Calgary launches incentive program for safe secondary suite construction

Calgary homeowners interested in developing a secondary suite are now able to apply for a portion of their construction costs to be covered by the city.

The Secondary Suite Incentive Program launched Monday, after going before council last week.

The initiative, is part of Calgary’s Housing Strategy that was approved last year.

Qualifying homeowners can get up to $10,000 to cover a portion of construction costs to develop and register a safe secondary suite.

“This initiative is one of the steps toward addressing the growing need for more housing options in Calgary,” Secondary Suites Program Manager, Joshua Howes, said in a statement. “For Calgarians, a developed and registered secondary suite contributes to the overall quality and safety of housing within communities.”

---

READ MORE: Calgary could see secondary-suite construction incentive

---

According to the city, the program aims to achieve three objectives: promoting the construction of secondary suites to meet safety standards by integrating education with practical financial incentives for those who apply, supplying more robust and diverse housing options for Calgarians, and incentivizing homeowners to user environmnentally suystainbable housing options by maximizing the potential of buildings that already exist.

Extra financial incentives can be given to homeowners through an energy efficient bonus of up to $1,250 and $5,000 if the suite mneets requirments for accessibility improvements.

Funding for this program comes from both municipal and federal budgets, according to the city.

The incentives are limited to one property per homeowner.

Calgary claims the increased encouragement to build safe secondary suites has been successful, with more than 13,500 suites added to the city’s registry since it was created in 2015.

It goes on to say ensuring secondary suites are safe through mandatory registration is critical for both the city and Calgarians.