Contents 11 sections
Most Vancouver houses can have one legal suite, and each half of a duplex can have one too. On City permits, adding a suite to a home had a median value of $71,000 from 2024 to 2026, though many cost far less and some far more. A suite permit took a median of just 56 days in 2026.
What we found
We read every Vancouver permit that added a suite to an existing home, from 2017 to October 2, 2026:
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1,032
Permits added or legalized a suite in an existing Vancouver home since 2017. That’s about 100 a year.
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$71,000
Was the median value of a suite permit from 2024 to 2026. The middle half ran from $23,500 to $150,000.
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56 days
Was the median wait for a suite permit in 2026. A new duplex took 130.
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1 in 2
New Vancouver houses include a suite in 2025 and 2026. Before 2025, it was about 2 in 3.
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153
Suites were added in Kensington-Cedar Cottage, the most of any neighbourhood. Hastings-Sunrise had 111.
What is a secondary suite?
A secondary suite is a small home inside a bigger one, often in the basement. It has its own kitchen, bathroom and front door. It stays on the same title as the main home, so you can rent it out but you can’t sell it on its own.
Where can you have one?
It depends on what’s on the lot. Here are the options in Vancouver’s R1-1 zone:
| On the lot | Suites allowed | Anything else? |
|---|---|---|
| A house | One suite | You can also add a laneway house |
| A duplex | One suite in each half | Or a lock-off unit in a half instead |
| A multiplex | None | Each home is already its own unit |
A lock-off unit is a smaller space, up to 29.7 m² (320 sq ft). It can close off from the main home. Vancouver only allows lock-offs in duplexes. See the duplex rules.
What does the City check?
A house with a suite needs City approval, and the City looks at two kinds of rules.
Zoning rules decide if a suite is allowed. One surprise is the front-yard tree rule. On a lot under 15.1 m wide, you must keep or plant one tree in the front yard, and on a wider lot it’s two.
Building rules keep people safe. A suite needs fire walls and fire-rated doors between the homes, safe ways out, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and enough ceiling height. Older basements often need the most work to meet these rules.
How much does a suite cost?
On City permits, adding a suite had a median value of $71,000 from 2024 to 2026, but the range is huge. A quarter cost $23,500 or less, and a quarter cost $150,000 or more.
Why is the range so wide? Some basements are almost ready, while others need a lot of work:
- Ceiling height. A low basement may need digging out or the floor lowered. That’s the biggest cost
- A new door. The suite needs its own entrance, sometimes with new stairs
- Fire and sound walls. New drywall and fire-rated doors between the homes
- Kitchen and bathroom. New plumbing, and often a new drain line
- Power. Older houses may need a bigger electrical service
- Windows. Bedrooms need windows big enough to climb out of
- 2026 runs to October 2
T-City analysis of City of Vancouver open data: issued building permits, January 2017 to October 2, 2026 · alteration permits whose description adds, creates or legalizes a secondary suite · 1,032 permits
Fewer owners are adding suites to older homes than a few years ago. Permits fell from about 150 a year in 2017 to 2019, to about 70 a year now.
How long does the permit take?
Not long. In 2026, a suite permit took a median of 56 days, while a new house took 142 days and a duplex took 130. See how permit times compare.
What can a suite rent for?
It depends on size, light and location, and basement suites usually rent for less than apartments. Two numbers give a useful range:
- $1,807 a month: the average one-bedroom in a Vancouver rental building, October 2025 (CMHC). It includes long-time tenants on older rents
- $2,373 a month: the average asking rent for a one-bedroom in Vancouver, September 2026 (Rentals.ca). That’s what new listings ask for
Here’s a simple example. Say a $71,000 suite rents for $1,800 a month, which is $21,600 a year. It would take about 3.3 years of rent to pay back the build, before tax, insurance and repairs.
Suite, laneway house or lock-off?
| Option | Typical cost | Can you sell it? |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary suite | Median $71,000 (permit value) | No. It stays with the main home |
| Lock-off unit (duplex only) | Part of the duplex build | No. It stays with its half |
| Laneway house | About $350,000 to $600,000 all-in | No. It stays on the same title |
A suite is the cheapest way to add a home, while a laneway house gives a renter more space and privacy. If you want homes you can sell, look at a duplex or multiplex instead.
What we expect in 2027
- Fewer suites in new houses. About half of new houses now include one, down from two in three. Owners are choosing bigger main homes, or duplexes instead.
- Quick suite permits. Suite permits got faster every year since 2022. We expect them to stay under three months.
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on October 19, 2026. T-City’s own analysis uses the City of Vancouver open datasets. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.