It's not official yet, but all factors seem to strongly point in the direction of legalizing basement apartments (otherwise known as "secondary suites") in the City of Vaughan.
The latest indication of this was a Vaughan City council on January 25th which saw a recommendation from the Commissioner of Planning to undertake a study on secondary suites along with the establishment of a secondary suites task force. The recommendation will proceed to City council on Feb. 16 for a vote.
Secondary suites have received greater attention at both the Provincial and local levels.
At the Provincial level, both the Places to Grow Act and the Provincial Policy Statement (Planning Act) make reference to to establishing and implementing minimum targets for the provision of affordable housing and point to the conversion/expansion of existing residential buildings to create new residential units or accommodation, including accessory apartments, secondary suites and rooming houses.
At the local level, York Region continues to exhibit a lack of affordable rental housing. According to the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, York Region has been cited as having the highest rental increase over a 10 year period ending 2007 a period of time, one of the tightest rental vacancy rates in the GTA, and a high percentage of tenants paying 30% or more of household income on housing.
The legalization of secondary suites is a complex issue and often sparks controversy among advocates and opponents.
Concerns surrounding the legalization of secondary suites include how to create additional parking spaces, the difficulty in enforcing building and fire code standards and the strain on services and infrastructure among neighbourhoods which had originally not planned for the increase in population.
Advocates, on the other hand, will argue that secondary suites already exist (albeit illegally) and that the safety of such occupants may often be compromised in the absence of building standard regulation and enforcement. Furthermore, it is an obvious way to help to address the issue of the lack of affordable housing inventory.
In these more trying economic times, should mortgage rates begin to creep up (as many have industry analysts have predicted) it is very conceivable that we will see a proliferation of home owners trying to supplement their incomes and secondary suite rentals will no doubt become an alernative for some. In my own personal observation, I've already seen their proliferation.
On a personal level, I have always declined on listing mandates involving the rental of an illegal basement. Although there are a host of standard "do not warrant the retrofit status" clauses many Realtors will use while marketing their listings, it flies in the face of ethical responsibility in my humble opinion.
Personally, I'm glad to see the issue finally receiving it's due regard at the City level.
You'll have to stay posted to see what happens.
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