Living Options for Mini Homes in Ottawa

If you are planning on parking or building a mini home in Canada, it is likely that you will face a bit of a challenge. The reason behind this is due to the approaches different municipalities have towards this form of living structure.

For folks that have set their sights on Ottawa mini homes, then it is necessary that you understand the living options that are applicable to this municipality. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the living options for mini homes in Ottawa Canada.

When it comes to living in this home structure in Ottawa, you have two available options. You could either buy a vacant lot or you could rent a parking space on someone’s property. For either case, you’ll be living in the mini home for a year at least and the structure must be in accordance to the building code of the municipality.

With that said, let’s review both options as we examine them more closely…

Buying a Vacant Lot

Buying your own lot is a great investment that will definitely benefit you in the long run. When you opt for this decision, you should ensure that the lot is zoned particularly for the building type you intend to place in it. Therefore, since you are going for a mini home, it must be zoned for this building type.

Hence, you should contact the municipality and request for either a representative of the Building Code Client Service or an officer for Development Information whom you can talk to.

You will need to fill a building permit application whereby you will show your home’s compliance to zoning by-laws. These laws regulate factors such as proper land use, height, maximum and minimum width, hindrances due to the boundaries of the vacant lot, parking, emergency access, etc.

You don’t need to worry if the building is still on wheels, the municipality will still regard it as a building. It will only have to be anchored to the lot appropriately.

Leasing a Parking Space

Ottawa encourages the building of ARUs (Additional Residential Units) on existing spaces. Click here to read more about ARUs. This is done to increase the city density and also enhance the numbers of available affordable housing.

In the event you choose to rent a parking space, then you will need an understanding of the expressions “coach house” as well as “garden suite”. This is important because the Ottawa Official Plan doesn’t include mini or tiny homes in the zoning by-laws, but these terms are included.

Let’s take a quick look at what they mean…

Coach House

This refers to a distinct living unit that serves as a subsidiary to a principal unit that is on that particular space, but has its structure.

Garden Suite

A garden suite refers to a single unit detached living structure with kitchen and bathroom facilities that serve as a subsidiary to an already existing housing and is portable by designed. This kind of structure can only be set up where the zoning by-law one permits it on that particular site.

Both structures can be said to be mini homes but when it comes to getting a parking space, there is a slight difference. Most Ottawa zones allow the addition of coach houses. Garden suites, on the other hand are usually momentary exclusions to zoning. Hence, you will have to apply for zoning which could cost a small fortune. Furthermore, many consider garden suites to be mainly for family in a most of the municipalities in Ontario.

As a result of the above, it is best to choose coach house except in the event whereby the property space does not permit it. Therefore, in such a situation applying for a garden suite will provide you with the opportunity to occupy the space.

Apart from the options we have discussed, you can live in a rented mini home in Ottawa if you don’t have a mini home of your own. However, you need to ensure that the property has an ARU (Additional Residential Unit). You need to further confirm that they comply with all the zoning by-laws.

Conclusion

To live in a mini home in Ottawa, you could either buy a vacant lot or rent a space. Both options have regulations that you must comply with. Therefore, we recommend you contact the appropriate municipal authorities to learn about all the permits you need to get and the by-laws you need to follow.