The City of Surrey continues to crack down on unpermitted construction units.
A garage on the property of a house near 124th Street and 72 Avenue was transformed into six self-contained suites and a two-storey addition was built without the required permits, the city said.
“They’re so egregious, they’re built so poorly, and in violation not just of the building code but all of our zoning bylaws and the building bylaw within the city,” Matt Rose, the City of Surrey’s Director of Building, said.
The owner lives in a separate house nearby and declined an interview with Global News.
However, he told Surrey’s council earlier this week that he relies on the property to support his family and collect $6,000 a month in rent.
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“I have three small children now with family,” homeowner Mohammed Sheikh told the council.
“I have hardship to pay all the taxes and all the expense.”
The City of Surrey said it is now taking action against Sheikh’s property and two others.
One in Whalley has an unpermitted two-storey addition with three rental units and another in Newton has a two-storey addition with no permit.
The city said that when the construction was underway at all three properties, stop-work orders were issued, but construction continued.
The city also said it is not ordering these structures to be demolished immediately, but is putting a warning on the title.
That means anyone buying the property in the future will know there are unresolved concerns about construction that may not have been inspected.
“The trickle down of that is mortgage lenders, brokers and stuff, there can be challenges renewing your mortgage, there can be challenges getting insurance,” Rose said.
Surrey has now filed 22 notices on title since launching its illegal construction crackdown in 2022 after thousands of complaints about unpermitted work.
City staff say this is not about punishing Surrey residents, but it is about public safety.
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