City of Vancouver’s new tool to build laneway homes, increase housing supply

The City of Vancouver has released a new tool, the Project Requirements Exploration Tool (PRET), to quicken permitting times for laneway houses in an effort to address housing supply gaps. This tool is designed to help single-family residential lot owners apply for permits to build secondary rental suites and is part of the three-year Housing Vancouver strategy, which is aimed at reducing land speculation, increasing renter support, and loosening zoning restrictions. In November 2023, 96 building permits have been issued for laneway homes in Vancouver with a median wait time of 272.5 days.