Sask. to help cover cost of adding rental suites to homes

Saskatchewan residents adding a rental suite to their home could receive up to $35,000 from the province in a program the government says will help homeowners with rising costs while also increasing the availability of rental units.

The iniative will be called the Secondary Suite Incentive (SSI) grant program.

The province also revealed detalis of the PST rebate for new homes  that was announced during the throne speech on Oct. 25.

The PST rebate provides a repayment of as much as 42 per cent of the PST paid on the purchase of a newly constructed home, the province said.

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To qualify for the rebate, the province says new homes must be occupied by April 1, 2026, with rebate applications received no later than March 31 of the following year.

Only homes that cost $550,000 or less before taxes and exceed the value of the land and price of any furniture, furnishings and appliances will qualify for the rebate, according to the province.

The maximum allowable money given back in the rebate will also be reduced for homes that cost more than $450,000, the province said, although how much of a reduction will be applied was not included in a news release.

Meanwhile to qualify for the SSI grant, the province said that a secondary suite must be on the property of a single-family home and include a separate entrance, full kitchen and full bathroom and meet all national, provincial, and municipal bylaws, codes and standards to be used as a rental unit.

In a news release the province said that, "costs of renovating an existing secondary suite or the primary residence are not eligible."

“Saskatchewan is growing at its fastest pace in more than a century and we need housing stock across a wide range of communities and price ranges,” Saskatchewan Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said in a news release. “A secondary suite can help homeowners with the cost of a mortgage while providing affordable options for renters.”

Following the throne speech, the opposition NDP accused the government of not announcing any affordability measures for residents.

Harpauer responded by saying details surrounding housing affordability were coming.

“There is a housing program, and you’ll [get] more details next week, that will address housing affordability, but it will also have a secondary sweep program that will go directly to families that will have an option in order to help them with their mortgage payments should they be impacted by recent mortgage rate increases,” Harpauer said during question period on Oct. 26.

More details surrounding the SSI grant program can be read here.