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Legal or Unauthorized: The Distinction That Matters Most
The feed distinguishes these and most listing descriptions blur them. Getting it wrong is the most expensive mistake available in this part of the market.
The short answer
A legal suite was permitted and built to code as a separate dwelling unit. An unauthorized suite was not, regardless of its condition or how long it has been rented. You inherit the status when you buy, along with any consequence: an order to remove it, an insurance position you did not expect, or a lender that will not count the rent.
Homes that state a suite
274 active listings
- Median list price
- $1,477,500
- Median price per sq ft
- $583
- Median size
- 2,445 sq ft
- Median strata fee
- $292
- Median annual property tax
- $4,985
typical range $1,108,630 to $2,289,700
typical range $412 to $1,054
typical range 1,769 sq ft to 3,542 sq ft
typical range $74 to $400
13 of 274 listings state one
typical range $2,708 to $9,750
107 of 274 listings state one
Measured across 274 active listings on .
Where these homes are
Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link.
257 of 274 homes plotted. 17 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.
Homes behind these numbers
$599,000B 2020 VIEWMOUNT COURT
FVREB Out of Town · 3 bed · 1,648 sq ft
$819,9002 8745 ASHWELL ROAD
Lower Landing · 4 bed · 2,417 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8576 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$859,900
Freehold
8548 DUNBAR WAY
Mission · 4 bed · 2,233 sq ft
$879,9004 8745 ASHWELL ROAD
Lower Landing · 5 bed · 2,413 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
1 46018 BONNY AVENUE
Chilliwack Proper East · 5 bed · 2,201 sq ft
$899,0006 6165 144 AVENUE
Sullivan Station · 4 bed · 2,005 sq ft
$899,0005 6165 144 AVENUE
Sullivan Station · 4 bed · 2,005 sq ft
$899,0008 14391 61A AVENUE
Sullivan Station · 4 bed · 2,128 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32529 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,149 sq ft
$899,000
Freehold
32531 HIGGINBOTTOM COURT
Mission · 6 bed · 3,145 sq ft
$919,9001 8745 ASHWELL ROAD
Lower Landing · 5 bed · 2,480 sq ft
262 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.
What the words mean
Legal means the municipality permitted it and it was inspected as a separate dwelling unit. Unauthorized means it was not, whatever standard it was actually built to.
This is about permits, not quality. Plenty of unauthorized suites are well built and plenty of buyers assume that is what matters. It is not the test anyone applies later.
What you inherit
The status transfers with the property. If the municipality later requires an unauthorized suite to be removed, that becomes your problem and your cost, not the seller's.
Insurance can respond differently to an unauthorized unit, and finding that out at claim time is the worst possible moment. Tell your insurer what is actually there.
Lenders also treat the two differently when deciding how much rental income counts, which can change what you are able to borrow.
- → A possible order to remove or decommission the suite
- → An insurance position that differs from what you assumed
- → Rental income a lender will not count, or will count less of
- → A future buyer who applies exactly the same scrutiny you should be applying now
How to find out
Ask the municipality. They hold the permit record and it is the only authoritative answer. The listing description is a marketing document and the seller's belief is not evidence.
Do this during the subject period, in writing, and do not let a reassuring answer from anyone with a commission stand in for it.
Is this right for you
Works well if
- ✓ You confirmed the status with the municipality before removing subjects
- ✓ If unauthorized, you have priced the risk and can absorb it
Does not work if
- ✕ You are relying on rental income from a suite a lender will not count
- ✕ You could not absorb the cost of decommissioning it
- ✕ Your insurer has not been told what is actually there
Check before you offer
- → The permit record, from the municipality, in writing
- → What your insurer will write given the actual configuration
- → What your lender will count toward qualifying
- → Whether any enforcement file already exists on the property
Read next
Common questions
How do I check if a suite is legal?
Ask the municipality for the permit record on the specific address. They are the only authoritative source. A listing description, a seller's assurance, and an agent's opinion are none of them evidence.
Is buying a home with an unauthorized suite a bad idea?
It is a risk to price rather than an automatic no. What makes it a bad idea is buying one while assuming it is legal, or relying on rent a lender will not count. Know what you are buying and decide deliberately.
Can an unauthorized suite be made legal?
Sometimes, and it depends on the municipality, the building, and what work would be required. Treat it as a project with an unknown cost until someone with the permit record and the building in front of them tells you otherwise.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Checked
- BC Residential Tenancy Branch
Checked
Find homes with a suite
Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and combine a suite with price, bedrooms, parking, and distance to a station.