Bookkeeping for rental property owners in British Columbia.
For landlords with one rental or a few dozen units. Your books done the day you upload your statements, for $79 CAD a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
British Columbia charges 5% GST plus 7% PST, which you file with the province, not CRA. GST registration starts once your sales pass $30,000 in four quarters in a row (or in one quarter).
Income tax
British Columbia taxes income at 5.6% to 20.5% in 2026, on top of federal tax of 14% to 33%, on the profit from your business.
CPP
Working for yourself, you pay both halves of CPP: 11.9% of your earnings from $3,500 to $74,600 in 2026, plus 8% more up to $85,000.
Deadlines
Sole proprietors file by June 15 and pay by April 30. Once you owe more than $3,000, CRA asks for instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.
Contractors
Paid someone more than $500 for services in a year? They may need a T4A slip by the end of February.
What every business here keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Why rental property owners need different books
Rent from several tenants, a mortgage where only the interest is a cost, repairs that might be improvements, deposits you're holding, and a building that's written off over decades but the land never is. Rental books are mostly about telling those apart.
What a bookkeeper for rental property owners in British Columbia keeps track of
Rent received from each tenant, and who's late
Mortgage interest apart from principal
Repairs apart from improvements
Tenant deposits held
Depreciation on the building
Taxes for rental property owners in British Columbia
Residential rent in British Columbia is exempt from GST/HST; commercial rent can take 5% GST plus PST.
Rental income goes on form T776.
Buildings are claimed through capital cost allowance, usually class 1 at 4%, and CCA can't create or grow a rental loss.
Residential rent is exempt from GST/HST.
What SumSwift does for landlords, for $79 CAD a month
A rent roll matching each tenant's payments, with late rent flagged
Mortgage interest split from principal
"Repair or improvement?" asked once for big costs
The T776 with CCA (Canada) for each property, co-owners included
Tenant deposits tracked as held
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in CAD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for rental property owners cost in British Columbia?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for rental property owners. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 CAD a month, the day you upload your statements.
Is a new roof a repair or an improvement?
Usually an improvement, written off over years. Fixing a few shingles is a repair. SumSwift asks for costs over $1,500 on a property.
Do I need separate books for each property?
Each property gets its own numbers in SumSwift, inside one set of books.
Does SumSwift know British Columbia's tax rules?
Residential rent in British Columbia is exempt from GST/HST; commercial rent can take 5% GST plus PST. Rental income goes on form T776.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.