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Garden suite with wood and black cladding in a backyard behind a brick house

Garden suites and laneway suites

A second home in your backyard for family, for rental income, or both. Built to your city’s rules across the GTA.

Call Naveen: 416-464-7161 or ask if your lot is a fit
Suite tag
Units a lot
Up to three as of right on most serviced residential lots
Approval
Building permit; no rezoning on most lots
Rules
Size, height and setbacks set by your city
Typical use
Parents, grown kids, rental income, a home office

What Ontario now allows

Since Bill 23, most serviced residential lots in Ontario can hold up to three homes as of right: the main house, a unit inside it such as a basement suite, and one detached suite in the rear yard. That detached suite is a garden suite, or a laneway suite if your lot backs onto a public lane.

As of right means no rezoning. You still need a building permit, and each city sets its own limits on size, height and distance from the main house and the lot lines. Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and Markham all write theirs differently, so the first job is checking your lot against your city’s rules.

A garden suite is a full home: its own kitchen, bathroom, entrance and services. It is built like one, on a proper foundation, to the Ontario Building Code.

Is your lot a fit?

Six things decide whether a garden suite works on your property. Naveen checks each one on the site visit.

  • Rear yard depthThe suite needs room behind the house for the separation distance your city requires.
  • Emergency accessFire crews need a clear path from the street to the suite. Cities set the width and distance.
  • TreesProtected trees can decide where a suite goes. Some cities ask for an arborist report.
  • ServicesWater, sewer and power need a route from the main house or the street.
  • Units already thereIf the house already has two units, a garden suite would make three, which is the limit on most lots.
  • A lane behind youLots that back onto a public lane may suit a laneway suite instead, with its own rules.
Inside a new building at framing stage, with a wood staircase and open stud walls

Garden suite questions

Can I rent out a garden suite?

In most GTA cities, yes. A garden suite is a self-contained home, so it can be rented long term. Short-term rentals are a separate matter with stricter rules, so check your city’s bylaw before you plan on them.

Can a garden suite be sold on its own?

Generally no. It stays on the same lot as the main house and is sold with the property.

Do I need a rezoning?

Not on most serviced residential lots. You still need a building permit, and a lot that cannot meet every size or setback rule may need a minor variance from the committee of adjustment.

Can my family live in it while I live in the house?

Yes. Housing parents or grown children is a common reason to build one.

Tell Naveen what you want to build

Call, email or send an enquiry. Naveen gets back to you himself.

Urban Estate
Builder
Urban Estate
Contact
Naveen Gill
Area
Greater Toronto Area

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