Real Estate Lawyers Lakefield, Ontario

It’s your obligation to keep a secondary suite adequately heated. Standards for what is considered acceptable vary by municipality, but 20° C is usual for September through June. Northern communities where temperatures are colder may set the minimum higher, for longer periods.

If in doubt, use the provincial standard of 20° C year-round. You are liable for ensuring utility bills, including heat, are paid so tenants aren’t deprived of heat, power, or water. The only exception is if utility bills are in a tenants’ name, agreed to in a written lease. 

Keeping the heat on is wise regardless of whether a secondary suite is occupied. Turning off the heat too soon or altogether can cause mould, mildew, or structural damage to your investment asset.

Your cottage may not be designated now, but municipalities can use a notice of intention to designate under the Ontario Heritage Act to delay or stop heritage properties from being demolished or altered. 

That puts your application to demolish temporarily on hold for up to 90 days, until the township decides how to proceed. You have a right of objection, and up to 30 days to appeal any decision to the Ontario Municipal Board at: ontario.municipal.board@ontario.ca, .

Depending on what the local municipal heritage committee decides, you could be asked to:

1. Replace the demolished structure with a new building.
2. Make a written and photographic record of the building, and other structures on the same site, before demolishing it.
3. Reconsider demolition, sell, or redevelop the site to preserve it as a heritage property.
4. Your property may also be expropriated.

Plan ahead, since you may need other permits, and approval can take awhile.

Potentially. Lakefield’s community improvement plan allows residences on upper floors of retail and commercial shops. The plan promotes the idea that residents can “live, work, conduct business, shop or rest” downtown and in commercially designated areas.

Lakefield’s main central area is undergoing a facelift to preserve its traditional village feel. That includes restoring building facades, adding street furniture, and creating off-street parking to make it more pedestrian friendly. 

Buildings and signage in community improvement areas should retain the town’s “quaint, friendly, intimate, welcoming, and traditional” atmosphere. Applying for a local urban design study grant could offset 70% of the cost, up to $2,500, of preparing the professional urban design studies and architectural/design drawings the town requires for proposed new projects.

Review the Selwyn Township Permit Information Package. You can apply online, or call ahead to 705-292-9507, ext. 214, before going to the township building and planning department in person. A detailed site plan and construction drawings are required with your application.