Calgary Homes with Legal Suites

Secondary suites in Calgary homes

Usually found in the basement, a secondary suite is a self-contained second home within a house. People shop Calgary homes with suites for sale for different reasons — rental income to help with costs, space for parents or grown children, or flexibility down the road. With any suite, the central question is whether it is safe and legal, because that affects both your tenants and your resale.

City of Calgary requirements

According to the City of Calgary, each secondary suite needs:

• a private entrance (each unit needs its own entrance, though a shared stairwell is acceptable)
• its own cooking facilities
• its own bathroom
• bedrooms with proper egress (emergency exit) windows

To legalize an existing suite, the City’s rules also require interconnected smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a smoke-tight separation between the suite and the main home, and backflow prevention on the branch drains. A dwelling unit may have only one secondary suite, and a property with a secondary suite cannot have a backyard suite as well.

Permits needed

If a suite has both a bathroom and cooking facilities and can be reached from outside without going through the main home, it needs a building permit. Where suites are discretionary in the property’s land use district, or where the design does not meet the Land Use Bylaw, a development permit may be required too. Electrical and plumbing work each need separate permits, and the City requires both a framing inspection and a final inspection.

Look it up on the Secondary Suite Registry

Legal, inspected suites appear in the City’s searchable online registry. A suite is added once it is approved and inspected, and it receives a numbered sticker. The City says registry status does not expire and passes to the new owner when the home is sold. Kelly checks the registry for the address before you write an offer on any of the Calgary homes with suites for sale. If the suite is missing from it, we treat it as a basement development that may need permits and work before it can legally be rented.

Pre-purchase checks

• Permits and the registry. Request the permits and final inspections from the seller and compare them against what you see in the house.
• Alarms and egress windows. The City lists these safety items first, and adding them later can be costly.
• Layout and separate entrance. Make sure the suite is truly self-contained and each unit has a private entrance.
• Home inspection. Service Alberta advises checking that both the business and the inspector are licensed. Have the suite included in the written contract.
• Real Property Report. An RPR shows the position of structures relative to the property lines and helps confirm the home meets land use bylaws.
• Current tenants. For a rented suite, ask for the lease, the move-in inspection report and the security deposit details. Under Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act, a new landlord cannot deduct for damage if the previous landlord did not complete a move-in inspection report.

Being a landlord in Alberta

Renting out the suite brings in Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act. Some basics from the Government of Alberta:

• The security deposit is capped at one month’s rent and must be placed in an interest-bearing trust account at a financial institution in Alberta within two banking days.
• Move-in and move-out inspections have to happen within one week of the tenant moving in or out, with both parties signing the reports.
• Except in emergencies or with the tenant’s consent, landlords need to give at least 24 hours’ written notice before entering.

A short-term rental requires an approved, compliant suite, a fire inspection and a separate City business licence. More on the landlord side is on our investment properties page.

Where suites turn up

Many home types include suites, such as bungalows, detached homes and walkout basement homes, where the walkout can make a separate entrance simpler. If a suite fits into your first-home plan, read that page as well. Ask Kelly for current Calgary homes with suites for sale, and we will check each one against the registry before you book a showing.

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