In most BC cities we checked, a laneway house, coach house, carriage house or garden suite cannot get a title of its own, so it cannot be sold apart from the main house. To sell it separately, it would have to become its own strata lot, and Vancouver, the City and the District of North Vancouver, New Westminster, Victoria, Kelowna, Coquitlam, Nanaimo, Abbotsford and Port Coquitlam all block that in their bylaws or policies. Saanich is the exception we found: since a 2025 bylaw change, a garden suite may sit on the same strata plan as a single family house. Port Moody’s zoning also says an “additional dwelling unit” may be stratified.
Here is what each city’s own document says, and what you can do instead. Our guide to suites, laneway houses and coach houses covers secondary suites too.
Why a title decides it
A home can be sold on its own only if it has its own title: a separate lot, or a strata lot created by a strata plan filed at the Land Title Office. A laneway house built on the same lot as the main house shares that lot’s title. So the question “can I sell it?” is the question “will the city let it become a strata lot?”
For a building that has been lived in, the city’s approval is required by section 242 of the Strata Property Act, and the city’s decision is final. For a new building, Vancouver registers a covenant at the development permit stage that blocks a strata plan before anyone moves in.
City by city
| City | Laneway, coach or garden suite as its own strata lot? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | No | Strata Title Policies for R1-1, R3, R4, R5, RT and RM Zones, last amended October 21, 2025 |
| City of North Vancouver | No: an accessory coach house “shall not be stratified” | Zoning Bylaw No. 6700, s.507(13), consolidated March 2, 2026 |
| District of North Vancouver | No: coach houses “are not permitted to be sold separately from the main house or strata-titled” | Coach house how-to guide, as of December 2023 |
| New Westminster | No: laneway and carriage houses “cannot be strata-titled, sold or used for short-term rentals” | City’s laneway and carriage houses page |
| Victoria | No: a garden suite “does not include a strata lot” | Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule A (Bylaw 17-001, April 13, 2017) |
| Saanich | Yes, if both homes meet the zoning rules | Zoning Bylaw 8200, s.5.35(g), added by Bylaw 10185 (2025) |
| Kelowna | No: “A Carriage House may not be stratified” | Bulletin 14-01, updated August 4, 2023 |
| Coquitlam | No: accessory dwelling units “cannot be stratified or subdivided” | City FAQ (undated) |
| Nanaimo | No: only principal units, “not suites, carriage houses, accessory dwelling units” | Subdivision FAQ, January 2025 |
| Abbotsford | No: coach houses and garden suites are “part of the same real estate entity” as the main home | Zoning Bylaw, Section 120 definitions |
| Port Coquitlam | No: a lot with an accessory dwelling unit and a principal dwelling “cannot be subdivided under the Strata Property Act” | Zoning Bylaw No. 3630 definitions |
| Port Moody | Yes for an “additional dwelling unit”, which “may be stratified” | Zoning Bylaw No. 2937, as amended by Bylaw 3460 (June 25, 2024) |
We did not find a rule on laneway homes and strata for Burnaby, Surrey or Richmond. Port Moody’s practice for a detached unit behind a house is also unconfirmed. Ask the planning desk before you count on a sale.
Vancouver in detail
Vancouver’s strata title policy makes the answer no in two steps. Section 6.1 says council or the Approving Officer “will not entertain any applications to convert” a single detached house with a secondary suite and/or a laneway house. Section 6.2(a) says that for a new house with a suite or laneway house, a covenant registered at the development permit “prohibits registration of a strata plan”. The City releases that covenant on request “not less than 12 months after issuance of the occupancy permit”, but section 6.1 still bars the conversion after that.
Vancouver does allow a strata for 2 or more principal units, such as a duplex, a house with infill, or a multiple conversion dwelling, with the number of strata lots equal to the number of principal units. In the R1-1 zone, a multiplex sold as strata is limited to 6 units. Our Vancouver strata rules page has the full policy.
Saanich in detail
Saanich changed its zoning in 2025. Section 5.35(g) of Zoning Bylaw 8200, added by Bylaw 10185, says a garden suite “shall be located either: i. on the same fee simple parcel as a single family dwelling; or ii. on the same strata plan as a single family dwelling.” The District’s notice of the change (September 8, 2025) said it enables “strata subdivision in cases where both dwellings meet zoning requirements”.
If your garden suite or house has been lived in, the strata plan goes through Saanich’s strata conversion application:
- a fee of $500 under the Fees and Charges Bylaw in force January 2, 2026 (the form still says $250)
- an engineer and architect report on substantial compliance with the BC Building Code 2024, including exits, fire and sound separation and seismic
- a building life expectancy of at least 35 years
- approval that lapses after 18 months
The result is a 2-lot strata: you and the buyer of the garden suite share a council, a budget, strata insurance on both buildings and a reserve fund. Our Saanich strata rules page lists the full requirements.
What you can do instead
Sell the whole property. The laneway house goes with the main house on one title.
Keep it and rent it. A long-term rental needs no strata plan. New Westminster’s page adds that its laneway and carriage houses cannot be used for short-term rentals.
Sell a share of the property. Some owners ask about selling a co-ownership share with the right to live in the laneway house. BC’s Real Estate Development Marketing Act treats 2 or more such “shared interests in land” in one parcel as a development property, which needs a disclosure statement filed with the Superintendent of Real Estate before marketing ($2,250 for fewer than 10 units). The District of North Vancouver’s guide also says coach houses are not permitted to be sold separately from the main house. Get legal advice before you offer this to anyone.
Build principal units instead. If your goal is homes you can sell one by one, a duplex or multiplex of principal units can become strata lots in the cities above, subject to their conversion and permit rules. Our guide to suites, laneway houses and coach houses compares the options.
We are building the StraPlex app for owners of 2 to 6 unit stratas, including garden suite stratas in Saanich, with the budget, insurance and records two owners need from the first day. The waitlist is below.
David Babakaiff, Co-Founder, VanPlex | PlexRank™ | Profit with Multiplex
