Legal Basement Apartments

Obtaining the Permit…

Introduction

Recently, municipal building inspectors and examiners throughout southern Ontario have become extra cautious when reviewing permit applications for Basement Apartments and other basement-related renovations.

This is especially true when reviewing drawings and permit applications that have been submitted by newly-licensed and/or inexperienced designers.

The most important concern of course, is for the safety of families and individuals who reside within such private rental units, where specific Ontario fire codes, structural modifications and other safety standards for Basement Apartments must be strictly adhered to by whomever performs the actual work.

In addition, the Toronto GTA has recently been issuing unprecedented numbers of Permit Compliance Orders arising from Building Code violations committed by homeowners who have (knowingly or unknowingly) neglected to comply with the legal permit process before renting out their basements.

Many of these homeowners have been facing large fines and “Stop-Work-Orders” (if the work is still in progress) issued by their local municipalities. see Permit Compliance Orders

About our Architectural Member-Specialists…

All Co-op-Approved Designers and Structural Specialists who perform this level of architectural service (Basement Apartment Legalization, etc.) have achieved years of professional experience within the industry, which includes working closely with local municipal inspectors and examiners, and are fully capable of dealing with all aspects of the Permit Approval Process.

This enables our registered clients to obtain the quickest, hassle-free Permit Approval for their Basement Apartment renovation.

Note: All architectural services are sold separately. If you have your own contractor, we will be happy to process an estimate solely for your Drawings & Permit Processing.

For more complete information about our Architectural Design & Permit Services click here

Have you been issued a
Permit Compliance Order?

A Permit Compliance Order initiated by a Municipal Building inspector can quickly turn into a serious issue. Such orders should be handled with care, speed and efficiency by a seasoned Architectural Specialist or Structural Engineer.

Recently, there has been a large increase in the volume of Building Permit Compliance Orders issued throughout the Toronto region.

A high percentage of these are issued due to serious safety and Ontario Building Code violations associated with existing Basement Rental Apartments, along with Basement Apartments that are currently under construction without a completed Building Permit.

To address the high volume of inquires by homeowners who have been issued an initial warning by an inspector, or who have already been issued an official Compliance Order, The Renovation Co-op now offers its Permit Compliance Services, which are designed to quickly and inexpensively deal with the Order on behalf of the client.

This fast-paced service consists of a select group of The Co-op’s most experienced architectural and structural designers, each of whom has developed a high degree of earned credibility and experience in resolving all types of compliance-related issues.

To their credit, most city inspectors and examiners are very reasonable and professional.

They also understand that the vast majority of complaints are initiated by neighbors, and will first ensure the validity of the complaint by visiting the home in question.

If the inspector determines that you should be for cited for a violation, the inspector will first give you a verbal warning and likely hand you a business card.

However, prior to that visit a compliance order file has already been created. A follow-up Compliance Order will be sent to you with a “date certain” for rectifying the issue. The due date will depend upon the inspector’s sense of urgency regarding the structure’s condition and safety.

However, it is important to mention that by this point, a temporary file has already been started (pending the inspector’s verification of the offense, as noted above).

Regardless, this verbal warning should be taken seriously. If you fail to act on this warning, an official “Order-to-Comply” will be sent to you, which spells out a definite date by which a building permit must be issued for the work to be completed, or for existing construction.

Unsafe Workmanship

In addition to citing structures that are unsafe, most Compliance Orders are issued for construction that has already been performed without a permit.

The Compliance Order will likely include a requirement for an examination by a licensed, structural designer. In order to obtain the permit, the specialist will have to produce drawings based on the way the structure is supposed to have been built, then compare it to the way it has actually already been built.

Regardless of how far the issue has gone, a Permit Compliance Specialist will act quickly to resolve the issue on your behalf. Once you engage a Co-op member-specialist, he or she will immediately contact the municipality to request that the the Compliance Order be set aside temporarily to allow enough time for the specialist to produce the appropriate drawings and paperwork required to obtain the Building Permit.