Self Contained Listings Across Metro Vancouver

Confirm the Self Contained Suite Was Actually Permitted

Self Contained suites turn a Greater Vancouver house into two households under one roof, so confirm the suite is permitted with the municipality before you count on a dollar of the income.

A separate entrance and a second kitchen do not make a suite legal. Ask the municipality whether the secondary suite is registered at the address, and ask the listing agent for the permit history covering the work. An unregistered suite is common across the region and it is still a risk, because the municipality can require it be removed, an insurer can decline a claim on it, and your lender may refuse to count the income at all. Get that answer during your subject period rather than after possession.

Check the Entry, the Ceiling Height and the Fire Separation

Walk the suite as its own home. Measure the ceiling height, since a minimum applies and a low ceiling rules out ever legalising the space. Every sleeping room needs an egress window sized to code. Look for a fire separation between the two dwellings and interconnected smoke alarms, check whether hydro is separately metered, and see where laundry, storage and parking sit for each household. In North Vancouver, stock in Lower Lonsdale and Lynn Valley often carries suites of very different vintages, so judge each on the paperwork rather than the finish.

Ask How a Self Contained Suite Affects Your Mortgage

Speak with a mortgage professional before you set your budget. Lenders count only a portion of suite income toward qualification, and the portion differs by lender and by whether the suite is registered. Tell your insurer the suite exists. Ask your agent to compare MLS® sold figures for houses with and without a permitted suite on the same streets rather than working from a listing description.