Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

What should my Saskatoon buyer's agent tell me about a house with an unpermitted basement apartment?

Your agent should tell you plainly that an unpermitted basement apartment cannot be counted as legal rental income by a lender, since the City of Saskatoon requires a building permit before that space qualifies as a secondary suite, regardless of how finished it looks.

The City of Saskatoon inspects a legal secondary suite for egress windows, ceiling height and fire separation, and an unpermitted space that fails any of those standards can mean real remediation cost, not just a paperwork fix, before it could ever be legalized.

A home inspection, typically $400 to $600, will often flag missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or an undersized window in an unpermitted space, and your agent should walk through those findings with you before you remove your inspection condition.

If the income from that space matters to your financing plan, confirm with your lender directly whether they will count it, since most will not without a permit on file with the City of Saskatoon.

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