What is an ARV in Bermuda?
ARV means Annual Rental Value — the Government's assessment of what your property could rent for in a year. Every developed property in Bermuda has one, set by the Land Valuation Department and published in the Valuation List. It's arguably the most important number attached to your home, because three big things hang off it:
- Land tax — charged on your ARV through progressive bands (try the free calculator).
- Non-Bermudian eligibility — overseas buyers can generally only purchase homes above Government-set ARV thresholds.
- Market value estimates — because ARVs are assessed consistently island-wide, they're the best public starting point for what a home is actually worth.
How ARVs are set
The Land Valuation Department assesses each property's rental value based on size, type, condition and location, and publishes the results in the Valuation List (the current baseline dates from the 2015 list). Multi-unit properties get an ARV per unit — a main house and its apartment each have their own assessment number and ARV.
How to find your ARV — free
It's printed on your land tax demand notice, or look it up in seconds: search your address on Cahow and you'll see your ARV, your assessment number (the reference you need for Government forms), an illustrative land tax figure, and a free estimate of your home's market value.
Look up your ARV free →Is ARV the same as market value?
No — an ARV is a rental assessment, not a price. But the two are related: homes with higher ARVs rent and sell for more. Cahow's estimates start from your official ARV, adjust it to today's market parish by parish, and get sharper as owners add what they actually paid — because Bermuda has no public record of sale prices, the community is building the missing dataset together.
General information, not legal or tax advice. ARVs are set by the Government of Bermuda's Land Valuation Department; thresholds and rates change — confirm current figures with official sources. Cahow is not affiliated with the Government of Bermuda. Data: Bermuda Planning GIS + 2015 Draft Valuation List.