Introduction
Recently, municipal building inspectors and examiners throughout southern Ontario have become extra cautious when reviewing permit applications for Basement Apartments and other basement-related renovations.
This is especially true when reviewing drawings and permit applications that have been submitted by newly-licensed and/or inexperienced designers.
The most important concern of course, is for the safety of families and individuals who reside within such private rental units, where specific Ontario fire codes, structural modifications and other safety standards for Basement Apartments must be strictly adhered to by whomever performs the actual work.
In addition, the Toronto GTA has recently been issuing unprecedented numbers of Permit Compliance Orders arising from Building Code violations committed by homeowners who have (knowingly or unknowingly) neglected to comply with the legal permit process before renting out their basements.
Many of these homeowners have been facing large fines and “Stop-Work-Orders” (if the work is still in progress) issued by their local municipalities. see Permit Compliance Orders
About our Architectural Member-Specialists…
All Co-op-Approved Designers and Structural Specialists who perform this level of architectural service (Basement Apartment Legalization, etc.) have achieved years of professional experience within the industry, which includes working closely with local municipal inspectors and examiners, and are fully capable of dealing with all aspects of the Permit Approval Process.
This enables our registered clients to obtain the quickest, hassle-free Permit Approval for their Basement Apartment renovation.
Note: All architectural services are sold separately. If you have your own contractor, we will be happy to process an estimate solely for your Drawings & Permit Processing.
For more complete information about our Architectural Design & Permit Services click here
Have you been issued a
Permit Compliance Order?
A Permit Compliance Order initiated by a Municipal Building inspector can quickly turn into a serious issue. Such orders should be handled with care, speed and efficiency by a seasoned Architectural Specialist or Structural Engineer.
Recently, there has been a large increase in the volume of Building Permit Compliance Orders issued throughout the Toronto region.
A high percentage of these are issued due to serious safety and Ontario Building Code violations associated with existing Basement Rental Apartments, along with Basement Apartments that are currently under construction without a completed Building Permit.
To address the high volume of inquires by homeowners who have been issued an initial warning by an inspector, or who have already been issued an official Compliance Order, The Renovation Co-op now offers its Permit Compliance Services, which are designed to quickly and inexpensively deal with the Order on behalf of the client.
This fast-paced service consists of a select group of The Co-op’s most experienced architectural and structural designers, each of whom has developed a high degree of earned credibility and experience in resolving all types of compliance-related issues.
To their credit, most city inspectors and examiners are very reasonable and professional.
They also understand that the vast majority of complaints are initiated by neighbors, and will first ensure the validity of the complaint by visiting the home in question.
If the inspector determines that you should be for cited for a violation, the inspector will first give you a verbal warning and likely hand you a business card.
However, prior to that visit a compliance order file has already been created. A follow-up Compliance Order will be sent to you with a “date certain” for rectifying the issue. The due date will depend upon the inspector’s sense of urgency regarding the structure’s condition and safety.
However, it is important to mention that by this point, a temporary file has already been started (pending the inspector’s verification of the offense, as noted above).
Regardless, this verbal warning should be taken seriously. If you fail to act on this warning, an official “Order-to-Comply” will be sent to you, which spells out a definite date by which a building permit must be issued for the work to be completed, or for existing construction.
Unsafe Workmanship
In addition to citing structures that are unsafe, most Compliance Orders are issued for construction that has already been performed without a permit.
The Compliance Order will likely include a requirement for an examination by a licensed, structural designer. In order to obtain the permit, the specialist will have to produce drawings based on the way the structure is supposed to have been built, then compare it to the way it has actually already been built.
Regardless of how far the issue has gone, a Permit Compliance Specialist will act quickly to resolve the issue on your behalf. Once you engage a Co-op member-specialist, he or she will immediately contact the municipality to request that the the Compliance Order be set aside temporarily to allow enough time for the specialist to produce the appropriate drawings and paperwork required to obtain the Building Permit.
Estimating Procedures
To help facilitate the flow of private, secured information and communications between our member-service partners and their clients, we’ve developed our own proprietary, Renovation Management Platform.
This unique system enables all project-related information to be entered, updated and tracked 24/7 by both registered clients and Co-op members alike.
For example…one of the biggest issues that most contractors and their clients face is the lack of adequate communications between the two parties throughout the estimating process, and as the project proceeds along its various stages of production.
When you request an estimate, you will have access to your own personal secured account, which will include updated status reports of the estimate process, as well as status reports on construction, progressive payment reports etc, along with the balance of your Renovation Credit Account (see Renovation Credit Program)
Please Note: If your project requires a Building Permit, The Renovation Co-op will be unable to process an estimate for your renovations until you have submitted a copy of the final drawings and a stamped permit.
If you do not have your own architect, please request an estimate for your Drawings and Permit Processing.
Note: If you hire a Co-op Member-Architectural Specialist, you will receive a rebate of up to $1,500. see Architectural Rebate
The following procedures assume that a permit has already been acquired:
Step 1: Project Assessment Report
Step 2: Submission of Bid Request
Step 3: Review of Bid Responses
Step 1:
Project Assessment Report
For your Basement Apartment Renovation project, a Senior-Level Contractor is selected to conduct an Initial Site Examination of the property. He or she will first review a copy of the client’s Final Permit drawings, and then personally review the overall project with the homeowner(s).
Following the Initial Site Examination, the senior contractor submits a Project Assessment Report to the Co-op’s Bid Preparation Team.
Step 2:
Preparation & Submission of a Bid Request
Based upon the Project Assessment Report submitted by the senior-level contractor, the Co-op’s Bid Preparation Team determines the type and level of general contracting service that will be required to complete the client’s project.
A Bid Request is then submitted to a carefully targeted group of member-contactors who regularly perform the same type and level of work requested by the client.
Step 3:
Review of Bid Responses
Note: While it is important to ensure that all bid responses are submitted quickly, the targeted group of contractors will always be given adequate time to check availability and pricing from their sub-trades, suppliers, etc. before committing to a price.
Step 4:
Automatic Request for Subsidy Funds
Upon completion of the bidding process, an automatic request is sent to the Canadian Renovation Funding Program to obtain any Subsidy Discount Funds, Rebates or Grants that may be available for the project.
For details:
The approval of subsidy funds for each request normally takes 4-6 hours, and is determined based upon the availability of funds at the time of the request, as well as the type of project involved and its location.
Step 5:
Online Estimate Review
Upon completion of the bidding process and the automatic request for Subsidy Funds, a telephone appointment is arranged between a Co-op Service Rep and the client to simultaneously review the completed estimate.
Throughout this 5-minute Online Estimate Review, the rep verifies that the client fully understands what is being presented, and that the client can properly navigate through the estimate.
The client’s Online Estimate is divided into 2 segments:
Scope of Work: Provides a full, detailed description of the work that is to be performed
Contract Price: Displays the Final Sale Price after deductions from approved subsidy funds and rebates have been calculated, along with the portion of Renovation Credit that can be applied (if available from within the client’s Renovation Credit Account). see Renovation Credit Program
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Upon your request, The Renovation Funding Program (a free, non-profit advisory service) will offer you a private recommendation to a suitable, Co-op-approved Mortgage Specialist who works with our clients regularly.
For further details see Renovation Funding Program