You have heard of laneway housing or laneway suite and finds it as a best fit for you. Now, let us dive on the available programs of laneway housing/suite and how to avail them.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Must own a property within Toronto that is abutting a public lane
Approved building permit
Laneway housing/suite should adhere to the design guidelines
ZONING BYLAWS
Laneway housing/suite, are separate, detached dwellings that are built on the rear side of a property abutting a laneway or access route but before anyone can build one, they must adhere to the City of Toronto’s zoning bylaw.
As of writing, those who aspire to get their laneway housing/suite up and running can choose between the two programs the currently exists: The Development Charges Deferral Program and The Affordable Laneway Suites Pilot Program.
THE DEVELOPMENT CHARGES DEFERRAL PROGRAM
As the name suggests, this program defers the payment of your development charges. Development charges are the administrative costs to the city every time a new building is constructed.
Who can apply:
Must own a property within Toronto
Must have applied for building permit
Must enter into a DC Deferral for Ancillary Secondary Dwelling Units Agreement with the City
THE AFFORDABLE LANEWAY SUITES PILOT PROGRAM
The affordable laneway suites pilot program helps eligible homeowners to build their own laneway housing/suites by providing funding in a form of a forgivable loan of up to $50,000. Forgivable loan means that the loan will be forgiven in 15 years from the date when the first tenant occupies the laneway suite. Just make sure that the rent charge cannot exceed the City of Toronto Average Market Rent during the 15 years.
Who can apply:
Must own a single-family home that is abutting a public lane within Toronto
Must have applied for building permit
Must enter into an Affordable Laneway Suites Contribution Agreement with the City
Must be approved for the Development Charges Deferral Program for Ancillary Secondary Dwelling Units
DESIGN GUIDELINES
Now that you have decided which program to choose, you will have to design a laneway house that adheres to the City of Toronto’s Laneway house design guidelines. Below are the visual design aid provided by the City of Toronto.
In the end of the day, it’s your laneway housing/suite, so you still have the freedom to choose what’s yours will be like. Just make sure you are not missing the important bits such as paper works and the such.
It would mean a lot if this article helps you in your step forward towards building your laneway housing/suite. Kindly let us know what you think in the comment section below and what topic do you want to hear from us next.