Publishing date: Apr 13, 2022  •  46 minutes ago  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation Calgary City Hall was photographed on Monday, November 22, 2021. Photo by Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

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The City of Calgary has laid 51 charges Dhaliwal Homes Ltd., its sole director and two agents for not complying with the provincial Safety Codes Act and for failing to comply with the city’s Land Use Bylaws.

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The charges follow a three-month investigation by the city and are related to the construction of two semi-detached structures. “This is a very serious case for us, it’s very unusual,” said Cliff de Jong, manager of building safety services for the city. “We’ve got, essentially, four homes that were built without permits.”

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He added in a press conference that it appears the company received planning approval by the city for construction of two semi-attached properties with a combined four units, but they did not follow up with proper permitting. The issue was not discovered until the four units were put on the market and were sold. It was during the due diligence of one buyer that it was discovered that there were no verified permits on the homes or garages.

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One buyer who contacted Postmedia said they were able to walk away from the deal and get most of their money back once they realized the seller was under investigation. The two buildings are located at 1704 27 street S.W. and 2327 27 Avenue N.W. The southwest property is still listed on newinfills.ca as being listed for $899,900 and being sold. It is a five bedroom, four bath 1,905 square-foot unit and was built in 2021. NewInfills.ca did not return a request for comment prior to publication.

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The northwest property was removed from the market on Oct. 22, 2021 from real estate website zolo.ca, but prior to that, the four bedroom, four bathroom townhouse was listed for $849,900. Due to the investigation which uncovered the lack of permits, no one has been able to move-in to the homes.

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The charges include: • Building without a municipal building permit for both homes and the detached garages. • Building without the necessary safety code inspections (electrical, gas, plumbing and building) being conducted. • Knowingly submitting false and misleading information in relation to permits, inspections and permission to occupy. There were 49 Alberta Safety Codes Act violations and Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. can be fined up to $100,000 per offence and or imprisonment not exceeding six months if found guilty. For the two by law offences, they face maximum fines $10,000 per charge and/or a term of imprisonment of up to one year. “For the four homes and associated garages, there’s missing permits and they have produced documentation that cannot be verified as evidence that they had permits,” said de Jong.

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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 it is important for homebuyers to do their due diligence when making a purchase of this size. Without the proper permits a new homeowner warranty would not be issued. The homeowners would also be responsible for all expenses in ensuring the house met all requirements, not the builder once the sale is complete. “Our legislation directs us to the owner to rectify any issues, so if somebody moved in and completed a sale, we can only go to the person who is in current ownership of the property,” said de Jong. “We need to make sure the structure is safe and our legislation points us to the owner, so they’d be left with a hefty, very expensive issue to resolve.”

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Though he added it would be difficult to go through the process of buying a home without one of the “gatekeepers” — real estate agent, lawyer, or the city — catching the issue. Permits will now have to be acquired and full inspections completed on the four units before anyone can move in. This means walls will need to be opened up and drywall removed so structure, plumbing, electrical, gas and heating can be inspected and passed before an occupancy permit can be secured. The matter is now before the provincial court with first appearance on Wednesday morning. This story will be updated … — With files from Steven Wilhelm, Calgary Herald. [email protected] Twitter: @JoshAldrich03

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title: “Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. Faces 51 Charges For Building Code Violations " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Jimmy Howe”

Date of publication: April 13, 2022 • 51 minutes ago • 3 minutes reading • Join the discussion Cliff de Jong speaks at Calgary City Hall on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. because it did not comply with the Alberta Security Code. Photo by Steven Wilhelm / Postmedia

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The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd., its director, and two agents for failing to comply with provincial county codes and land use regulations.

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The categories follow a three-month investigation by the city and are related to the construction of two semi-independent structures. “This is a very serious case for us, it is very unusual,” said Cliff de Jong, director of building security services for the city. “We actually have four houses that were built without a permit.”

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He added in a press conference that it seems that the company received the urban planning approval from the city for the construction of two semi-connected properties with a combined four units, but did not follow up on the appropriate permit. The issue was not discovered until the four units were sold. It was under the diligent care of a buyer that it was discovered that there were no verified permits for houses or garages.

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A buyer who contacted Postmedia said they were able to terminate the deal and get most of their money back as soon as they realized the seller was under investigation. The two buildings are located at 1704 27th St. SW, and 2327 27th Ave. NW A house on the 1700 block of 27th St. southwest of Calgary on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. because he did not comply with the Alberta Security Code. Photo by Steven Wilhelm / Postmedia The southwestern property is still listed on a third party real estate website for $ 899,900 and is for sale. It is a five-bedroom, four-bath, 1,905-square-foot unit built in 2021.

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The Northwest property was removed from the market on October 22, 2021, by third-party real estate website zolo.ca, but the four-bedroom, four-bathroom mansion was previously listed for $ 849,900. Due to the investigation that revealed the lack of permits, no one was able to move into the houses. Charges include:

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Building without a municipal building permit for both houses and detached houses. Building without having carried out the necessary safety code checks (electrical, physical, hydraulic and building). Knowledge of submitting false and misleading information in connection with licenses, inspections and possession license.

There were a total of 49 charges for violating Alberta Security Code and Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. A fine of up to $ 100,000 may be imposed for an offense and / or imprisonment not exceeding six months if convicted. For both offenses of the statute, they face a maximum fine of $ 10,000 per charge and / or imprisonment for up to one year. “The four houses and related garages are missing permits and have produced documents that cannot be verified as proof that they had permits,” de Jong said.

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A house on 2300 block of 27th Ave. northwest of Calgary on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. because he did not comply with the Alberta Security Code. Photo by Steven Wilhelm / Postmedia According to the city, Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. has been active in the city for “quite some time” and has not been the focus of such research in the past. De Jong added that it is important for home buyers to be diligent when making a purchase of this size. Without proper permits, no new homeowner warranty will be issued. Homeowners, not the builder, will be responsible for all costs to ensure that the home meets all the requirements once the sale is complete. “Our law directs us to the landlord to correct any problems, so if someone moves in and completes a sale, we can only go to the person who is the current owner of the property,” de Jong said. “We need to make sure the structure is secure and our legislation refers us to the owner, so they will be left with a big, very costly issue to resolve.”

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He added that it would be difficult to go through the process of buying a home without one of the “guardians” – a real estate agent, a lawyer or the city – realizing the issue. A house on 2300 block of 27th Ave. northwest of Calgary on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The city of Calgary has filed 51 charges against Dhaliwal Homes Ltd. because he did not comply with the Alberta Security Code. Photo by Steven Wilhelm / Postmedia Permits must now be obtained and full inspections of the four units must be completed before anyone can move. This means that the walls must be opened and the drywall removed so that the structure, plumbing, electrical, gas and heating can be inspected and passed before a residence permit can be obtained. The case is now before the district court, with its first appearance on Wednesday morning. – With archives by Steven Wilhelm, Calgary Herald [email protected] Twitter: @ JoshAldrich03 More news, fewer ads, faster upload time: Get unlimited, ad-lite access to the Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $ 14 / month or $ 140 / year. Register now through Calgary Herald the Calgary Sun..

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