As Good As SOLD

This Old House

July 17th, 2007

You may have seen the item in the local paper recently having to do with a home owner and her house which is, in her words “…a plain little box in disrepair ”.

Trouble is, City Hall sees it as an ‘Edwardian Classical bungalow’ with heritage value, and has conferred heritage status on it. That means it’s subject to quite strict guidelines governing changes able to be made to it, particularly so with respect to the exterior — and all changes must be approved by Council.

The City was concerned about rapid change in that particular municipality, and peremptorily put it on the heritage list. The owner was never consulted and learned about it some ten years after she bought it. She now wants to conduct needed repairs, and claims to have neither the resources nor the energy to turn it into the architectural gem its unbidden status now demands.

Being on the Heritage Registry is a double edged sword. Examples of architecturally or culturally valuable properties deserve preservation, but owners need to be aware of all the ramifications of that designation before taking that irrevocable step. An owner cannot demolish, add on, or substantially alter its appearance without Council consent, and that has resale implications among other things. True, grants are in place to assist owners in conducting approved alterations, and more details are at www.victoriaheritagefoundation.ca, but you need to look before you leap.

No doubt this owner wishes she had been given that option.

Entry Filed under: Real Estate Matters