, screening, income and reference verification, credit and background checks, and a solid lease that protects you.
Rent & accounting
Rent collection, clear owner statements, and funds remitted to you wherever you live.
Maintenance & emergencies
Trusted trades on call; we handle repairs and after-hours issues within limits you set — so the call never comes to you at 3 a.m.
Inspections & renewals
Periodic condition checks, lease renewals, and rent reviews so the tenancy stays healthy over time.
Compliance & declarations
We keep the tenancy in order and help you stay ahead of the annual vacancy-tax declarations that keep your exemption in place.
3. How renting stops the vacancy tax
Placing a qualifying long-term tenant does more than earn income — for most owners it also removes the Speculation & Vacancy Tax, which applies across all of Metro Vancouver (Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, the North Shore and beyond), and, inside the City of Vancouver, the Empty Homes Tax. Instead of paying up to 5% of the property's assessed value each year for it to sit empty, you're collecting rent.
You still have to file the annual tax declarations to claim the exemption — a tenanted home is not exempt automatically on paper. We help you stay ahead of the deadlines so a missed filing never costs you the exemption. More on the vacancy taxes →
4. Getting started — from empty to tenanted
- Quick assessment. Tell us about the property; we come back with a realistic rent and anything worth doing to reach it.
- Prepare & photograph. Cleaning and minor repairs as needed, then professional photos and a listing.
- Screen & lease. We market it, screen applicants thoroughly, and put a strong lease in place.
- Hand-off. Rent starts flowing to you, statements arrive on schedule, and we run the day-to-day — you do nothing.
5. Keep it now, sell later — your call
Many international owners rent for a few years, then sell when the timing suits them — a growing family back home, a change in plans, or a strong market. Because we handle both management and sales, moving from a managed tenancy to a fully remote sale is seamless whenever you're ready, and we already know the property. See how a remote sale works →
Frequently asked questions
Yes — through RE/MAX Crest Realty and licensed property managers we handle marketing, screening, leasing, rent collection, maintenance, emergencies and reporting. Rent and statements are sent to you wherever you are.
For most owners, yes — a qualifying long-term tenancy (generally 6+ months/year) exempts most owners from the Speculation & Vacancy Tax (region-wide) and, in the City of Vancouver, the Empty Homes Tax, while earning income. You must still file the annual declarations. Confirm with your accountant.
We market the home, verify income and references, run credit and background checks, and put a solid lease in place — aiming for a reliable long-term tenant, not just a fast one.
We have trusted trades on call and handle repairs and after-hours emergencies within limits you set, so the call never comes to you in another time zone. It's reported and appears on your statement.
Easy — we handle both management and sales, so we can move from your tenancy to a fully remote sale whenever the timing is right.
Get your property tenanted & managed
Tell Hani about your property and we'll come back with a realistic rent, a plan to place a great tenant, and how we'd manage it while you're abroad.
Prefer to call now? 604-265-7975 · Hani Faraj · Senior Partner & REALTOR® · RE/MAX Crest Realty