Selling a Home with Unpermitted Work in BC

A basement finished without a permit, a deck added years ago or a suite the city never approved can cause trouble when you sell, because buyers, lenders and insurers all care about permits. Here is what counts as unpermitted work in BC, what you and your REALTOR® have to disclose, how to check a home's permit history, and your options before you list.

The short version

What counts as unpermitted work

In BC, your city or municipality issues building and plumbing permits. Electrical and gas permits come from Technical Safety BC, except where the City issues its own. In the Lower Mainland, Vancouver, Burnaby, Maple Ridge and the City and District of North Vancouver issue both, Surrey and West Vancouver issue electrical permits, and Richmond issues gas permits. Work is unpermitted when a permit was required and never issued. Work can also be unfinished on paper, when a permit was issued but the work never passed its final inspection.

The City of Vancouver's list gives a sense of what usually needs a permit and what doesn't:

• Usually needs a permit: adding a secondary suite, moving interior walls or existing plumbing, electrical or gas lines, structural repairs, and building or altering a deck, garage or shed.
• Usually doesn't: painting, replacing flooring, cabinets or fixtures, and replacing defective fuses, switches or receptacles.

Technical Safety BC says that even adding an electrical outlet or a new gas appliance likely needs a permit. Rules vary from city to city, so check with your own building department.

Why it matters

• Safety. Inspections check work against the BC Building Code and the electrical and gas safety rules, and Surrey notes that construction without permits increases safety risks.
• Insurance. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says reporting material changes to your property is your responsibility, and Vancouver warns that work done without a permit can lead to legal or financial problems when you sell or file an insurance claim.
• Your buyer's financing. Mortgage insurer Sagen, for example, requires a home to comply with municipal zoning and bylaws, and may review a home with an unauthorized suite, and the rent from it, case by case, so a buyer's lender may not count that rent.
• Enforcement. A city can issue a stop work order, fine the owner (in Surrey, $400 to $50,000 for each offence), seek a court order to remove the work, or file a notice on title, which Surrey does under section 57 of the Community Charter. The notice is public, so buyers, lenders and insurers can see it.
• Cost. Getting a permit later usually costs more. Vancouver's penalty for work started without a permit is typically double the permit fee, Port Coquitlam doubles the fee too, and Vancouver warns you may need more work than planned, such as fire sprinklers or seismic upgrades.

What you have to disclose

"Buyer beware" generally applies to home sales in BC, with exceptions. As the Civil Resolution Tribunal has summarized the law, a seller must disclose known latent defects, meaning hidden problems a reasonable inspection wouldn't reveal, that make the home dangerous or unfit to live in, and must not actively conceal defects. Whether a piece of unpermitted work meets that test depends on the facts, so talk to a lawyer if you are unsure.

• The Property Disclosure Statement. It is voluntary, but if you give one, your answers must reflect what you honestly know, and they often become part of the contract. It asks, among other things, about unauthorized accommodation.
• Crossing it out doesn't help. In Sewell v. Abadian (2025), a case about an undisclosed unpermitted addition, the BC Court of Appeal held that a seller who drew a line through the form had represented that he knew of nothing it asked about, a misrepresentation if he did know.
• The Property No-Disclosure Statement. BCREA introduced it in 2025 for sellers who don't want to make representations, but it doesn't remove the duty to disclose known latent defects, and BCFSA tells buyers' agents to treat it as a sign of a possible defect.

Your REALTOR®'s duty is broader. Under section 59 of the Real Estate Services Rules, a material latent defect includes "a lack of appropriate municipal building and other permits", and BCFSA gives electrical or gas work done without permits and inspections as an example. If your REALTOR® knows about it, they must disclose it to buyers in writing before a contract is made. If you tell them not to, they must stop acting for you on the sale.

How to check a home's permit history

Start with the city's records, well before you list. BCREA also advises a seller's REALTOR® to get the city file and compare it with what the seller has said about the home.

• Surrey. A building records search costs $28 per record and usually takes about one business day. It can turn up permits, final occupancy information and inspection notes, including plumbing and electrical permits.
• Vancouver. A property research letter, $364 for a house or duplex, lists issued permits without final inspection approval and any outstanding by-law orders. It typically takes 10 to 15 business days, and full enforcement information is released only to the owner or someone the owner authorizes.
• Coquitlam. Email the Building Division to ask whether a suite or basement finish is legal. For a fee, it may have plans on file, and you will need proof of ownership.

Look for a final inspection, not just an issued permit, and remember that older records can be incomplete.

Your options before you list

• Get a permit after the fact. Apply for a permit for the existing work and have it inspected. Expect higher fees and possible changes to meet the BC Building Code. Coquitlam, for example, says its staff will work with owners to permit an existing suite so the minimum life safety requirements are in place.
• Bring it up to code. Hire licensed trades, take out the permits and correct the work. Start early, since permits and inspections take time.
• Remove it. Some work can be taken out instead. In Coquitlam, for example, an owner can remove an unauthorized suite by taking out the cooking facilities under a gas or electrical permit, or by opening the suite permanently to the rest of the house, and then filing a suite removal form.
• Disclose it and price it in. You can sell the home as it is, as long as the work is disclosed accurately. Expect buyers, and their lenders, to weigh what it would cost to fix, and price the home with that in mind.

Unpermitted secondary suites

The Province says a suite is legal only if it meets both local bylaws and the BC Building Code, which takes a building permit and inspections. An older suite may also qualify if it met the rules in force when it was built, so ask the city.

• Enforcement. Coquitlam, for example, investigates suites on complaint, and an owner with an illegal suite must legalize or remove it and may be fined.
• Marketing. BCFSA treats unauthorized accommodation as a material latent defect, so your REALTOR® must disclose it in writing, and the listing must describe the suite accurately. BCREA notes that a separate meter or utility charge doesn't necessarily mean a suite is legal.
• Tenants. If the suite is rented, the buyer becomes the new landlord and the tenancy continues on the same terms. I cover notices and showings in Selling a Tenanted Home in BC.
• Your buyer's plans. A buyer counting on rent to help with the mortgage will need to know whether their lender will count it. I explain how lenders treat suites in Buying a Home with a Suite.

Questions sellers often ask me

Do I have to disclose unpermitted work when I sell my home in BC?

Your REALTOR® must disclose a known lack of permits to buyers in writing before a contract is made. As a seller, you must disclose known latent defects that make the home dangerous or unfit to live in, and anything you tell buyers must be accurate.

Can I get a permit for work that has already been done?

Usually you can apply for one. The work is inspected against the BC Building Code, fees are often higher (Vancouver's penalty is typically double the permit fee), and you may have to make changes.

How do I find out whether work on my home had a permit?

Ask your city's building department for its records on the property. In Surrey, a building records search costs $28 per record, and in Vancouver, a property research letter lists permits that never passed a final inspection.

Can I sell a house with an unauthorized suite?

Yes, as long as it is disclosed accurately and not described as legal. Some buyers' lenders may not count its rent, and if it is rented, the tenancy continues with the buyer as the new landlord.

What is a notice on title for unpermitted work?

It is a notice a city council can have filed on a property's title over work done without a permit; Surrey uses section 57 of the Community Charter. Buyers, lenders and insurers can see it until it is cancelled, usually once a building inspector reports the problem fixed.

Getting ready to sell? Read my seller's checklist, see the BC selling process from listing to completion, and find out what a buyer's home inspector checks.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Disclosure duties depend on the facts, so speak with a lawyer if you are unsure what to disclose. Permit rules, fees and records vary by city; the details here come from BCFSA, BCREA, the Province and municipal websites, and were current at the time of writing. For BCFSA's guide, see material latent defects.