VANPLEX

Mortgage Helper

Buying a home with a rental suite

The rent can change which homes you can afford at all. It also makes you a landlord in your own building. Both halves of that deserve attention before you rely on the income.

The short answer

263 active newly built ground-oriented homes state a suite of some kind: 187 state a legal suite and 37 state an unauthorized one. They run a median $1,485,000 for 2,485 sq ft. Whether a specific suite is legal is a question for the municipality, not the listing.

Homes stating a suite
263
Stating a legal suite
187
Stating unauthorized
37
Median price
$1,485,000

The one thing to get right

Whether a suite is legal or unauthorized is the distinction this entire hub turns on, and it is not something a listing settles. A legal suite was permitted and inspected. An unauthorized one was not, whatever standard it was built to and however long it has been rented. You inherit the status when you buy, along with the consequences for insurance, for what a lender will count, and for whether the municipality ever asks you to remove it. Ask the municipality for the permit record. It takes one email.

Homes that state a suite

263 active listings

Median list price
$1,485,000

typical range $1,131,000 to $2,298,000

Median price per sq ft
$565

typical range $422 to $1,054

Median size
2,485 sq ft

typical range 1,724 sq ft to 3,563 sq ft

Median strata fee
$351

typical range $114 to $464

12 of 263 listings state one

Median annual property tax
$4,634

typical range $2,947 to $8,201

106 of 263 listings state one

Measured across 263 active listings on .

Where they are

  • Surrey 74
  • Burnaby 55
  • Vancouver 47
  • Delta 33
  • Langley 20
  • Mission 11

528 listings do not state anything about a suite either way. That is not the same as stating there is none, so ask directly if it matters to your plan.

Is a mortgage helper right for you

Works well if

  • ✓ The rent genuinely changes which homes you can consider, confirmed with a broker
  • ✓ You are comfortable with a tenant living in your building
  • ✓ You have read what the Residential Tenancy Act requires of a landlord
  • ✓ The suite is legal, or you have priced the risk of one that is not

Does not work if

  • ✕ Your budget only works if a lender counts rent you have not confirmed they will
  • ✕ You want the space back within a couple of years
  • ✕ A month of vacancy would be a genuine problem
  • ✕ Strata bylaws restrict rentals and you did not check

Check before you offer

  • → The permit record with the municipality, in writing
  • → What your lender will actually count on this specific property
  • → The strata bylaws on rentals
  • → Whether a tenancy is already in place, since you inherit it and its terms

Everything in this hub

THE REALITY

Being a Landlord in BC
What the Residential Tenancy Act requires of you once someone is living in your suite, and where to get the actual rules.
Choosing a Tenant When They Live in Your Building
Screening matters more when the tenant shares your building, and the rules about what you can and cannot consider still apply.
Strata Rules on Renting a Suite
Whether your strata can stop you renting the suite, and what to check before you rely on the income.
Tax on Suite Income
Rental income is income. What that means, where the rules are, and why this page will not give you a calculation.
Insurance Once There Is a Tenant
Why a tenant changes your insurance position, and what to tell your insurer before anything happens rather than after.
What Can Go Wrong
The failure modes of a mortgage helper plan, so you can price them before you rely on the rent.

Homes with a suite, on the map

Every active listing that states a suite. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link.

230 of 263 homes plotted. 33 listings have no coordinates in the feed and cannot be placed. Click a pin for the photo, the price, and a Street View link. Zoom with the plus and minus buttons or by pinching.

Homes that state a suite

245 more active listings are not shown here. Search every active listing . Prices are the list price. Most new homes have GST added on top.

Common questions

What is a mortgage helper?

A self-contained rental unit inside the home you live in, with its own entrance, kitchen, and bathroom. The rent offsets your mortgage payment, and a lender may count part of it toward what you can borrow. It also makes you a landlord under BC tenancy law.

How many homes on the market have one?

263 of 1,322 active listings state a suite, so it is a minority of the market. A further 528 listings do not state anything either way, which is not the same as stating there is none.

Does a suite help me qualify for a bigger mortgage?

Often, and how much varies by lender and by whether the suite is legal. It is not a straightforward addition to your income, and it needs confirming with a broker on the specific property before you write an offer.

What is the difference between a legal and an unauthorized suite?

A legal suite was permitted and inspected as a separate dwelling unit. An unauthorized one was not, whatever its condition. You inherit the status when you buy, along with any consequence for insurance, lending, and enforcement. Check with the municipality rather than the listing.

How current are these numbers?

Recalculated from active MLS listings on every site build, last measured on 2026-09-07.

Where these figures come from

Find homes with a suite

Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and combine a suite with price, bedrooms, parking, and distance to a station.

Search homes for sale Work the monthly numbers