BURST
Three more Surrey properties will have notices filed on their land titles for unpermitted construction.
The City of Surrey has been cracking down on illegal construction for several years. In the more egregious cases, council has been voting to file notices on land titles to alert potential buyers and occupiers.
The three properties were flagged by the city at a special council meeting on Monday. For all three, the city states it is likely impossible for the owners to bring the construction into compliance.
“Much of the construction has progressed to a point where many essential elements are now obscured, preventing the inspections (that) staff consider necessary to confirm safety and compliance with the Building Bylaw and British Columbia Building Code,” said a report from Harprit Grewal, a building inspector with the city, and Ron Gill, general manager of planning and development.
The city has been easing its enforcement of illegal construction, but only in some cases. The city considers whether the owner is a first-time offender, if the work poses a life-safety risk and if the unpermitted work can be brought into compliance.
None of the owners of the properties on the agenda Monday attempted to bring the unpermitted work into compliance, said building inspector Guillermo Flores.
The first property is in Newton, at 12439 72 Ave.
Owners of the home, listed as Mohammed Maqsood Sheikh and Saman Rukh, built six self-contained dwelling units, including converting the garage into habitable space, an enclosure of the deck on the north side of the house and a two-storey addition at the rear of the house, all without permits, according to the city.
About 16 people occupy the space.
The city first found out about the unpermitted work in 2019 and demanded demolition of the work a year ago. But the owners continued construction after bylaw officers posted a stop-work order, Flores told council. Sheikh was at the hearing and apologized for the unpermitted work.
“I have hardships to pay all the taxes and expenses. My pension is only $1,500,” Sheikh told council. “I am 70 years old, I work all my life. I have three small children. … I just apologize.”
The owners have not paid site visit fees to the city, totalling $898, but have paid bylaw enforcement notices related to the unpermitted work, totalling $3,350.
Counsellors Doug Elford and Rob Stutt pointed out the homeowners had collected rent from many individuals over the years.
“I’ve been by there, it looks like an apartment. Why did you build this when you knew you couldn’t? You were not supposed to,” Elford asked Sheikh.
The owner replied that he was assured by his contractor that there would be no problem.
Council unanimously approved to file a notice on title for the property.
The city also decided to approve filing a notice on another Newton property, at 6770 128B St., which contains an unpermitted two-storey addition with two self-contained dwelling units and a laundry room that was all done without permits.
The unpermitted addition was also occupied, the city states.
“Unpermitted construction came to the city’s attention in or around November of 2024. Since then, city staff, including building inspectors, have made numerous attendances at the property,” said the report.
Their report also said four site visits were done at the property, with registered owners, Hari Singh and Sunpreet Kaur, fined $912 that has been paid. An outstanding balance of $250 remains, which they were issued in bylaw enforcement notices for the unpermitted work.
Neither owner appeared at the hearing.
Another property, in Whalley, has been on the city’s radar since 2021 for unpermitted work.
According to the reports report, 13050 Pekin Pl. contains a two-storey addition, with three self-contained dwelling units, at the back of the house.
The home was purchased in 2021 by Jagjit Singh Sanghera, Jasveer Kaur Sanghera and Harpreet Singh Sanghera, but Jagjit Singh Sanghera was removed as a registered owner in January of this year and replaced by Arshdeep Kaur Gill. None of the owners appeared at the hearing.
Grewal wrote to the owners in 2022 telling them to demolish the work in order to comply with the city’s bylaws and avoid further action.
The registered owners have also not paid the city a total of $3,000 in bylaw enforcement notices related to the unpermitted work. Council approved filing a notice on title for the Whalley property.
All of the owners of the properties in question were provided a chance to file for a demolition permit to avoid the hearing.
Related
