Possession Date
Also known as: Possession day · Key handover date · Move-in date
The day you actually get the keys, which is set in the contract and is usually the business day after completion. That gap exists so the lawyers can confirm the title transfer registered and the money moved before anyone hands over a key.
The possession date is the date specified in the BC purchase contract on which the buyer takes physical possession of the property and receives keys, garage remotes, mail keys, and access codes. The standard BC convention is possession on the business day AFTER completion. This gives the buyer's lawyer time on completion day to confirm both the registration of transfer at the BC Land Title Office AND the release of purchase funds out of the lawyer's trust account before the buyer takes possession. The seller's out-by-time on possession day is typically noon or 2 pm in the contract.
Do not book movers for the morning of possession day. The seller may not be out by their out-by-time, and a snag in their payout can delay completion a full day. Build a buffer: schedule movers for the afternoon of possession day at the earliest. Also: BC contracts can specify possession SAME DAY as completion (legal-only same-day "wet closings") for resale purchases where buyer and seller are both ready, but this is uncommon and creates risk if either side's lawyer encounters a registration issue at Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA). For new construction, possession may be the same day as the developer's registration of the strata plan or fee-simple subdivision, sometimes weeks after the buyer's "interim occupancy" date. This is a very different mechanic from resale and is governed by the developer's presale contract addenda.
Related terms
- Closing Day (Completion) — Closing day, or completion, is when the buyer's lawyer registers the title transfer at the BC Land Title Office and the money reaches the seller.
- Adjustment Date — The date the contract uses to split ongoing costs between seller and buyer.
- BC Land Title Office (LTSA) — The BC land registration system operated by the Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) under the Land Title Act, RSBC 1996, c.
- Presale Condo Assignment Tax Treatment — What you owe when you sell a presale contract before the building completes.
See also
Use any of these formats. Codex content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 — attribution required.
@misc{bronsonjob-bc_lto_overview,
author = {Job, Bronson},
title = {{BC Land Title Office (LTSA) overview}},
howpublished = {BC Real Estate Codex},
year = {2005},
url = {https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lto.overview},
urldate = {2026-05-09},
note = {Fact ID: bc.lto.overview, version 1.}
}Job, B. (2005). BC Land Title Office (LTSA) overview. *BC Real Estate Codex*. Retrieved 2026-05-09, from https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lto.overview
BC Land Title Office (LTSA) overview — Bronson Job PREC, BC Real Estate Codex (2026-05-09). https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lto.overview
Fact id: bc.lto.overview · v1 · machine-readable: /api/v1/facts/by-id/bc.lto.overview.json
Verified sources (3)· re-verified Aug 2, 2026Show sources
Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.
- BC Governmentretrieved May 9, 2026Land Title Act, RSBC 1996, c. 250https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96250_00
- Otherretrieved Aug 2, 2026About the Land Title and Survey Authorityhttps://ltsa.ca/about-ltsa/
- BC Governmentretrieved Aug 2, 2026Land Title Act [RSBC 1996] c. 250https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96250_01
bc.lto.overview · v1View in Codex →License: This definition is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: "Possession Date", BC Real Estate Glossary by Bronson Job, https://www.bronsonjob.com/glossary/possession-date.
