A way has been found to protect potential Melfort homeowners from buying homes with problems without going through an onerous legal process.
There was a case where a home in the south end of Melfort that was getting work done where the contractors needed water, which the city approved. There was a list of deficiencies that was to be examined by a building inspector before an occupancy permit could be issued. In the meantime, the home was sold to a new owner and occupied. The building inspector was not contacted by the real estate firm to inquire about the status of the inspection.
The original plan to solve this was to change the building occupancy bylaw so that permanent water services cannot be provided until a occupancy permit is issued. The problem, changing a bylaw adds various legal requirements for the city to fulfil.
At the March 13 council meeting, Michael Hotsko, the city’s administrator, told council the new plan, which does not require a bylaw change, was to attach a list of any deficiencies to the property’s legal title, meaning the potential buyer will have full knowledge of what needs to be done.
Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor, said he’s pleased with the new method to protect potential homeowners.
“I don’t see any problem with it at all. I think it’s certainly affording the same protection to new homebuyers. It’s something that didn’t exist before because we didn’t note the deficiencies on the title.”
