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Who’s in the right?

The city of Surrey says the Clayton Heights neighbourhood has had chronic issues with illegal secondary suites and a parking shortage, citing some 400 complaints in recent years.

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Last month the city sent letters to 175 property owners in Clayton Heights who have illegal suites, asking them to remove them by Jan. 31, 2018, or face fines and legal action.

Surrey’s bylaws allow for one secondary suite in conjunction with a single-family home in each zone that has a single-family dwelling as a permitted use. Multiple suites are not permitted.

Some landlords, however, have been filing requests to see what complaints have been lodged against their individual properties. Some found there had been no complaints on their property but that they were being told to get rid of the suites anyway. Most had been paying the required secondary suite servicing fee.

“Essentially, the city is misleading the public on why they’re doing this,” said Clayton Heights resident Greg Garner.