Recently, the City of Kelowna has sped up the process of legalizing suites. In the past, it was a long and somewhat a painful process to acquire permits, have hearings etc.
Permits are now much faster to obtain. I spoke to a client last week, who received his permit immediately the day after he applied. I was impressed to see the City of Kelowna’s speed and efficiency of the process, and so was he!

Legalizing a suite is a great idea for the safety of the tenants and homeowners, as it requires many safety issues to be put in place. A property with a legal suite will also typically sell for more money than an equal property with an illegal suite. The reason for this is the lenders (banks) can use more of the revenue from it to qualify buyers (i.e. Typically, buyers can afford a larger mortgage with a legal suite vs. an illegal suite).

For more information on requirements to legalize a suite, see the bulletin from the City of Kelowna here.

If you have any questions regarding suites, please feel free to call or email us at any time!