Be prudent in declaring home renovation value to MoWest: Mazzone

By Joel Goldenberg, September 26th, 2012

All Montreal West homeowners who make a change or add something to their home should declare the actual value of that change, such as a new door or window, roofs or extensions, Councillor Dino Mazzone told the late August council meeting.
Mazzone, in charge of the urban planning and finance portfolio on council, said in his recent monthly report that there are times when the value of the change reported to the town's planning advisory committee “is not fully indicative of the value that is being paid out of the pocket of the homeowner.
“I have first-hand proof of this,” the councillor said. “In going through the process for my new door, one of the suppliers came to my home, met with my wife, gave her the bill and said 'by the way, I could prepare another bill for you and this could be presented to the town, it would be much less.' It was suggested he had done this often in Montreal West.”
Mazzone said the town will try to address this issue.
According to Montreal West's rules regarding changes to homes, “a building permit is required for all new constructions, alterations and additions. Alterations include changes to the exterior of a building, demolition, the installation of a swimming pool, antenna, chimney, accessory building, awnings, signs and any other permanent elements on the outside of the building.
“The repair, refection or replacement of elements such as a roof, windows, doors, stairs, balconies, fences or driveways do not require a permit, so long as their appearance is not modified and the value of the work does not exceed $5,000. Work carried out inside a building does not require a permit unless it modifies the structure, partitions, or the plumbing or electrical systems. Where proposed changes affect the exterior of the building, including the replacement of windows, the application is referred to the Montreal West Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) for its review and recommendations.”n