Burnaby is one step closer to cracking down on unauthorized secondary suites in the city.
On Monday, council received an update on the city’s secondary suite program, which is heading into its third phase. The program was introduced in September 2013 to regulate suites in Burnaby while providing a form of housing for low-income residents.
“The city’s comprehensive secondary suites program adopted by council has succeeded in advancing this affordable housing issue, which had been an outstanding goal of the city's official community plan and was reconfirmed as part of the social sustainability strategy,” reads the report.
The program’s phased implementation began with amendments to the city’s zoning bylaw, the creation of the home rental business bylaw, the application of B.C. Building Code provisions, and associated administrative changes.
In January 2014, the city allowed property owners to apply for building permits for the construction or approval of suites. Over a one-year period, the city received 316 permit applications and approved 223 in new residences and 29 in existing residences. The remaining 64 are pending approval.
The city also grandfathered 532 existing permitted and currently licensed in-law suites (secondary suites in a single-family dwelling) as non-conforming but legal suites. Forty-nine other in-law suites are currently being processed by the city.
The third phase, set to start later this year, will see the city ramp up bylaw enforcement and billing of unauthorized suites and finalize the city’s database of homes with suites in Burnaby.
Colleen Jordan
“This year, 2015, will be the year where we track down the additional 6,000 suites that, according to our information and information from B.C. Assessment, exist in the city,” said Coun. Colleen Jordan.
Jordan said the city will contact residents with unauthorized suites later this year and will begin to be charged for additional utility fees, as per the program.
The city also requires all dwellings with secondary suites to have one medium-sized garbage toter.
