'Unsightly' under-construction home must be finished or demolished, B.C. court rules

A B.C couple has been ordered to stop living in a motorhome on the property where their under-construction home – which they were first given a permit to build more than six years ago – has become an “eyesore,” according to a recent court decision.

A B.C couple has been ordered to stop living in a motorhome on the property where their under-construction home – which they were first given a permit to build more than six years ago – has become an “eyesore,” according to a recent court decision.

The Town of Osoyoos took Murray and Kathy Bloom to court earlier this year, claiming the couple was in violation of multiple municipal bylaws and seeking a number of injunctions in response. Among those were an order for the couple to stop occupying the property and another requiring them to bring it into compliance.

In addition, the town asked the court to authorize the demolition of the would-be home and the impoundment of the RV in the event the couple defied those orders.

In her decision, Justice Anita Chan described pictures submitted as evidence that showed the state of the property – which the owners began building in 2018.

“The photos show an incomplete building with missing windows and doors, vast interior areas open to the elements, no siding, thin weathered looking wooden strips erected as fencing on the top floor, with construction materials strewn about outside,” the decision said.

An inspector’s report, submitted to the town council, described the contraventions of the B.C. Building Code.

“These included no roofing, no cladding, lack of windows and doors, lack of handrails and guards, no insulation and no fire safety systems. The building inspector outlined concerns about the integrity of the structure as the house was still in the framing stage and has not had protection from the elements since construction began,” the court heard.