What to Know When Building a Secondary Suite
What to Know When Building a Secondary Suite
We’ve talked a lot about reasons for having a secondary suite and purchasing a home that already contains one, but have you thought about building your own suite? Maybe you have a home with a separate space that could work with some minor renovations, or an existing suite that has no prior permits or inspection approval. Or maybe you’re building a new home and want to include a secondary suite in your home’s plans. Regardless of your strategy you’ve already taken the first step towards generating passive income in your own home.
Whether you are building a new suite or properly legalizing an existing one, there are several necessary steps to take before renting out the place to new tenants. First you need to apply for a special inspection that will determine what work needs to be done to legalize an existing suite. You will then receive a letter listing the permits, plans and upgrading requirements for your secondary suite.
Once you know exactly what needs to be done for your suite to be legal, you will need to bring an application to City Hall with the necessary plans and documents as identified in the requirements list of the local authority, and apply for a combined Development and Building Permit.
When you’ve received your permit and then begin work on your secondary suite, progress inspections will be required during construction. You or your contractor will need to arrange the progress inspections, as well as a final inspection following the completion of the secondary suite.
If all goes well during the construction period and you gain approval for your secondary suite, you will receive a letter of confirmation with your approval. Once you’ve obtained an annual business license to rent out your suite you will be ready for new tenants and an attractive new rental income.
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