Multiplex Potential — free.
Enter your Metro Vancouver address and see how many units you can build, what it would cost, and what your return could look like. Takes 30 seconds.
Get your lot's PlexScore™ — its multiplex potential, scored 0–10.
Trusted by 200+ BC families exploring multiplex
How VanPlex works
Enter your address
Type any Metro Vancouver or BC address into the PlexScore™ lookup. VanPlex queries its database of 205,047 scored lots and your city's current zoning layer.
Get your PlexScore™
See how many units your lot can hold, your estimated build budget, projected unit prices, and your return on equity — all specific to your property and today's construction costs.
Connect or co-develop
If the numbers work, choose your next step: get connected to a vetted Metro Vancouver builder, or explore co-developing the project with the VanPlex team.
Every PlexScore™ runs on real data
Lots scored by PlexRank
PlexRank coverage
Vancouver permits tracked
BC cities covered
To check your lot
From the blog
Latest insights
Vancouver real estate and multiplex development, explained.
Multiplex Housing Is an Asset Class, Not a Project
A lot zoned for six homes can still lose money. Bill 44 gave hundreds of thousands of BC lots new capacity, but newly enabled land is not investment-grade land. Why serious capital should treat multiplex housing as an emerging asset class — filtered at scale, underwritten the same way every time — not a set of one-off projects.
BC Property Transfer Tax Exemption: What Multiplex Builders Actually Save
BC's Property Transfer Tax adds $48,000+ on a $2.5M property. But non-stratified rental multiplexes with 4+ units qualify for a full PTT exemption from 2025–2030. Here's the math, the eligibility rules, and the mistakes that cost developers the exemption.
The GST Rebate on New Multiplex Units in BC: What Rental Builders Actually Get Back
GST is 5% on new construction. On a $2.4M fourplex, that's $120,000 owed to CRA. The NRRP Rebate returns $25,200 of it — $6,300 per unit, no purchase price cap. Here's exactly who qualifies, how the self-supply rule works for build-to-rent developers, and the mistakes that kill the claim.
PlexIntel — the data division
The data layer under every score
The same dataset behind PlexScore™ — 205,047 scored lots, 600+ tracked Vancouver permits, build-cost models for five cities — is available to the people who need it whole: investment firms screening lots, municipalities measuring whether rezoning produces housing, and lenders checking the math before committing.
Vancouver Missing-Middle Intelligence Platform
VanPlex scores missing-middle housing potential across British Columbia. Enter any address and get its PlexScore™: the multiplex feasibility, profit, build budget, and timeline for that lot under Bill 44 and SSMUH. The score is free and takes seconds.
Behind every score is PlexRank, which has analyzed 205,047 lots across six BC cities for return on equity under current zoning. The platform also tracks 600+ Vancouver multiplex permits, zoning by district, and development costs, so the numbers reflect what is actually getting built and approved.
Homeowners use it to see what their lot can become. Investors screen lots by return on equity. Realtors pull a PlexScore™ for any listing. When an owner is ready to build, VanPlex connects them with vetted builders and experts or co-develops the project directly.
Behind the Score
The cost numbers come from someone who's built.
David Babakaiff has built homes in BC for 25+ years, most recently as principal of Alair Homes Vancouver. He co-founded VanPlex so the construction cost, timeline, and approval assumptions inside every PlexScore™ come from someone who has built these projects, not a spreadsheet. PlexRank has now scored 205,047 lots across six BC cities.
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HAVAN 2024 — Best Multiplex Unit
Alair Homes Vancouver
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HAVAN 2024 — Finalist, Best Multiplex Development
Alair Homes Vancouver
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HAVAN 2024 — Finalist, Best Custom Home Over $3M
Alair Homes Vancouver
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Top Choice Award — Best Residential Builder, Vancouver
2016 & 2017 · David Babakaiff
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CHBA Thompson Okanagan — Multiple Best Home Wins
2002–2005 · David Babakaiff
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HAVAN Member — Homebuilders Association Vancouver
Membership
“The missing middle is still missing.”
VanPlex co-founder David Babakaiff, a Vancouver builder with more than 25 years of experience, joined Castanet's Okanagan Edge to discuss British Columbia's Bill 44 zoning in Kelowna. Drawing on VanPlex's lot-by-lot analysis, he explained that roughly 75% of the city's rezoned properties are not economical to convert to multiplex housing under current construction costs and financing.
“Zoning only establishes the legal right to build. It does not establish the economic common sense to do it.” — David Babakaiff, VanPlex co-founder and principal of Alair Homes Vancouver
AI-Powered Visualization
Picture it before you build
BetaEver wonder what a multiplex would look like on your lot? Pick a style, and our AI places it right on your property's Street View. Slide between today and what's possible.
6 design styles to explore
Common questions
Vancouver multiplex development — answered
Can I build a multiplex on my lot in Vancouver?
Most lots in Vancouver that were zoned RS (single-family residential) before 2023 now fall under R1-1 zoning, which allows 3 to 6 units under Bill 44 and BC's Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) rules. Whether you can build 3, 4, or 6 units depends on your lot size, frontage, and the specific city. Enter your address on VanPlex for a free instant check.
How much does it cost to build a multiplex in Vancouver in 2026?
Construction costs run $450 to $550 per square foot for a standard Metro Vancouver multiplex. A typical fourplex — around 5,200 sq ft — totals $5.6M to $8M all-in, including design, permits, development cost charges (DCCs), and construction. VanPlex generates a property-specific budget when you run a PlexScore™.
What is R1-1 zoning in Vancouver?
R1-1 is Vancouver's Residential Inclusionary zone, which replaced the old RS single-family zones in 2023. Under R1-1, landowners can build up to 6 units on a standard lot — or up to 8 units if all units are rented at below-market rates. This opened roughly 71,000 Vancouver lots to missing-middle housing for the first time.
How long does a multiplex permit take in Vancouver?
A Vancouver development permit for a standard SSMUH multiplex typically takes 3 to 6 months, followed by 2 to 4 months for the building permit. Projects that match the as-of-right zoning rules move faster than those needing discretionary review. VanPlex tracks 600+ active Vancouver multiplex permits and can provide a current neighbourhood estimate.
What is PlexScore™?
PlexScore™ is VanPlex's free feasibility rating for any BC address, scored 0 to 10. It combines zoning eligibility, lot geometry, estimated build cost, projected unit prices, and return on equity into one number. A score of 7 or higher means the project is likely profitable under current market conditions. The score is free and takes about 30 seconds to generate.
Bill 44 • Missing Middle
SSMUH & Gentle Density Resource Hub
Stay ahead of British Columbia's gentle density rollout. Explore our provincial SSMUH briefing and municipal gentle density playbook to understand unit yields, permitting timelines, financing, and construction delivery across Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Sea-to-Sky.
Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH)
View guideProvincial status tracker, municipal adoption map, implementation timeline, and VanPlex delivery pillars for 3–6 unit multiplex developments.
- Municipal eligibility tiers, parking triggers, and servicing requirements
- Financing benchmarks and pro forma guardrails
- Case studies from Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey SSMUH projects
Gentle Density Playbook
View playbookCompare multiplex, rowhouse, cottage court, and laneway infill strategies with timelines, consultant scopes, and pre-development checklists.
- City-specific case studies spanning Vancouver to Tri-Cities
- Pre-development checklist aligned with Bill 44 deliverables
- Launch kit download with multiplex pro forma and intake checklist
Vancouver Zoning Codes Simplified
Read articlePlain-language breakdown of every RT, RM, R1-1, and RR district with visuals and PlexScore™-ready insights for investors and homeowners.
- Understand build forms, location context, and investor angles schedule by schedule
- Multiplex, rental, and heritage retention opportunities demystified
- Includes in-page address lookup to pull a PlexScore™ for your property
Multigenerational Living Guide
View guideHow 441,750+ Canadian families are using multiplexes to house three generations on one lot—with privacy, rental income, and up to $7,000 in federal tax credits.
- MHRTC tax credit breakdown and stacking strategy for 2026
- Accessible ground-floor design for aging parents vs. $7K–$18K/month care facilities
- Census data on BC’s multigenerational household growth and municipal hotspots
Missing Middle Housing Hub
View hubThe full BC playbook on duplex through sixplex: Bill 44, zoning, parking and single-stair reform, financing, feasibility, and city-by-city policy. 26 pages with primary-source citations on every claim.
- Building types: duplex, triplex, fourplex, sixplex, courtyard cluster, townhouse
- Policy: Bill 44, R1-SSMUH, parking minimum removal, single-stair to 6 storeys
- Empirical case: Auckland, Minneapolis 2040, Tokyo — what actually added units
Build-to-Rent Multiplex Hub
View hubVancouver-first resource on when small-lot rental actually works in BC, how secured rental differs from strata, and which cities deserve real underwriting attention.
- Vancouver 8-unit secured-rental versus 6-unit strata comparison
- CMHC MLI Select thresholds, debt coverage, and hold-period risk stack
- Metro-first city matrix marking markets as strong, selective, or weak