With housing costs rising in the City of Victoria, many homeowners are considering adding a secondary suite to their property in order to make things a little more affordable. Mortgage helpers make a home more marketable because they appeal to a larger range of buyers, especially first-time homeowners. There is also a much larger range of family dynamics now than ever before. The 1950′s ideal of the nuclear family with a picket fence and 2.4 children is giving way to a different family dynamic. Suites provide the perfect solution for adult children to be independent but still have grandma and grandpa nearby to help out with child care, and as the baby-boomer generation ages, more people are taking in an elderly parent instead of shipping them off to a home. Also, many young people are partnering up to purchase a property that they would not otherwise be able to afford individually.

I have included a link to a slide show put on by the Mayor of Victoria to discuss the secondary suite issue, which has all the guidelines in it. It refers to an incentive grant program that offers up to $5000 in funding for homeowners willing to construct a secondary suite where none existed previously. It is on a first-come, first-served basis however so if you are considering it, get your applications in now as construction doesn’t have to be completed until 12 months after you are approved.

Mayor Dean Fortin’s Secondary Suite Presentation

The 2 most important rules for a legal suite in the City of Victoria are:
1. Basement height has to be 7 feet or higher
2. The total square footage must be 1615 sqft or greater, and the suite
can only be 40% of the total floor space to a max of 968 square feet. If
the floor plan is smaller than 1615 sqft, you can add-on to make up the
extra room.

The City of Victoria has come to the conclusion that homeowners’ adding secondary suites is a great way to provide more affordable housing in the city at a much lower cost than if the city was to build affordable housing units on their own. Essentially, if you find a place in Victoria that meets the criteria, they will work with you to get it done. In January 2009, city council passed a resolution changing the Bylaw to make adding a secondary suite even easier. Read the Summary here

The City of Victoria has an excellent website full of information about secondary suites and all the rules and regulations here:
City of Victoria and Secondary Suites

Keep in mind that this applies only to the municipality of Victoria. Langford, Colwood, Saanich, Esquimalt and Oak Bay all have different rules and many of these municipalities have unauthorized suites. While Langford is known for its active promotion of development, Oak Bay is notorious for investigating and shutting down unauthorized accommodation. Before you purchase any property with the idea of developing it further, check the local municipal regulations.

If you are unsure where to find information in your municipality contact me shamusbaier@gmail.com

There are also other grant programs availablefor low-income seniors or adults with a disability from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. They can provide forgivable loans to homeowners to create an affordable secondary suite in an existing single family house. For more information, call 1.800.639.3938 and ask to speak with CMHC’s Assisted Housing Centre, or visit www.cmhcschl.gc.ca. In addition, you may be eligible for a federal Home Renovation Tax Credit. For more information visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca.