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The charges are after a three-month investigation by the city and are related to the construction of two two-storey properties
Calgary City Hall was photographed on Monday, November 22, 2021. Photo by Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia
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The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd., its sole director and two agents, for non-compliance with the Provincial Safety Codes Act and for non-compliance with city land use laws.
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The charges are after a three-month investigation by the city and are related to the construction of two buildings.
“This is a very serious case for us, it is very unusual,” said Cliff de Jong, manager of the city’s building security services. “We have essentially four houses that were built without permits.”
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He added at a news conference that the company appears to have received planning approval from the city to build two two-story properties with four combined blocks, but they have not received proper permission.
The problem was not found until the four units were put on the market and sold. During a proper inspection of one buyer, it was found that there were no verified permits for homes or garages.
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A buyer who contacted Postmedia said they were able to cancel the deal and get most of their money back after learning the seller was under investigation.
The two buildings are located at 1704 27 Street SW and 2327 27 Avenue NW
The Southwest property is still listed on NewInfills.ca for $ 899,900 and is for sale. It is a block of five bedrooms and four bathrooms with an area of 1905 square feet and was built in 2021. NewInfills.ca did not return a request for comment before publication.
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The northwestern property was removed from the market on October 22, 2021 from the real estate website zolo.ca, but before that the four-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse was announced for $ 849,900.
Due to the investigation, which revealed a lack of permits, no one was able to break into the homes.
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Fees include:
- Building without a municipal building permit for both homes and private garages.
- Building without the necessary checks on safety rules (electric, gas, plumbing and building).
- Deliberate submission of false and misleading information in connection with permits, inspections and residence permits.
There were 49 violations of the Alberta Safety Act and Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. could be fined up to $ 100,000 for a crime and / or imprisonment for up to six months if convicted. For both violations, they face fines of up to $ 10,000 for indictment and / or up to one year in prison.
“There are no permits for the four houses and the associated garages, and they have submitted documentation that cannot be confirmed as proof that they had permits,” de Jong said.
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According to the city, Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. has been in business in the city for some time with a number of different projects, but has not previously been the focus of an investigation of this nature.
He added that it is important for home buyers to make their due diligence when making a purchase of this size. Without the relevant permits, a guarantee for a new home will not be issued. Homeowners will also be responsible for all costs to ensure that the house meets all requirements, not the builder once the sale is complete.
“Our legislation directs us to the owner to correct all the problems, so if someone moves and completes the sale, we can only go to the person who currently owns the property,” de Jong said. “We need to make sure that the structure is safe and our legislation directs us to the owner, so they will be left with a serious, very expensive problem to solve.”
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Although he added that it would be difficult to go through the process of buying a home without one of the “door keepers” – a real estate agent, a lawyer or the city – to catch the problem.
Permits will now have to be obtained and full inspections will have to be carried out on the four units before anyone can move in. This means that the walls will have to be opened and the drywall removed so that the structure, plumbing, electricity, gas and heating can be inspected and passed before a residence permit can be obtained.
The matter is now before the provincial court with the first appearance on Wednesday morning.
There is more…
– With files from Stephen Wilhelm, Calgary Herald
jaldrich@postmedia.com
Twitter: @ JoshAldrich03
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