Okanagan couple faces fines, legal action over tiny home
CBC
A B.C. couple is facing the threat of a $1,000 penalty and legal action if they do not remove their tiny home from their rural property near Peachland by the end of April.
It's one of at least two cases in the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) where people living in unconventional homes are being pressured to remove their structures due to safety concerns — putting the homeowners in a situation where they'll need to find a new place to live in a region with few affordable housing options.
Eight years ago, Ryan King imported a custom-made trailer from the U.S. and constructed a tiny home on land he owns near Peachland, about 25 kilometres southwest of Kelowna, for about $25,000.
The 225-square-foot home is equipped with a kitchen, two loft bedrooms, a small wood-burning stove and a bathroom with a shower and composting toilet. King milled a large tree on the property to build counter space in the home and a spacious deck attached to the front of the trailer.
King said only grey water from the home's sinks goes back onto the land. He placed the tiny home on a level area on his secluded, 12-acre property which has a small creek running through it in the valley bottom.
"I think this is a very sustainable and reasonable reasonable way to live," King said.
"I like the idea that [the tiny home] is on wheels. I can just take the deck out of the way, throw the wheels on and haul out of here at any given time, which is great for wildfire season."
For five years King and his wife Lisa McIntyre lived an off-grid and sustainable lifestyle with their dogs in their tiny home without any issues.
However, three years ago the regional district posted a "stop work order" on their front door.
"I called up the regional district and said, 'hey, what's this all about? I'm not building. I've been living here for years.' And the bylaw officer informed me that [the tiny home] is not allowed," King said.
Since then King and McIntyre have been fighting with the district to stay in the home.
A letter King shared with CBC News from the RDCO lays out the issues the district has with the structure.
"It does not align with the B.C. building code, CSA safety standards or land use regulations. It is neither a certified tiny home nor a CSA classified recreation vehicle," the letter states.
"The wastewater system you are currently using is not permitted in this streamside aquatic protected area."
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