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Barrie Home Inspector
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Wed, Jun 20th - 3:10AM
Legal Apartments in Barrie, ON
Effective January 1, 2004 the City of Barrie requires every two-unit
house within the city to be registered. As part of the registration
process, the City will confirm that the two-unit house is legal under
the City’s Zoning By-law, and that the house complies with several
health and safety regulations.
For detailed information, please call the Zoning Branch of the
Building Services Department at (705) 739-4212.
What is a Two-Unit House?
A two-unit house is a building that contains two residential
dwelling units. Commonly, a two-unit house starts as a single dwelling
unit (detached, semi-detached or townhouse) with a second dwelling unit
created within the house later on. The second unit is sometimes
referred to as a second suite, an in-law suite or a basement apartment.
Why Do Two-Unit Houses Need to be Registered?
For a variety of reasons, some property owners have created a
second dwelling unit within an existing dwelling unit. In many cases,
the two-unit house is within a single family residential zone, where
such a use is prohibited. Because of the illegal use, work to create
the second suite was done without permits or inspections. In some
situations, bad ventilation, electrical wiring or plumbing may be
unsafe for the occupants.
The City of Barrie wants to ensure all legal two-unit houses are
safe. To do so, we have adopted a by-law to require every two-unit
house to be registered. Through the registration process the house will
be inspected to confirm compliance with the Zoning By-law, the Building
Code, the Fire Code and the Property Standards By-law.
Once cleared by the Zoning Branch, inspections need to be arranged
with the Fire Department and the Building Department. They need to
inspect the entire house, meaning both dwelling units and any common
areas (i.e. laundry room and furnace room). If any deficiencies are
found, you will need to correct them before the inspectors can pass the
inspection.
A letter confirming registration of your two-unit house will be
sent to you by the registrar when all approvals have been granted. The
registration letter will indicate that on the date of registration,
your two-unit house satisfied the zoning, safety and maintenance
regulations of the day.
What Will This Cost?
Safety within two-unit houses requires special construction. For
instance drywall is an important component of a fire separation between
the two units. If the existing materials do not create the required
separation, new materials may be required. Overall, the costs will
depend on how the units have already been constructed.
Costs will include;
1. The costs to achieve the base construction requirements, if not already done, plus
2. The costs to apply for registration, plus
3. Any costs to upgrade the building or to do repairs as neces-sary to meet the maintenance requirements.
1. The base construction requirements are the upgrades necessary to
convert a single dwelling unit to a two-unit house. The requirements
depend on the date of conver-sion.
(a) Two-unit houses created on or before July 14, 1994 must comply
with Section 9.8 of the Fire Code. The cost of an inspection by the
Fire Department is $200. If construction upgrades are necessary
additional fees must be paid for a building permit.
(b) Two-unit houses created after July 14, 1994 must com-ply with
the Ontario Building Code. A permit will be re-quired and the fee is
based on the area of the second suite. A permit for a 500 sq. ft. suite
would cost about $200.
2. All two-unit houses must be registered, including those
previously ap-proved and inspected under building permits. The
registration fee will depend on the inspections that will be
neces-sary:
(a) All applications are subject to a $75 administration fee.
(b) Unless there was a permit previously issued to create the two-unit house, a Zoning review fee of $25 will be charged.
(c) The Fire Code inspection will be $200 for units not previously
in-spected, and $100 for a maintenance inspection for those previ-ously
inspected and approved. Units created within the recent two year period
under a building permit does not need a Fire Code inspection.
(d) The Property Standards inspection will be $200 for units not
pre-viously inspected, and $100 for a maintenance inspection for those
units previously inspected and approved. Units created within the
recent two year period under a building permit do not need a Property
Standards inspection. The minimum registration fee is $75 for two-unit
houses created under a building permit within the most recent two year
period. The maximum registration fee is $500, except that a maximum fee
of $250 is available for all registration applications received prior
to December 31, 2005.
3. Building upgrades, repairs and renovations will vary depending
on the extent of the required work. Any material alterations to the
building will require a building permit at an additional cost.
What If I Can’t Afford To Comply With The Technical Standards?
In most cases, the rental of a second suite is a ‘business’. As
with any business, you must balance your costs with your revenues. If
the costs exceed your revenues, you would make a business decision to
either cease the business or obtain a loan where you expect, in the
longer term, the revenues to cover the costs.
If you decide to cease the business, you will need to evict the
tenants and convert the house back to a single dwelling unit. If the
‘tenants’ are family members or close friends, the conversion to a
single dwelling unit means you must live as a single housekeeping unit.
By removing the second kitchen and opening access between the two
areas, you can achieve the single unit status.
How Often Do I Have To Register?
Registration of a two-unit house is a one-time event. Under the current legislation, you do not have to re-register.
Can the City Revoke My Registration?
Yes. The registration does not need to be renewed, but you must
always continue to maintain your building in compliance with Part 2 of
the Fire Code and with the Property Maintenance By-law.
If your building is inspected, usually at the invitation of a
disgruntled tenant, and contraventions of the maintenance regulations
are found, you will be served an order to remedy the contraventions
within a time limit. If you do not make the repairs within the time
specified, you may face penalties under either the Fire Code or the
Property Standards By-law. In addition, the registrar may revoke your
registration. Any continued use of the house as a two-unit house
without being registered would be a separate violation, subject to its
own penalties.
Registration can also be revoked if the house ceases to be used as a two-unit house.
Applications to re-register a two-unit house would be subject to the rules and fees in effect at that time.
How Do I Know If My Two-Unit House Is Legal?
A two-unit house is legal under the City’s Zoning By-law where;
a) A two-unit house is a permitted use, such as in zones RM1, RM1-SS, RM2, RM2-TH, RA1, RA2, C1 and C2.
b) The two-unit house is within a house constructed prior to 1945
and complies with the ‘converted house’ requirements of the Zoning
By-law;
c) The two-unit house was legally established under a former Zoning By-law, and has continued in use ever since; or
d) The two-unit house existed on May 22, 1996 and complied with the
requirements of the Resident’s Rights Act, 1994, and has continued in
use ever since.
What If My Two-Unit House Is illegal?
An illegal two-unit house is in contravention of the City’s Zoning
By-law. Even if the house was in compliance with the Building Code and
Fire Code, it cannot be registered. An unregistered two-unit house is a
contravention of the registration by-law.
To avoid a conviction in Provincial Offences Court, the illegal two-unit house must be converted back to a single dwelling unit.
What If I Don’t Know When the Second Suite Was Created?
Unless there is evidence produced that clearly confirms the second
suite was created before May 22, 1996 the City must conclude that the
unit was created after May 22, 1996.
Building permits or inspections by the Fire Department are good
sources of evidence. Without permits, the City will consider other
evidence such as lease agreements or affidavits from former owners,
tenants and neighbours, as outlined in our registration application
form.
What Technical Standards Must My Legal Two-Unit House Comply With?
There are three categories of technical standards that will need to be verified to register your two-unit house:
1. Zoning By-Law Requirements,
2. Base Construction Requirements, and
3. On-going Maintenance Requirements.
Under the Zoning By-law, the two-unit house must be connected to
municipal water and sewer services, and must meet certain lot frontage,
lot area, floor area, building setbacks and off-street parking
requirements, depending on which zone you are located.
The base construction requirements will be found in the Ontario
Building Code and the Ontario Fire Code. For units that existed on July
14, 1994, Section 9.8 of the Fire Code requires compliance for fire
separations, exits, smoke alarms and electrical safety. For units
created after July 14, 1994, the Ontario Building Code Act requires
that a permit be obtained, and that fire separations, exits, smoke
alarms and heating/ventilation systems comply with Parts 9, 10 and 11,
depending on whether construction renovations are required.
The on-going maintenance requirements are found in Part 2 of the
Ontario Fire Code and in the Property Standards By-law 84-200. All of
the base requirements noted above plus the house and property in
general must be maintained in good repair at all times.
What Happens When I Apply For Registration?
Your application for registration of your two-unit house will consist of;
• A completed application form
• Proof of the date when the second suite was established
• Sketch of the property indicating building setbacks and parking
• Floor plan sketches of the two-unit house for all floors
• Payment of the registration application fee
Staff of the Zoning Branch will receive your application on the 8th
floor of City Hall at 70 Collier Street, Barrie during regular office
hours.
Your application will be reviewed to confirm compliance with the
Zoning By-law. You may be asked to provide additional information.
Once you have satisfied the zoning requirements, you will be
required to arrange the appropriate inspections and/or to obtain
necessary permits from the City.
Once all necessary works are completed, the City will be in a position to issue a Certificate of Registration.
Where Can I Get More Information?
To discuss the specifics of your own two-unit house, please contact
the Zoning Branch of the Building Services Department by dropping into
City Hall, 8th floor, or by calling 739-4212. You can also e-mail us at
building@city.barrie.on.ca.
Barrie Home Inspector
Barrie Home Inspections
Comment (6)
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Tue, Jun 19th - 5:19PM
Home Inspectors Ripping You Off?
Home inspections are a fairly new phenomenon in the Real estate
industry. There are no regulations in place to control who may call
themselves or perform home inspections. This leaves the prospective
home owner at the mercy of Real Estate agents, who usually refer or
recommend a home inspector to their clients. Real estate agents are
required to refer at least three home inspectors as dictated by their
ethics requirements, but most typically refer their trusted inspector.
Horror stories abound of home sales lost through the callous remarks of
an “un-trained home inspector.
As a fully insured member of FREA, one of the requirements of obtaining
insurance was the requirement to have completed a recognized home
inspectors course and supply a certificate. I personally took the
Carson-Dunlop course which covers all the main systems of the home in
detail. Another requirement is to belong to an home inspectors
organization, to which I also belong, NACHI ( North American
Association of Certified Home Inspectors ). I looked around before
choosing an association to belong to and found NACHI provided the most
information and help for inspectors after you paid your dues. There is
an Ontario Association but I felt their main concern was obtaining your
dues and ensuring you did not interfere with the existing membership,
with no visible support mechanism after payment. This was a personal
choice and based solely on my needs and is not intended to drum up
business or deny business to any organization.
Building Code knowledge is a vital part of being a home inspector.
Understanding how all the building systems are connected and designed
to work together to achieve the minimum standards set out in codes and
regulations is vital to accuracy when inspecting any building. I have
completed Part 9 the House of the Ontario Building Code, which is
comprised of, Structural, Building Envelope, Health & Safety, Fire
& HVAC and General Legal Process, which are all related to
residential type home construction. Over the years I have also taken
courses on plan reviews, sprinklers, inspection courses, and some Part
3 courses, which deal with industrial/commercial type buildings.
Proper equipment is an important part of home inspections. Want the
quickest way to tell if your home inspector is truly a professional;
look at his vehicle and type of ladder he is using. Some recent entries
into the home inspection market have started up using a van and
collapsible ladder. So how is he going to inspect your roof with a
ladder that collapses? Most ladders of this type only extend to 21.5
feet. I have one that I use only for attic access, they are great for
getting around closet organizers etc. That would be the same thing as
the fire department pulling up to your home in a car, bringing a
portable fire extinguisher! Yes, he will be able to put out a small
fire, and yes, he is a fire fighter, but is that the type of response
you are looking for?
Expertise is another area of home inspections that is very important to
the home owner. What building experience does the inspector have, is he
limited to a week or two intense training at a “franchise training
center”? If your inspector has no prior knowledge or experience in the
building industry, he is hopelessly beyond the ability of any brief
training course to educate. There is too much to learn and too many
subjects involved. Typical areas of expertise required would include
but not limited to; landscaping, foundations, footings, roofs, drainage
systems, building envelope, windows, doors, decks and porches,
insulation and ventilation, heating and cooling, electrical, HVAC,
plumbing, structural support and construction, mould and abatement,
interior finishes, stairs and handrails, exhaust venting, laundry and
washroom fixtures. So if you had 24 subjects you needed to be at least
competent at and your went on a 2 week intensive training to your
franchise school, if you spent 12 hours a day in “school” you would
spend 3 hours on each topic minus breaks, lunches. Do you want your
roof inspected by a “home inspector’ in a van who has had a total of 3
hours training to recognize defects in ventilation, construction,
insulation and signs of failure?
A professional home inspector should take you around your home, not
only pointing out defects but also showing you areas that will require
future maintenance. He will educate you on where shut offs are located
and explain such things as how much space is available in your main
electrical panel. Whenever you book a home inspection never miss this
golden opportunity to learn about the systems and features of your home.
Roger Frost, the Barrie Home Inspector, is a professional home inspector serving clients in the
Barrie, Ontario area in Simcoe County. He has over 26 years experience
in the building industry and inspections. Roger has developed a loyal
client base, which is centered on his professional abilities and
excellent service provided. He also provides free consultation for any
questions you may have concerning your home and is available 7 days a
week.
Barrie Home Inspector
Barrie Home Inspections
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