Multigenerational homes in Metro Vancouver.

What this guide covers

A family in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey or the rest of Metro Vancouver faces the same set of questions when a parent is getting older, an adult child cannot afford to buy nearby, or grandparents want to help raise grandchildren. Which type of building fits? How do we keep each household private? Who owns what, and what happens when someone dies? What help is there from government? And should we add to the house we have, or start again?

This guide answers each question in its own chapter. The home types chapter compares a suite, a laneway home, a duplex and a multiplex. The design chapter covers entrances, sound and planning for an older parent. The family ownership chapter covers title, co-ownership agreements, strata and estates. The money and tax chapter lists each program open or closed as of October 2026. The renovate or build new chapter compares the two paths.

Our Journal post on multigenerational housing in a multiplex tells the story of why families choose this. This guide sets out the rules behind it, with each statute, code article and program page cited at the foot of each page.

The building options in one view

Zoning sets how many homes a lot can hold. The province's small-scale housing page (last updated 20 January 2026) says 3 homes must be allowed on lots of 280 square metres or less and 4 on larger lots in the areas the law covers, and 6 near frequent bus service. Each city's bylaw then decides the height, setbacks and coverage, and the multiplex zoning guide covers that.

Within those limits, the four forms give a family different things. The table below is the short version; the home types chapter has the detail and the city rules for Surrey, Burnaby and Vancouver.

The rules that decide the choice

Three sets of rules shape a multigenerational home more than any other. The first is the BC Building Code. It sets lower sound and fire ratings for a house with a suite than for a duplex or multiplex, and it exempts most family homes from its accessibility section, apart from one bathroom with walls reinforced for future grab bars. The code does not apply in the City of Vancouver, which has its own building bylaw. The building code chapter of the multiplex guide has the full rules.

The second is property law. Family members on one title hold it as joint tenants or tenants in common, and the difference decides who gets a share when an owner dies. Section 11 of the Property Law Act makes tenancy in common the default. Any co-owner can ask a court to divide or sell the land under the Partition of Property Act, which is why a written co-ownership agreement matters.

The third is strata law. Separate titles for each household come from a strata plan. A building nobody has lived in needs only a surveyor's endorsement; a building people have lived in needs council approval that cannot be appealed. So the ownership plan has to be settled before the family moves in. The strata ownership chapter of the ownership guide explains the process.

Government help, open and closed, as of October 2026

Six programs can help as of 24 October 2026. The federal Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit pays 14.5% of up to $50,000 of costs for the 2025 tax year when a family creates a self-contained unit for a relative who is 65 or older or eligible for the disability tax credit (CRA page dated 20 January 2026). The federal home accessibility credit and the BC seniors and disability renovation credit help with ramps, lifts and grab bars. BC Housing's rebate for accessible home adaptations pays up to $20,000 to eligible lower income households (as of 22 September 2026). The home owner grant and property tax deferment lower or delay property tax for owners who live in the home.

Two suite programs are closed. The BC Secondary Suite Incentive Program stopped taking applications on 31 March 2025, and the federal Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program was cancelled in Budget 2025 before it opened. CMHC-insured refinancing for a suite or laneway home on an existing home is still offered through lenders.

The order to make decisions in

Decide in this order. First, who will live where, and for how long. A home for a grandparent for the rest of their life is a different project from a suite for an adult child for five years. Second, what the lot allows, which a zoning check on the actual parcel answers. Third, who will own what, which a lawyer turns into a title plan, a co-ownership agreement and wills. Fourth, which programs apply, because some, such as the federal credit and BC Housing's rebate, have rules about when the work happens or how it is approved. Last, whether to renovate or rebuild.

Doing these steps out of order leads to problems that are hard to undo: a suite that cannot be sold separately when the family wanted separate ownership, or a family that moved in before the strata plan was filed and now needs council approval. Each chapter of this guide ends with the questions families ask at that step.