Grow a Suite Grant Program

Funding provided by the Government of Canada through the Housing Accelerator Fund.

 About Grow a Suite Grant Program

The Grow a Suite Grant Program provides a grant, and building permit application fee waiver to help homeowners:

✔ Create a new secondary suite,
✔ Legalize an existing suite, or
✔ Build a new carriage home.

This program aims to increase rental housing supply, and bring unlicensed secondary suites up to BC Building Code standards to increase safety and livability for tenants.

About the Grant

The grant amount available for eligible applicants is:

• a waived building permit application fee ($150-$500), and
• a grant to cover 25% of construction costs, or $7,500, whichever is less.

The grant will be applied as a credit towards the owners property tax account, at the time of project completion, following a successful final building inspection.

The program is open from March 1, 2026 until December 31, 2027, or until program funding is fully used, whichever comes first. This is a first-come first-serve program.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants must:

• Have a property with an existing dwelling (e.g. single family home) that was built in 2024 or prior.
• Not have an existing legal secondary suite or carriage home on the property.
• Be eligible to build a secondary suite or carriage home (e.g. meet zoning requirements).
• Sign an Owner’s Declaration that the new unit will not be used as short term rental or decommissioned for a minimum of 3 years.
• Comply with other program requirements and deadlines outlined in the application form.
• Not have received building permit issuance prior to March 1, 2026.

How to Apply

1. Confirm your property and home meets the program and eligibility requirements on the Grant Application Form

2. Determine if a Development Permit is required (contact dev.services@westkelownacity.ca), and confirm eligibility to build a:

• Secondary suites
• Carriage homes

3. Apply for a Building Permit with completed Grant Application Form

4. Receive City confirmation of program eligibility, and maximum applicable grant amount (based on 25% of eligible construction costs, up to a maximum of $7,500).

5. Pick up your approved Building Permit and complete all construction and applicable inspections.

6. Request either Occupancy or Final Inspection.

6. Once occupancy status has been issued, applicant will be required to notify by email to dev.services@westkelownacity.ca to formally request grant funding allocation.

Download Grant Application Form

Interested in Applying?

Contact building@westkelownacity.ca to confirm eligibility, requirements, and next steps.

  About the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)

The City of West Kelowna was awarded up to $7.9 million from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to deliver initiatives that will increase housing supply and create more housing options in our community.

The City and CMHC have agreed to a Housing Supply Growth Target of 1,343 housing units by 2028, which includes 199 single-family units, 814 missing middle units, and 330 multi-unit homes. Additionally, 114 affordable housing units are targeted as a subset within the overall targets. Learn more on our Housing Accelerator Fund page.

The City of West Kelowna’s Action Plan commits to seven local initiatives including but not limited to new incentives to increase priority housing, fast-tracking standardized housing designs, and zoning updates to encourage more rental, affordable, and missing middle housing. Opportunities to develop affordable housing will be further enabled through a Land Strategy, which will outline a framework for utilizing City land.

The West Kelowna Builds – Affordable Housing Partnership Program will both help the City to achieve the Housing Supply Growth Target, as well as respond to key initiatives in the Action Plan.