The difference matters because it changes financing, insurance and resale. A City of Saskatoon-permitted secondary suite can be counted as income by a lender and insured normally, while an unpermitted one is a liability that can complicate both. A $400 to $600 home inspection is a reasonable first step to confirm which situation you actually have before you rely on the extra space or the extra income.
A true legal two-family property carries separate egress and, in many cases, separate mechanical systems, plus a zoning designation that allows two units outright, which is a different starting point from a single-family house someone converted later, permitted or not.
Joel Dyck confirms a property's actual permit history with the City of Saskatoon before pricing it, rather than taking a listing's description of a suite at face value. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.