What does my Airdrie property assessment mean?

Your Airdrie property assessment is the City of Airdrie's estimate of your property's market value as of July 1st of the previous year, used to calculate your property taxes. Angie Hartmann and the Property Sisters can help you understand how your assessment affects your home's actual market value.

Property assessments arrive in the mail each January, and many Airdrie homeowners aren't sure what to do with them. Understanding your assessment matters because it affects your property taxes and can give you insights into your home's value in the local market.

Understanding Property Assessments in Airdrie

The City of Airdrie conducts property assessments annually to determine how much each property owner pays in municipal taxes. Your assessment reflects what the city believes your property was worth on July 1st of the previous year, with the physical condition assessed as of December 31st.

This isn't the same as market value, though it's based on market conditions. Your assessment uses data from actual property sales in Airdrie, adjusted for your home's specific characteristics like size, age, location, and condition.

Angie Hartmann and the Property Sisters work with Airdrie homeowners regularly and understand how assessments relate to actual selling prices. They can help you determine whether your assessment accurately reflects your home's true market value.

Your Assessment Notice Explained

When you receive your property assessment notice in mid-January, it clearly states "This is not a tax bill" at the top. Your actual property tax bill comes separately later in the year.

Your notice includes several key pieces of information:

Total Assessed Value

This is the estimated market value of your property. For example, a property might be assessed at $800,000, but it could have recently sold for $850,000. This figure represents both the land and improvements (your home and any structures).

Property Classification

Most detached homes in Airdrie are classified as "Single Family Dwelling" with an assessment class of "Residential." This classification affects how your tax rate is calculated.

Property Type

Your assessment distinguishes between "Land & Improvements," which means the value includes both your lot and the buildings on it.

Important Dates

Your notice shows three critical dates:

• Mailing date (typically mid-January)
• Notice of Assessment date (typically late January)
• Final date to file a complaint (usually late March, 60 days from the notice date)

Property Details

Your notice includes your roll number, legal description (plan, block, and lot numbers), and a web code that lets you access your assessment information online through myAIRDRIE.ca.

Customer Review Period

You have a specific window—from the notice date until the complaint deadline—to review your assessment and contact the city if you have concerns.

How Airdrie Calculates Property Assessments

The City of Airdrie's assessment team analyzes property sales that occurred in the months leading up to July 1st of the previous year. They look at comparable properties, homes similar to yours in size, age, style, and location.

Your assessment considers numerous specific features of your home:

Building Characteristics

• Living area above grade (square footage)
• Building description (2-storey, bungalow, split-level, etc.)
• Year built
• Number of storeys

Interior Features

• Fireplaces (number and type)
• Heated garage
• Air conditioning
• Finished basement space
• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
• Kitchen and bathroom quality

Exterior Features

• Garage type and size (attached, detached, heated)
• Deck or patio
• Pool or hot tub
• Landscaping quality
• Fence type

Location Factors

• Neighborhood desirability
• Proximity to schools, parks, and amenities
• Lot size (parcel area in square meters)
• Corner lot or standard lot
• Views and surrounding properties

Features like a fireplace, heated garage, or air conditioning increase your assessed value because they add market appeal and functionality. The assessors use these details to estimate what your home would have sold for on July 1st.

How Assessment Affects Your Property Taxes

Your property assessment directly determines your share of Airdrie's municipal tax burden. The city sets a total budget, then divides that cost among property owners based on assessed values.

Here's how it works:

The city determines how much total tax revenue it needs. It calculates the total assessed value of all properties in Airdrie. It sets a mill rate (tax rate) by dividing the needed revenue by the total assessed value.

Your property taxes equal your assessed value multiplied by the mill rate.

If your assessment increases but the mill rate decreases proportionally, your actual taxes might stay similar or even decrease. What matters most is how your assessment changes relative to other properties in Airdrie.

Assessment vs. Market Value

Your property assessment and your home's actual market value are related but not identical.

Assessments use sales data from months before you receive your notice. Your 2026 assessment reflects market conditions as of July 1, 2025. If Airdrie's real estate market has changed significantly in the following months, your assessment might not reflect current conditions.

Assessments are mass appraisals done primarily through data analysis. While assessors track features like fireplaces and heated garages, they may not know about recent renovations, updates, or maintenance issues unless you've notified the city.

Market value depends on current buyer demand and competition. What someone will pay for your home today depends on many factors beyond what the city's assessment formula captures.

The Property Sisters regularly see homes in Airdrie neighborhoods like Coopers Crossing and Williamstown sell for amounts that differ from their assessments. They can provide a comparative market analysis that shows what your home would likely sell for in today's market.

When Your Assessment Seems Wrong

If you believe your assessment is inaccurate, you have options.

Review Your Property Details

Log into myAIRDRIE.ca using the web code on your assessment notice. Check that all the information about your property is correct—square footage, number of bathrooms, whether you have a fireplace, heated garage, air conditioning, and other features.

Errors in these details can significantly affect your assessment. If your assessment shows you have a heated garage when you don't, or lists the wrong square footage, this needs correction.

Contact the Assessment Department First

Before filing a formal complaint, call the Assessment Department at 403.948.8855 (weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). All inquiries are free, and many concerns get resolved through a simple conversation with an assessor.

The assessment team can explain how they calculated your value and correct any factual errors. This is much faster and easier than the formal complaint process.

Compare to Similar Properties

You can view comparable properties online at airdrie.ca/propertyview. Look at assessments for homes similar to yours in size, age, and features. If comparable homes have significantly lower assessments, you may have grounds for an appeal.

File a Formal Complaint

If the Assessment Department can't resolve your concerns, you can file a complaint with the Assessment Review Board. You must file within 60 days of the Notice of Assessment date shown on your notice.

Filing fees for residential properties (three or fewer dwellings) are $50. Your complaint must be accompanied by the filing fee, or it's invalid according to Bylaw No. B-74/2021.

If the Assessment Review Board decides in your favor, the filing fee is refunded and your assessment is adjusted on the current roll.

You can submit complaints:

• Online at airdrie.ca/assessmentcomplaints
• By courier to: Assessment Review Board, 15 East Lake Hill NE, Airdrie, AB T4A 2K3
• In person at City Hall, 400 Main Street S, Airdrie, AB T4B 3C3

Angie Hartmann can help you gather comparable sales data and provide professional insights on whether your assessment seems reasonable compared to actual market conditions in your Airdrie neighborhood.

Assessment Changes Year to Year

Your assessment can change from year to year based on market conditions and changes to your property.

Market-Driven Changes

If home prices in Airdrie increased between July 2024 and July 2025, your 2026 assessment will likely increase. If the market softened, assessments may decrease or stay flat.

Neighborhoods experience different trends. Newer areas like Williamstown might see different assessment changes than more established areas like Woodside or Thornburn Assessment.

Property Improvements

Major renovations, additions, or new construction will increase your assessment. If you've added a heated garage, finished your basement, or installed air conditioning, expect your assessment to reflect that added value.

Minor updates like painting or landscaping typically don't trigger significant assessment increases unless they substantially improve your home's market appeal.

New Construction

For newly built homes, your first full assessment reflects all the features included in your home—from fireplaces to heated garages to premium finishes. This is why new homes in developments often have similar assessments within the same model and lot size.

Common Assessment Misconceptions

"My assessment is too high—I couldn't sell for that much."

Your assessment reflects market conditions as of July 1st of the previous year. Current market conditions may differ. Assessments are estimates based on historical data, not guarantees of what buyers will pay today.

"A higher assessment means my home is worth more."

Not necessarily. If all homes in Airdrie increased similarly due to market-wide trends, it doesn't mean your home gained relative value compared to others.

"I should appeal every year to keep my taxes low."

Appeals only succeed if your assessment is genuinely incorrect compared to similar properties or contains factual errors. Frivolous appeals waste time and rarely result in changes.

"The assessor inspected my home."

Assessors typically work from property records, exterior observations, and permit data. They don't usually inspect home interiors unless specifically requested or required for new construction verification.

"My assessment should match what I paid."

What you paid for your home reflects specific circumstances of that transaction—your negotiation, timing, motivation. Assessments estimate general market value, which may differ from your purchase price.

Using Your Assessment When Selling

When you're considering selling your Airdrie home, your property assessment provides one data point, but it shouldn't be the only factor in setting your asking price.

Your assessment is backward-looking, based on sales from months ago. Current market conditions matter more for pricing your home competitively.

Buyers and their agents will look at recent comparable sales, not your assessment, when making offers. What similar homes with comparable features—same number of fireplaces, garage type, square footage—have sold for in the past few months is far more relevant than last year's assessment.

The Property Sisters conduct thorough comparative market analyses that consider current listings, recent sales, and market trends specific to your Airdrie neighborhood. This provides a much more accurate picture of what your home will realistically sell for.

Assessment Trends in Airdrie

Airdrie has experienced significant growth over the past decade, and this has affected property assessments throughout the city.

Newer neighborhoods with modern features—homes built with heated garages, air conditioning, and open-concept designs—have seen steady assessment increases as these areas mature and amenities develop.

Established neighborhoods have also appreciated, though growth rates vary by location and the age of homes. Older homes that have been updated with features like new HVAC systems or renovated kitchens may see different assessment patterns than those without updates.

Understanding these trends helps you contextualize your own assessment. Is your increase typical for your neighborhood and home style, or is something else at play?

Getting Professional Guidance

Property assessments can be confusing, especially if you're trying to understand how they relate to your home's actual selling potential in Airdrie's current market.

Angie Hartmann and the Property Sisters provide clear, honest guidance about property values throughout Airdrie. They can explain how your assessment compares to what similar homes with comparable features are actually selling for in neighborhoods like Coopers Crossing, Williamstown, and Kings Heights.

Whether you're considering selling, curious about your home's value, or trying to understand a significant assessment change, they offer local expertise and market knowledge that goes beyond what your assessment notice shows.

Questions to Ask About Your Assessment

When reviewing your property assessment, consider these questions:

• Are all the property details correct (square footage, fireplaces, heated garage, A/C)?
• How does my assessment compare to similar homes with similar features nearby?
• Has my assessment changed more or less than my neighbors'?
• Do I have recent improvements not reflected in the assessment?
• How does my assessment compare to recent sale prices for homes like mine?

If you have concerns or questions about your assessment, start by contacting the City of Airdrie's assessment department at 403.948.8855 or [email protected]. They can explain how they calculated your assessment and address factual errors.

For questions about market value and selling potential, reach out to the Property Sisters. They provide honest assessments of what your home would realistically sell for in today's market.

Ready to Understand Your Home's True Value?

Your Airdrie property assessment provides useful information, but it's just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding your home's worth. Real market conditions, buyer demand, and your home's specific features—from that cozy fireplace to your heated garage—all play crucial roles.

Contact Angie Hartmann and the Property Sisters today for a professional market analysis of your Airdrie home. They'll help you understand what your property is truly worth in today's market and answer all your questions about property values, assessments, and selling strategies.

Ready to make your move in Airdrie or Cochrane? Contact Angie Hartmann today at [email protected] to get started! 🏡