Garden Suites, Carriage Houses or Laneway Houses in Victoria

“Build it and they will come. Well we have a reverse problem: they have come, but we haven’t built it.” - Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, April 13.

If you live in Victoria and you want to build a garden suite, carriage house or laneway house, good news! Garden suites will be permitted in all of Victoria’s single-family residential areas, and you no longer need to undergo a rezoning. All the existing requirements for size, setbacks and height will remain in place, but in order to streamline the process, you do not have to notify your neighbours (though it might be a good idea for the sake of neighbourly relations), and no rezoning triggered public hearing.

What this decision by City Council will do is increase options for renters who currently face an extremely low vacancy rate currently below half a percent, and homeowners will appreciate the chance for rental income. It you’re planning on selling your home, creating a garden suite will maximize your home’s sale value, and make it more attractive for buyers who may need a mortgage helper.