A coach house can leverage your home’s value

coach homes city of ottawa

Did you know that in the Ottawa area, you can build a coach house on your property if all the stars are aligned?

Great as a nanny suite, student housing or just plain rental, the coach house is defined by the City as a small apartment located on the same lot as your home, but detached from it.

Is your lot eligible on which to build one?

  • It must be serviced by municipal water and waste water
  • Or, if in a rural area, the lot must be at least 0.4 hectares and serviced by a private well and septic system
  • A detached, semi-detached, duplex or townhouse must already exist on the lot
  • You may be able to convert existing structures, such as garages, sheds or stables
  • Once built, the coach house cannot be sold separately or severed and it needs pedestrian access to a public road
  • Mature trees on your property must be preserved
  • An electrical connection must be provided from the principal dwelling
  • No additional parking is required – and parking in tandem in the existing driveway is permitted
  • If you already have an income suite within your home or live in Rockcliffe Park you do not qualify to build a coach house

On one hand, this coach house will provide you with additional income.

However, there are additional financial factors to take into consideration:

  • You may have to increase the electrical capacity to your existing home;
  • Property taxes may be affected by adding a coach home; and
  • As rent counts as income, it will affect your personal income tax.

In addition to your construction costs, there are various costs from the city including a building permit, development charges and committee of adjustment charges (if needed).

Section 142 of the zoning Bylaw outlines the requirements at https://ottawa.ca/en/part-5-residential-provisionssections-120-141#coach-houses-section-142

This excellent City of Ottawa article, “How to plan your Coach House in Ottawa” takes you through the process step-by-step:
https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/how_to_coach_en.pdf

 

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