Peter Austin

Work Experience

Property Assessment

Experience since 1978 has included the review of up to 400 property assessments each year including negotiations with BC Assessment and attending Appeal Board hearings.  Pre-roll consultations with BC Assessment have been conducted annually to ensure that BCA are fully aware of any factors affecting the value.

Arbitrations

Disputes arise between landlord and tenants, partners and others where rents and values can not be agreed upon. Mr. Austin, with his Chartered Arbitrator designation and vast experience as an expert witness, has handled many arbitrations over the years.

Rental Studies

Many landlords and tenants need evidence to support their claim for an increased or decreased rent upon the renewal or turnover of a lease. For many years, both short form (in the form of a lease chart) or a full appraisal prepared by Mr. Austin, have assisted parties in negotiating a rental both feel is market rate.

Appraisal

Austin Real Estate Consultants cover most types of real property, ranging from vacant land to major developed complexes for clients that include many of British Columbia's and Canada's largest companies, various levels of Government, and Financial Institutions. The company has been retained by many major landowners and law firms to assist them with their assessment appeals, expropriation, rental disputes, and other legal matters.

Feasibility and Due Diligence

Austin Real Estate Consultants also performs research and feasibility analysis for:

  • developers investigating the potential for development sites and
  • purchasers with regard to the viability of investment proposals. The company has been contracted by several clients to investigate problem projects.

Property Management

The parent company has been active in the management of a shopping centre from inception including the arranging for tenant set up and move in. The company has also been active in the management of an office building and over 20 apartment buildings, with as many as 100 units, at one point in time.

Development

The company has been the owner of several land parcels.  The company has steered projects through to the building permit stage, overseeing renovation, conversion, and refurbishment of over 25 multifamily properties.

Education

Peter Austin’s Teaching assignments include Appraisal at UBC for the Diploma course, Property management course at Langara and guest speaker for various professional organisations including the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and BC Central Credit Union. He has also organised and spoken at several Property Tax Seminars put on by Lorman Educational Services of Wisconsin USA, as well as the annual Assessment review for BC sponsored by CPTA and one of their National workshops at Kananaskis.

Strata Dispute Resolution

Peter Austin’s qualifications include:

  • Degree in Real Estate
  • Qualified Real Estate Appraiser for over 3 decades
  • Certified Arbitrator [ C.Arb ]
  • Past president of the Canadian Property Tax Association
  • Current Board member of the BC Arbitration and Mediation Institute
  • Current Owner of several Strata units
  • Current Member of the "Restoration subcommittee" for the last 2 years for Strata at Arbutus Village, Vancouver
  • Current Executive member of Strata for last 4 years for Summerville Court, Mobile
  • Past Member of Council for a Strata Corporation at Whistler for 4 years
  • Appeared as expert witness in front of many tribunals and Supreme Court.

Peter Austin : Qualifications

Professional Experience

1973 - 1975
 Knowlton Realty - industrial, commercial, ICI sales and leasing
1975 - 2003
 Appraisal & consulting, shopping centre leasing, initially as a sole practitioner, then forming Burgess, Austin & Associates in 1978
2004 - present
Principal - Austin Real Estate Consultants

Degrees and Designations

  • Fellow - Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS)
  • Member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AACI)
  • Chartered Arbitrator (C. Arb)
  • Bachelor of Science (Estate Management) (B. Sc)

Associated Activities

Canadian Property Tax Association Chapter chair 2005-2011
National Committee Member 1997 – 2002
National President 2000
BC Arbitration and Mediation Institute Provincial Board Member 2011 – current
Asia Pacific Initiative Federal-Provincial Study -Real Estate committee 1995
Greater Vancouver Apartment Owners Association Director 1990 - 1994
Int. Council of Shopping Centres West Canadian Committee  1991 – 1993
Little Mountain Residential Care & Housing Society Director 1984 - 1989
Lecturer U.B.C. Real Estate Diploma Course and Langara College
Executive member Summerhill Court Home Owners Assoc Mobile,Alabama
Member Working committee VR563 renovation project, Vancouver
Strata working committee for Civil Resolution Tribunal Act


Publications