Contents 20 sections
- What we found
- What warranty does a buyer get
- Does the builder need a licence
- What has to happen before you can sell each half
- How does a two-home strata work
- Do you need a disclosure statement
- Can a buyer get the GST back
- Do buyers pay property transfer tax
- What is the BC home flipping tax, and does it apply
- Is GST charged on the sale
- How do you price and market a new duplex half
- Is the front half or the back half worth more
- What doesn’t the warranty cover
- Should you keep one half
- When should you list a duplex half
- What if the suites are rented when you sell
- Who do you need on your team to sell
- What should be ready for buyers
- Questions
- Sources
A new duplex home sold in BC must come with 2-5-10 home warranty insurance from a licensed builder. Buyers get 1 year on most work, 2 years on major systems, 5 years on the outside shell and 10 years on the structure. First-time buyers may also get back up to $50,000 of GST on homes up to $1.5 million.
What we found
From our analysis of new duplexes on the City of Vancouver’s 2026 assessment roll:
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$1.66M
Is the median assessed value of a new half-duplex in Vancouver, across 2,258 halves built since 2017.
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30%
Of new halves in our sample are assessed under $1.5 million. That’s the cap for the first-time buyer GST rebate and for insured mortgages.
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Under 1%
Of new halves are assessed under $1.1 million, the cap for the full newly built home transfer tax exemption.
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79%
Of new duplexes have two halves assessed within 5% of each other. Front or back matters less than people think.
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2,789
Two-home stratas sit on Vancouver’s low-density lots. That’s 83% of all strata plans in those zones.
What warranty does a buyer get?
New homes built by a licensed builder in BC must carry home warranty insurance. People call it 2-5-10 coverage:
- 1 year on most materials and work
- 2 years on major systems, like wiring, plumbing and heating
- 5 years on the outside shell, including leaks
- 10 years on the structure
In a strata, shared areas get 15 months on materials and work. The warranty belongs to the home, so it passes to each new owner. That’s a real selling point against an older house. Buyers can look the home up in BC Housing’s New Homes Registry.
Does the builder need a licence?
Yes. In BC, new homes must be built by a Licensed Residential Builder registered with BC Housing, with warranty insurance. The home is enrolled before the permit is issued. The City asks for proof.
You can’t build a duplex as an owner-builder. BC Housing mostly allows owner-builders on single houses, not homes in new multi-unit buildings. Where owner-building is allowed, the owner can’t sell or rent the home for a year. They must also tell buyers it was owner-built for 10 years, and they stay liable for defects.
What has to happen before you can sell each half?
Each half needs its own legal title. For a new duplex, that means a strata plan registered at the Land Title Office after building. So we plan the building and the strata plan together. Suites stay on the same title as their half. A duplex with suites sells as two homes, each with rental income.
The occupancy permit comes first, after the City’s final inspections. Nobody can live in the home before it, and buyers’ lenders want it before they pay out.
How does a two-home strata work?
Once the strata plan is filed, a strata corporation exists. For a duplex, its members are just the two owners. It holds the building insurance, looks after any shared areas and enforces the bylaws. If you don’t write your own bylaws, BC’s standard ones apply.
For a duplex, the bylaws that matter most cover the shared wall, the roof, outside upkeep, insurance and how costs are split. Set these out clearly before the first sale. A buyer’s lawyer will read them, and a clear split makes both halves easier to sell.
Do you need a disclosure statement?
Not for a duplex. In BC, a disclosure statement is needed before marketing homes in a building with 5 or more strata lots. A duplex has two. A triplex or fourplex has three or four. None of them need one.
That saves legal work and time. It’s also why some owners stop a multiplex at four homes instead of five.
Can a buyer get the GST back?
Often, if they’re a first-time buyer. The federal First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate pays back up to $50,000 of the GST on a new home bought from a builder:
- All of the GST on a new home worth up to $1 million
- Part of it from $1 million to $1.5 million. A $1.25 million home, for example, gets half back, up to $25,000
- Nothing at $1.5 million or more
- The deal must be signed with the builder on or after March 20, 2025, and before 2031
- At least one buyer must be a first-time buyer, buying their main home, and the first person to live in it
About 3 in 10 new halves in our sample are assessed under $1.5 million. For those, this rebate can make a real difference to buyers, so know where the lines sit when you set your price. Buyers should confirm they qualify with the CRA or an accountant.
Do buyers pay property transfer tax?
Some won’t. BC’s newly built home exemption removes property transfer tax on a new home worth $1,100,000 or less. A partial break runs up to $1,150,000.
To qualify, the buyer must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, make it their main home, move in within 92 days, and live there for the rest of the first year. It must also be the home’s first sale.
In practice, few new Vancouver halves are cheap enough. Fewer than 1 in 100 in our sample are assessed under $1.1 million. For most sellers, the $1.5 million GST line matters more.
- Under $1.5M: GST rebate for first-time buyers, and insured mortgages, can apply
T-City analysis of City of Vancouver open data: 926 assessed halves of duplexes permitted since 2017, matched by address to two-home strata plans on the 2026 roll
What is the BC home flipping tax, and does it apply?
Since January 1, 2025, BC taxes the profit on a home sold within 730 days of buying it. It’s 20% of the taxable profit for a sale within a year, falling to zero at two years. If you bought your lot recently and plan to sell a new half quickly, you need to know about it.
Building new homes is exempt. If a home is torn down and a new one is built, or a home is added, the property is exempt. But you still have to file a flipping tax return, usually within 90 days of the sale. Ask your accountant how it applies before you list.
Is GST charged on the sale?
Usually, yes. The sale of a new home is generally subject to GST, whether the seller is a company or an owner who built to sell. That’s why the first-time buyer rebate matters so much for pricing.
How GST applies to you depends on your situation, like whether you live in one half and sell the other. Plan it with an accountant before the design is finished, not after the sale.
How do you price and market a new duplex half?
A new half competes with older houses and new townhomes, so its strengths need to be clear. The biggest ones: the warranty, the GST rebate and tax breaks where the price allows, a suite that helps pay the mortgage, and efficient heat pump heating.
Price is where these meet. In Vancouver, new halves are assessed at a median of $1.66 million, from about $1.5 million on the east side to $2.45 million in Kitsilano. See new duplex prices by neighbourhood. Your realtor sets the price. Knowing where the tax lines sit before you design means the size and finishes can match your buyers.
Is the front half or the back half worth more?
Less difference than most owners expect. On the 2026 assessment roll, the two halves of a new duplex were within 5% of each other 79% of the time. The median gap was 1.4%. See how the floor plan affects each half.
To keep the gap small: balance the yards, give the lane-side half a real front door and good light, and split parking fairly.
What doesn’t the warranty cover?
Home warranty covers defects in materials, work, the outside shell and the structure, within the time limits. It doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, or damage from poor upkeep. Owners have to maintain the home. A claim can be refused if they didn’t.
That’s why a maintenance manual is part of a good handover. It tells each buyer what to do and when, from heat pump filters to gutters, so their coverage stays in place.
Should you keep one half?
Many owners do. Living in one half and selling the other can pay for most of the build, and you stay on your street. Our duplex value analysis shows why this is the plan that most often works. Keeping one half as a rental, with its suite, gives two rents from one title.
The choice affects taxes and financing more than the building. Plan it with your accountant and mortgage broker before the design is final. A half you keep may be worth finishing differently from one built to sell.
When should you list a duplex half?
There are two main options. Selling before the building is done can lock in a buyer early. But buyers find it harder to get a mortgage on a home that doesn’t exist yet. And the sale can’t close until the occupancy permit and strata plan are done.
Selling after it’s done lets buyers walk through and move in quickly. But you pay the costs until it sells.
A two-home strata needs no disclosure statement either way, so an early sale stays simple. Your realtor can advise on timing. What matters on our side is that the strata plan and occupancy are scheduled from day one.
What if the suites are rented when you sell?
Tenancies continue when the home is sold. The buyer becomes the landlord. For a buyer who wants rental income, a good tenant already in place can be a plus.
For a buyer who wants the suite for themselves or family, ending a tenancy follows strict notice and payment rules under BC’s Residential Tenancy Act. Talk to your realtor and lawyer before you list.
Who do you need on your team to sell?
Selling a new half brings in people beyond the builder:
- A realtor who knows new homes in your area, to price and market it
- A lawyer or notary for the strata documents, bylaws and the sale
- A land surveyor to draw the strata plan
- An accountant for GST, the flipping tax return and income tax
- A mortgage broker if you’re refinancing the half you keep
Bring them in early, while the design is still being finished. Then the strata plan, price and taxes line up with the building.
What should be ready for buyers?
Buyers and their lenders ask for the same documents every time. Having them ready speeds up the sale:
- Proof of home warranty and the builder’s licence
- The occupancy permit
- The registered strata plan and bylaws
- Any disclosure notices that apply
- Appliance and equipment warranties, including the heat pumps
- The EnerGuide label and energy report
- As-built drawings and the maintenance schedule
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on September 21, 2026. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.
- City of Vancouver Open Data: Property tax report (2026 roll)
- City of Vancouver Open Data: Issued building permits (January 2017 to October 2, 2026)
- BC Housing: Home warranty insurance for new homes
- BC Housing Regulatory Bulletin 3: 2-5-10 home warranty
- BC Housing: Register a new home
- BC Housing: Owner Builder FAQs
- Real Estate Development Marketing Act, s.1
- CRA: First-time home buyers’ GST/HST rebate
- Province of BC: Newly built home exemption (property transfer tax)
- Province of BC: BC home flipping tax
- BC home flipping tax: exemptions for building activity
