Why is a house inspector coming to my home?

by **darik** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:24 pm

I got a letter in the mail from the city of vancouver that a "district property use inspector" is coming to my house for some kind of inspection. Apparently to look for some kind of zoning by-law. What does this mean, and why are they coming?

by **wendlesora** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:28 pm

I would consult an attorney before you agree to let them in.

You need to know your rights before hand because you have no idea what they want .

by **hwistlere31** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:33 pm

Sounds like someone called to complain about something.

The City of Vancouver Web site says that District Property Use inspectors come because of "complaints, standards of maintenance, untidy site, pests, i.e., bed bugs, and abandoned/open property."

by **bergh39** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:35 pm

they are coming to see what they see.
either as a normal property check up for
tax roles or some one snitched on u doing
some thing no,no on your property
in violation of city zoning.

so all u can do is hide all illegal things u
can think of and relax. ;-)

by **montrel68** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:37 pm

Are the downstairs tenants in a legal rental? IF not, that could be the problem.

by **achimelech51** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:38 pm

Cathi hit the nail on the head. If they're coming due to zoning bylaws, it means only one thing: unauthorized accommodations. In other words, like MOST basement suites in Vancouver, it's not a legal suite as in done without permits and it's not on a separate hydro and gas meter, etc. These are considered violations by the City of Vancouver and subject to a fine for not having the necessary permits to convert the basement into a suite. Usually they will simply require that you apply for the permits and upgrade anything to make it up to code (if it isn't already). This could cost a few hundred up to a few thousand or tens of thousands (realtor in my office had a client that had to spend $50K+ to bring it up to code).

Please note that your neighbor's snitching might have caused this. BUT ultimately you should also know the City of Vancouver does check out homes on a regular basis due to zoning bylaw infractions. If your realtor was silly enough to put it in the public remarks on MLS, they might have caught it there and it might not be because of the tiff with the neighbor.

Advertisments:

Sponsor Links: