A landlord bringing a secondary suite up to City of Saskatoon permit standards, for instance, may leave it vacant for weeks while the work is inspected and signed off, since renting an unpermitted unit creates the exact problem this brief warns sellers about elsewhere: a space that cannot be counted as legal income. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 also sets notice periods that can leave a short gap between tenants.
For a buyer evaluating a rental property, a vacant unit at the time of sale is not automatically a warning sign. It is worth asking why it is vacant and for how long, and a $400 to $600 home inspection before closing will usually reveal whether the gap is maintenance-related rather than strategic.
Joel Dyck looks at vacancy history and permit records together when he prices an investment property, rather than assuming either the best or the worst case. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.