2021 October 26
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Help Finding Land for Tiny Houses in Canada – 7 Definitive Elements!

The Biggest Problem to Finding Land for Tiny Houses…

Finding land for tiny houses is not exceptionally difficult. But… The #1 issue (arguably for most of us), is finding land where we want to be living! Especially in urban areas, this becomes a heroic challenge. This post covers several important considerations when trying to find your best place to live in Canada.

Table of Contents

For a lot of us, the concept of moving to the tiny home (or smaller home) lifestyle, can mean a choice of either living in a bustling urban setting, or a laid-back rural life. It should not boil down to this, yet the tiny house movement is still young, and sadly we’re currently relegated to this primary challenge – Which is the current reality that (in my opinion) the tiny house movement needs to overcome.

In my opinion, much of it is driven by municipal legislation as well as how the current state of “housing” (how we build communities for example) is effected. To understand some of the economic factors involved (borne out of the recent past), a video by “Not Just Bikes”, on YouTube, helps to provide some understanding of the bigger view that, over time, appears to have contributed to some of the current issues we face today.

Here in Canada (Ontario in this case), seldom do we see news stories such as the below, published on City News:

Buying Land

Here’s the crux… We need to have a place to locate our tiny (or small) house, and land is increasingly expensive as you move closer to urban areas (keep in mind, the further away from urban areas, the less the availability of some services). In many respects the challenge of finding land for tiny houses is trying to find smaller lots that are part of an existing large community.

Why purchase a “normal” sized lot that on average can cost $1,000,000 or more, when we would be only using possibly half the lot. A case in point, I recently spoke with a real estate agent, and the cost of a property was the same, regardless of the house on it or not.

The dimensions of the lot (in an urban area) covered approximately 20.14m x 33.56m (60.07′ x 110.1′). That’s an area of about 675.90m sq (2217.52′ sq) – And I don’t need that large a space. The asking price? $1,075,000. What’s worse, I cannot have the lot size split into smaller sizes (so I could sell the remainder of unused land) as the Municipality will not allow that (as the remaining sizes would be smaller than the allowed).

Further, the unused portion of the lot cannot be left to grow fallow (as the Municipality also has bylaws relating to landscaping). Also, the Municipality forbids Airbnb, and other rentals on the (residential) property – So there’s no simple way to make the unused portion of the lot productive or economically feasible as a passive income.

As a matter of practice it seems, the unused portion of the lot becomes an additional economic liability (also because the Municipality requires it be maintained, and the property taxes are levied on the whole lot size).

Quick Search Tools

After targeting your area (more on that further below), and establishing a short list of locations you want to dig deeper into, you can complete quick searches using the following:

Realtor.ca
Purple Bricks
LandQuest
Kijiji

This will provide you with a general overview of what’s available in the areas you prefer. You will also (in each listing) be able to see what services are available, as well as review maps of which amenities are in the area. This simple (but time consuming) step helps in quickly finding land for tiny houses.

Urban lots

Spoiler alert: It is very hard to find and buy land in urban areas. Often it’s a heroic feat to accomplish (unless you have unlimited bags of money so to speak). While they are available at times, often the costs are either too high, and / or come with a fair amount of bylaw and construction restrictions. Often the lot may not meet your needs. When finding land for tiny houses keep this in mind!

Finding Land for Tiny Houses - Hamilton Urban Lot

It’s important to carefully evaluate these lots. For example, I found a terrific smaller lot in the Hamilton area. In fact it was near perfect, and seemed too good to be true. In my own personal case it was… I had found an available, empty lot in Hamilton Beach (it’s a thin piece of land that juts across the western corner of Lake Ontario). Upon deeper investigation, I pulled up news stories of the area, and found several reports of flooding. While, the property was listed as “Urban”, also, there was no water or sewage service. So it pays to ensure you fully research each lot considered for purchase.

There are a couple options including for the more budget conscious:

#1 – Use outreach to find individuals in your targeted urban area; where some may be willing to enter a formal rental agreement with you.

#2 – Create a “group” of property buyers, where all members enter into a legal agreement and buy a larger lot together. For something like this to work, make sure that no building restrictions are in place which may hinder each member having a tiny (or smaller) house on the same lot. Also, if mortgaging, then it’s important to meet (or negotiate) the requirements the mortgage lender might have

Bonus consideration: Investigate laneway housing. Here’s a recent post covering how: Ontario Clarifies Building Codes for Legal Laneway Homes in Toronto.

Suburban lots Rural lots

Without question, there’s a lot of land “out there”. While the availability is greater when you go an hour or two out of city areas, the flip side is there’s often restrictive building codes and municipal bylaws. A case in point, one area I looked at, tiny houses were not allowed, period. In my inerudite opinion this may be a result of “traditional” practices not updating fast enough to meet modern needs?

Consider this: If looking for a rural area to locate your tiny house, there are communities that have been launched (that cater to this very movement). Below are a couple examples:

Bluewater Village
Bluegrass Meadows Micro Village

While suburban lots can be found, rural lots often have less “hoops” to jump while you are finding land for tiny houses.

But here’s the rub with rural lots:

While indeed restrictions may be more relaxed (your neighbours are often much farther away), when finding land for tiny houses, realize that isolation is not for everyone. Consider no water, no sewage services. Sub-speed Internet (if at all), and long expeditions to go shopping. If you need to call 911, it might be a longer wait for emergency services to arrive. Also, you may need to develop your own water and electrical sources.

Again, the theme continues… Be sure to do you research!

Transportation

Transportation is a critical requirement for most Canadians. We live in a country that is sparsely populated. This leaves our daily travels to include cars, ferries, boats, and trains, or for longer trips, planes, and trains.

One thing I always bring into my research when finding land for tiny houses, is to answer the following:

What’s the walk score of the area I’m moving to?

Just my personal preference: When I’m finding land for tiny houses, access to roads and trains is a must! In urban or suburban areas then the walk-ability or bike-ability becomes more important.

What train service is available?

Finding Land for Tiny Houses - Train Map

Are there roads or a major highways?

Zoning

It’s important to touch on the zoning issues (more below), but keep in mind, it’s better to speak with a professional, in the zoning industry (as they can provide accurate information and guidance for your area).

While zoning considerations can be difficult to navigate, it’s important also to garner the appropriate resources from your government. For example:

While all provinces do have rules surrounding buildings and zoning, it seems for laymen such as myself, they are not necessarily easy to find. Below are some of the ones that might be helpful for you:

Urban Lots

When building on urban lots (which are harder to find), several types of zoning need to be satisfied, both at the provincial and municipal level. Also, it’s important to satisfy the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) guidelines. It’s also important to finding an insurance company that can provide you the level of tiny home insurance you require.

It could be argued that urban zoning requirements are much more restrictive!

Suburban Lots

While zoning in suburban areas is often not as restrictive as that in urban (unless you try to locate in a protected or historically significant area), nevertheless again, it’s important to meet all requirements.

Often suburban lot sizes can be larger, so when finding land for tiny houses, consider the option (if permitted) to apply for the lot to be divided – this will cost extra money (applications, land surveys, etc.), but may open up the option to sell or rent out the extra lot created.

There are a growing number of municipalities that are beginning to endorse the building of tiny houses – So I’m guessing they may also be more open to the process of splitting a lot?

Rural Lots

For many (as I suggested in the beginning of this post) finding land for tiny houses on rural land is often a major driving option when finding land for tiny houses. Without question, rural land is sparsely populated. Which makes land lots (in rural areas) among the most available. And that stands to reason as there are less people near to each other. In turn, this results in lower land costs (as demand is less than that in urban areas).

What’s more, if you’re looking to build something specific, or not as common, try looking for land that’s not incorporated in a municipality. Why? Because “unincorporated” land has less building code restrictions – Which could lead to cost saving. That makes tons of sense when finding land for tiny houses in rural areas. Keep in mind, there are still provincial cods (and CSA guidelines) to satisfy.

As I’ve mentioned before, the inherent isolation is not for everyone, so it’s important to know what you want, and what lifestyle works best for you, when working at finding land for tiny houses!

Bottom line… Rural lots have the least restrictive zoning compliance needs.

UTILITIES

Hydro

If the land isn’t connected to Hydro, you will need to connect or build your own power. The amount of money that this entails varies depending on which part of Canada you are in. Because there are so many different types of ‘off grid’ systems available, it is best to research local companies for more information.

The connection to electricity can be difficult if you are finding land that has not yet been connected.

If the land is serviced, finding out how many amps your tiny house will pull (because most appliances list amps on their tags), and finding out whether there are any limitations on the amount of power your tiny house will draw, is important to know before moving forward. If there are limitations, finding the best way to utilize your power will need to be considered.

If you are finding land that is not serviced with electricity, finding out how far you are from Hydro lines (and finding this information can require quite a bit of legwork), finding out what permits are required for installation, and finding out if there are any limitations on connection installation speeds (sometimes it can take months), is important. If there are limitations, finding the best way to augment your power will need to be considered.

Internet

My personal take… While finding land for tiny houses, usable internet service is essential. (And… I should note, this requires us to also take a broader look at other services – More on this below). For builders and tiny home enthusiasts, finding property with all pertinent requirements (electricity, septic system, etc.) can be a time-consuming and challenge. Fortunately, there are some foolproof ways to find internet service anywhere in Canada.

There are several intermediary companies that work with telecom providers to offer internet connection in remote areas. Utility connections may take a little extra time, but finding them is the first step towards finding internet service on your property.

Tiny houses and tiny home communities can be found across Canada, as long as you know where to look and what to look for.

1. Clear Property Lines

In order to get anything from a septic system to an internet connection in your property, you need to know where your property line is and what’s in that space (including whether or not the land and soil would support either).  Maps of land-ownership in Canada can be obtained if needed.  Online maps are also sometimes available.

2. Utility Connections

Companies like Xplornet (and others) offer internet to remote areas in Canada where it simply wasn’t feasible until recently. Cellular service is another option for finding connections in rural areas, but finding land with all ingredients required for tiny houses (electricity) may be more important than finding internet.

You can find more providers to contact by using the CRTC’s (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) “Service providers near Me” tool.

The property lines and location of services & utilities on your property can determine whether or not you continue and pursue finding land for tiny homes in your targeted area, but finding the right opportunity is only the first step.

Also, visit the land lot, and check if you have mobile service. If you do, there may likely be (high speed) internet service available.

ACCESS TO SERVICES

As is kind of obvious, I recommend using the resources found on the internet to find out how far away you are from hospitals, doctors offices, and 911 services, etc.

For many, finding land for tiny houses near these available resources is something that’s important to you (and your family) before committing to a purchase.

Here are two resources I also use in this scenario:

Canadian hospitals rated by CBC

Cellular Maps (because 911 calling is covered under most plans)

To actively (hands-on) find out which services (emergency or otherwise) are available in your area, I recommend visiting the land you’re considering, and jumping around the perimeter on foot with your smartphone active.

If cell coverage is available around the property, you can avoid finding yourself stuck somewhere where help isn’t available.

SAFE LOCATIONS

It is important to ensure the land you are buying is safe. Some considerations include earthquake, tsunami, gas leaks, and other related dangers. Be sure to take these into consideration when working at finding land for tiny houses .

To find safe locations for your tiny home consider where recent lawsuits have not sued the land owner. For example if there was a lawsuit over water poisoning 10 years ago on your new plot of land, that would be a big negative.

Also consider finding land for tiny houses that is near amenities like stores, restaurants, and grocery stores for convenience. It makes it much easier to put up your tiny home when you do not need to drive very far.  

When finding land for tiny houses, take into consideration the amount of traffic the roads receive to ensure your home will not be damaged during heavy travel. If the roads are always busy, it may be difficult to sleep due to loud engines whizzing by all night long.

When finding land for tiny houses you might want to consider finding land that is near a major city or town center (when possible), but has major businesses outside of its border. This will ensure you are near to major employment opportunities, but you will not have issues with constantly finding new neighbours.

Land that is near rivers and creeks may also be a good idea as it provides water access for your tiny home. Some people might consider getting their own well, but it is best to invest in finding land that already has an established water supply. Be sure to research if there has been any flooding in the past!

As with any land consideration, ensuring you are safe from natural (or human made) disasters is very important. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and even gas leaks are all common natural disasters that can happen if one is not careful to try and avoid such areas.

When finding land for tiny houses consider ensuring that you are away from any large bodies of water to ensure the safety of your future property. The flooding alone can cause problems with finding yourself homeless.

Below are some of the tools that I use when finding land for tiny houses :

Air quality in Canada

Simplified seismic hazard map for Canada, the provinces and territories

Interactive indicator maps (water quality, air quality, harmful substances)

Canadian Statistical Geospatial Explorer (crime rates in this example)

While not directly related, I do compare the living costs across Canada, to help with sussing out some quality of life information.

LEVERAGING EXTENDED SEARCH OPTIONS

Using services (like Properly) and others

There are also several other options you can use while finding land for tiny houses.

Money! Money is one thing you are going to need. One intriguing solution (I have not tried) is to use services such as “Properly“. For example, here’s how they work…

Is it better to buy first and sell later? Properly can provide you access to your equity and financial assistance so you never miss out on a property you want. Properly will give you Sale Assurance for your existing qualifying property, allowing you to tap into your equity and obtain finances.

With Properly, if you’re ready to buy when you find the location you like, move in to your new tiny house, and then sell your old property from the serenity of your new home!

Launching an outreach campaign

Reaching out is often one option that can help. It’s pretty straight forward in that you’re leveraging your connections (and their connections), so find that area of land you can use. Quite often there can be times where someone has more land than they want, and are either open to renting a portion of the lot to you, or possibly better, selling it to you outright.

Get land for free

In February 2021, Narcity ran a story titled: “8 Canadian Towns Where You Could Get Land For Free“. In that post they covered some key reasons why the communities they focused on were providing interested parties with free land.

With a bit of digging (and staying tuned into current news), from time to time opportunities like this are available. To be fair, these plots of land are often in the wilderness, so not for everyone. In my opinion this is where finding land for tiny houses is on an epic scale, as often it’s in the “wildest” places!

It’s Your Turn…

The benefits of living in a tiny house are undeniable and the lifestyle is ideal for those who want to live simply and enjoy life. Finding land can be difficult, but if you have some time on your hands, it’s worth looking into as the freedom that comes with owning your own land is invaluable.

The benefits of finding land for tiny houses however are incredible as with your own land, you can build your tiny home, customized to your needs. As well as live the lifestyle that’s best for you! Where did you find land? Did it take long?

Hopefully this introductory post about finding land for tiny houses, raises some good points for your own research and follow up. If you have any questions, suggestions, etc., please feel free to include them in the comments below (or you can even choose to be a guest writer).

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