https://www.vanplex.ca/atom.xml Data-driven insights on Vancouver multiplex development, R1-1 zoning, Bill 44, and homeowner ROI. 2026-08-10T12:00:00.000Z VanPlexhello@vanplex.ca Copyright 2026 VanPlex https://www.vanplex.ca/logo.png https://www.vanplex.ca/logo.png https://www.vanplex.ca/logo.png https://www.vanplex.ca/logo.png F61C3E VanPlex Astro https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/fourplex-presale-deposit-redma-gap-bc-2026 2026-08-10T12:00:00.000Z 2026-08-10T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

REDMA's deposit trust and 7-day rescission apply at 5+ strata lots. A fourplex pre-sale gets a 3-business-day rescission with a 0.25% fee, and the contract decides who holds the deposit.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/vancouver-multiplex-2026-market-update-july 2026-08-09T12:00:00.000Z 2026-08-09T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

July 2026 GVR data as a developer's proforma: land at $1,822,900, exits at $1,030,400, absorption 15.8%, financing 2.25%. What the $792,500 spread means.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/house-on-your-lot-multiplex-years-away-2026 2026-08-08T12:00:00.000Z 2026-08-08T12:00:00.000Z RealDream Contracting (Guest Writer)

The multiplex math works, but not yet. Here is what a suite, a coach house, or a targeted renovation actually does for a property you plan to redevelop later.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/execution-decides-multiplex-returns-2026 2026-08-06T12:00:00.000Z 2026-08-06T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Construction led all Canadian business insolvencies in Q1 2026 with 208 filings. Why the operator's people, controls and systems decide multiplex returns.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/dnv-ssmuh-deadline-passed-options-2026 2026-07-30T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-30T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

The June 30 2026 SSMUH deadline passed with no compliant DNV bylaw. The 4 options District of North Vancouver has now, and why six-unit zoning is still coming.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/how-multiplex-buyers-read-your-lot-2026 2026-07-30T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-30T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

In a multiplex zone your lot is read two ways: the house and the land. See how multiplex buyers underwrite a property before you build, sell, or accept an offer.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/vancouver-villages-plan-rejected-2026 2026-07-29T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-29T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Vancouver Council killed the Villages Plan 10 to 1 on July 28, 2026. Why every multiplex, SSMUH, and laneway right stays in force, and what it means for owners.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/multiplex-builder-marketing-mistakes-2026 2026-07-29T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-29T12:00:00.000Z Michael Lee (Guest Writer)

Vancouver multiplex builders lose margin to a broken launch plan. The 5 costliest go-to-market mistakes, from late marketing to no brand, and how to fix each.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/multiplex-construction-loan-draw-schedule-2026 2026-07-26T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-26T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

How BC construction loan draws work for a multiplex: land, lock-up at 40%, drywall at 70%, final at 100%, plus the 10% Builders Lien Act holdback released after a 45-day period.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/vancouver-tree-bylaw-multiplex-site-plan-2026 2026-07-25T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-25T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Vancouver's Protection of Trees By-law scales retention by lot width: 1 front-yard tree under 15.1 m, 2 at 15.1 m or wider, with $1,000 cash-in-lieu per tree. Design around it before permit stage.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/multiplex-unit-mix-mli-select-bedrooms-2026 2026-07-24T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-24T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

How your multiplex bedroom mix drives CMHC MLI Select affordability points. Family-sized two and three-bed units earn more rent and score higher than all-studio builds. Design the mix for the score.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/cmhc-forecast-multiplex-absorption-vancouver-2026 2026-07-23T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-23T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

CMHC's Summer 2026 outlook forecasts a slower market. A survey of 37 units across 11 completed Vancouver multiplex projects shows why absorption belongs in the underwriting.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/contaminated-soil-multiplex-infill-bc-2026 2026-07-23T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-23T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

BC's updated contaminated sites rules pull more soil disturbance into scope. When a Site Disclosure Statement is triggered, the Phase 1 and Phase 2 assessment ladder, and why checking before you buy is cheap insurance.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/party-wall-agreements-multiplex-bc-2026 2026-07-22T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-22T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

How party walls work for BC multiplex: each owner holds half the wall plus a support easement, registered under Land Title Act s.182 and s.223.1. What the agreement must cover and how strata differs.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/home-price-vs-wealth-vancouver-2026 2026-07-21T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-21T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Metro Vancouver detached prices rose 18% from 2016 to 2026, but inflation rose about 31%. After inflation the benchmark home lost roughly 10% of its real value. See the math.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/multiplex-appraisal-gap-vancouver-2026 2026-07-21T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-21T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Multiplex appraisal runs on the income approach, not house comparables. Why a completed rental multiplex can appraise 3-8% below expectation, what it does to your loan, and how to design for the number.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/new-westminster-multiplex-zoning-2026 2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-20T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

New Westminster adopted its Infill Housing Program in June 2026, pre-zoning lots for 3 to 6 homes. Unit counts by lot size and transit, permitted forms, and how to read your own lot before you build.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/capitals-missing-middle-multiplex-2026 2026-07-16T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-16T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Royal LePage raised its 2026 forecast to 2% while Vancouver stays soft. Why multiplex's real barrier is now a capital gap — deals too big for homeowners, too small for institutions — and needs purpose-built LP/JV structures.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/multiplex-housing-asset-class-not-project-2026 2026-07-11T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-11T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Bill 44 upzoned hundreds of thousands of BC lots, but zoning capacity isn't investment quality. Why serious capital should treat multiplex as an emerging asset class — filtered at scale and underwritten consistently.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/ptt-exemption-purpose-built-rental-multiplex-bc-2026 2026-07-10T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-10T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

BC's Property Transfer Tax exemption saves $48,000–$73,000 on qualifying rental multiplexes (4+ units, non-strata, held 10 years). Full eligibility rules, dollar math, and common mistakes that forfeit the exemption.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/gst-rebate-new-multiplex-bc-2026 2026-07-09T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-09T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

New rental multiplex in BC? The NRRP Rebate returns 36% of GST paid, up to $6,300 per unit — no purchase price cap. On a $2.4M fourplex: $25,200 back. Full guide: who qualifies, how to file, and common mistakes.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/owner-occupied-multiplex-financing-bc-2026 2026-07-08T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-08T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

House hacking a BC multiplex: live in one unit, rent the rest. Where CMHC's 5% down rule genuinely works, where Vancouver prices break it, and how rental income from the other units gets you qualified.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/two-brothers-one-property-multiplex-decision-2026 2026-07-07T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-07T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

A Vancouver property qualified for a fiveplex. One brother wanted to build for two families; the other wanted to wait. Why good zoning is an option, not an obligation.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/tax-traps-canadian-expats-vancouver-property-2026 2026-07-05T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-05T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

The 25% rental withholding, the Section 116 clearance certificate, and two vacancy taxes — the tax traps that catch Canadians who own Vancouver property from abroad, with CRA and BC sources.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/can-canadians-abroad-buy-vancouver-property-2026 2026-07-04T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-04T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

The federal foreign buyer ban applies to non-Canadians, not to citizens or permanent residents living abroad. What the ban covers, why a multiplex sits outside it, and what actually changes when you buy from overseas.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/nation-building-one-address-at-a-time-multiplex-2026 2026-07-03T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-03T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Nation-building happens one address at a time. Why the best multiplex investments are the rare lots where development rights, land basis, market, and execution all converge.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/ai-search-multiplex-specialists-generalists 2026-07-03T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-03T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Zoning was the easy part. The multiplex market is now separating specialists from generalists, and AI search is how homeowners find who actually delivers.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/bc-multiplex-index-launch 2026-07-01T12:00:00.000Z 2026-07-01T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

VanPlex launches PlexIntel and the PlexRank™ Index (BC Multiplex Index): free monthly figures on multiplex permit applications, unit counts, and lot-level viability across BC.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/burnaby-real-estate-prediction-2026-2029 2026-06-30T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-30T12:00:00.000Z Jersey Li (Guest Writer)

A Burnaby REALTOR®'s 3-year and 10-year multiplex prediction: Brentwood and Metrotown stay the power centres, Highgate and Royal Oak emerge as family winners, and only the right lots earn a premium.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-sixplex-nine-ward-map 2026-06-29T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-29T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Sixplexes are not legal city-wide in Toronto. Six units are permitted as-of-right in nine wards (OPA 818 / By-law 654-2025), with an opt-in path for the rest. The full ward list and the funding fight.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-fourplex-what-you-can-build 2026-06-28T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-28T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Up to four units are permitted as-of-right across Toronto since May 2023 — no rezoning, no public meeting, no parking. What the city-wide multiplex by-law lets you build and when a minor variance is needed.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-condo-glut-rental-competition 2026-06-27T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-27T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Over 40% of Toronto's condos are rented — a secondary market competing with purpose-built supply. What the CMHC data means for a ground-oriented multiplex held as rental.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/scarborough-sixplex-pilot-ward-23 2026-06-26T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-26T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Ward 23 Scarborough North is Toronto's suburban sixplex pilot under the June 2025 decision. What it proves about fitting six-unit forms on large suburban lots — and what it signals for going city-wide.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/housing-abundance-or-moving-the-bill-2026 2026-06-25T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-25T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

The Carney-Eby plan converts 2,200 B.C. condos and cuts development charges 50%. Is it housing abundance or moving the cost of scarcity? And why a fourplex right isn't a fourplex.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-no-parking-multiplex-math 2026-06-25T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-25T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Since February 2022, Toronto duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes require no parking spaces. How removing the minimum frees floor area and cuts the cost of a multiplex.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-bill-23-vs-city-bylaw 2026-06-24T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-24T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Ontario's Bill 23 sets a three-unit as-of-right floor and exempts the 2nd and 3rd units from development charges. Toronto went to four units city-wide. The gap a builder must read — especially on charges.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-laneway-vs-garden-suite 2026-06-23T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-23T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Laneway suites (city-wide since 2019) need a lot abutting a public lane; garden suites (since 2022) are for lots without one. How to tell which you can build and how each stacks with a multiplex.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/toronto-vs-ottawa-multiplex-playbooks 2026-06-22T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-22T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Both cities exceeded Bill 23's three-unit floor differently — Toronto's four-units-everywhere plus nine-ward sixplexes and Major Streets, versus Ottawa's four-units-as-of-right city-wide. How they compare for a builder.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/victoria-missing-middle-renters-landlords-cmhc 2026-06-21T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-21T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Victoria's purpose-built vacancy reached 3.3% in 2025 — highest since 1999 — while rented condos stay near 0.3%. What the CMHC data means for a houseplex held as rental.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/where-is-the-gold-multiplex-zoning-2026 2026-06-20T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-20T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Multiplex zoning grants the right to build on thousands of lots, but only ~2% pencil. Why the map matters more than the rush -- and how to find which side your lot is on.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/oak-bay-vs-saanich-same-housing-law 2026-06-20T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-20T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Saanich implemented Bill 44 cleanly with a Form & Character DP exemption; Oak Bay adopted a four-unit base then drew a provincial Housing Supply Act advisor and directives. Why local implementation matters.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/heritage-conserving-infill-fernwood-james-bay 2026-06-19T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-19T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Victoria's Schedule P gives heritage-conserving infill a 1.1 FSR — more buildable area for keeping the old house than for tearing it down. How it works in Fernwood and James Bay.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/victoria-fourth-unit-development-cost-charges 2026-06-18T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-18T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Victoria exempts residential projects with fewer than four units from Development Cost Charges. The fourth unit triggers per-unit DCCs, Amenity Cost Charges, and a development permit. Why it's a financial decision.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/victoria-missing-middle-vs-bill-44-saanich 2026-06-17T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-17T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

The City of Victoria runs its own Missing Middle program (houseplex up to 6, corner townhouse up to 12). Saanich follows provincial Bill 44 / SSMUH. Why the system depends on which side of the boundary you're on.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/victoria-six-units-fairfield-houseplex-walkthrough 2026-06-16T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-16T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

A step-by-step walkthrough of building a six-unit houseplex on a Victoria Fairfield lot — the two-gate eligibility test, the Schedule P envelope, the 3-bedroom rule, and where cost and process step up at four units.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/ottawa-garden-suite-third-unit-bill-23 2026-06-15T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-15T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

How a garden suite or laneway home works as the ancillary third unit on an Ottawa lot — Bill 23's two-in-main-plus-one rule, Ottawa's four-unit as-of-right framework, lot needs, and where it fits the missing middle.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/where-missing-middle-pencils-ottawa-neighbourhoods 2026-06-14T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-14T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Where small multiplexes make sense across Ottawa by lot character and transit — Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, Old Ottawa South, and Westboro. The N-zone and lot dimensions decide what fits.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/fraser-valley-first-time-buyer-multiplex-playbook 2026-06-13T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-13T12:00:00.000Z Michael Goering (Guest Writer)

Bill 44 rezoned Fraser Valley lots for 3–4 homes. A FRIVE REALTOR®'s playbook: stack $100K in FHSA/HBP room plus ~$61K in GST and PTT relief on a new multiplex unit.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/ottawa-parking-minimums-removed-multiplex 2026-06-13T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-13T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

Ottawa Zoning By-law 2026-50 removed minimum parking requirements city-wide. Why that frees yard space, cuts cost, and lets a fourplex fit a standard lot — and why 'no minimum' doesn't mean 'no parking'.

https://www.vanplex.ca/blog/bill-23-ontario-vs-ottawa-three-four-units 2026-06-12T12:00:00.000Z 2026-06-12T12:00:00.000Z David Babakaiff

How Ontario's Bill 23 three-unit floor and Ottawa Zoning By-law 2026-50's four-unit as-of-right rule stack on the same lot, why the City rule governs, and how it shapes the triplex-versus-fourplex decision.