13-bedroom Calgary house draws attention from city officials, residents

An unassuming home for sale in Calgary’s northeast is getting some attention from inspectors and people online because of a unique selling future — it has more than a dozen bedrooms.

The 1,100 square foot detached home in Whitehorn comes with 13 bedrooms and, according to the listing, has six on the main level with seven additional bedrooms in the basement.

The listing comes with a layout map of both floors that show each bedroom ranging from 57 to 130 square feet in size. Each room has a window, according to the layout.

A tenant at the home who wanted to remain anonymous confirmed to CityNews that the place is indeed for sale with numerous showings happening throughout the day.

Following up on a complaint Tuesday morning, safety code officers with the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) and city building department arrived for a fifth time to check on smoke detectors, window size, and make sure each bedroom has an egress window.

“The City of Calgary and the Calgary Fire Department are aware of this property and are reviewing it for land use bylaw compliance as well as fire and building code compliance,” reads a statement from the city following the Tuesday morning review of the home.

In the meantime, this listing remains on the market.

Housing has remained a hot-button issue in Calgary this year, with the city’s approval of blanket rezoning back in May that allows for row houses and townhomes to be built in any neighbourhood alongside single-family homes.

The move aims to provide relief to the housing crisis by speeding up approvals and making it easier for more housing options to be built across the city.

The decision from council has prompted a legal challenge from a group of residents who were in court for the first time last week.