‘Tax grab’: Regional district bylaws force tiny home owner out of Central Okanagan

Ryan King and his partner wanted a simple rural lifestyle in the Okanagan. On a creek side property near Peachland, their tiny home was parked for years until he realized they couldn’t succeed against the regional district.

A lengthy dispute with the Central Okanagan Regional District ended with a settlement last summer.

In exchange for dropping the bylaw dispute, which had escalated from tickets to court, they moved away from the Central Okanagan entirely.

“I want to say I gave up, but I moved on to better things,” King told iNFOnews.ca.

He spent more than five years building the tiny home, toiling for countless hours on the property and the trailer-bound home itself. Until around 2021, he had no issues. When Central Okanagan regional district bylaw officers came knocking, likely because of a single complaint, it started with tickets.

“It was $100 here and there, and I just said, ‘Take my money and leave me alone,'” he said.

It became part of the cost of living, expecting a new ticket once every four months on average.

Bylaw fines weren’t enough to move King and his partner Lisa from the property, so the regional district escalated. First by putting a notice on their land title, then by taking them to court.

“At the end of the day, you look at what they have in their bylaws, I don’t think I really had a fighting chance,” he said. “At that point I think it was just shy of five years fighting with the district and I was just at wit’s end. I was tired of it.”

Before it went to a judge, the regional district offered King a settlement. If they leave the property before October 2025, the regional district will drop the legal challenge. So, they found another Southern Interior property and left.

“As much as it felt like a loss, having to sell my property and move away from home, given all the time and sweat equity I’ve put into the acreage, it’s not worth the battle anymore,” King said.

Though his dispute with the Regional District of the Central Okanagan is over, it’s impossible to find a property in BC where their tiny home will be permitted.

They aren’t alone among rural property owners who have attempted to live in tiny homes or RVs on their own property.

Rural property owners living in their RVs and tiny homes from the South Okanagan to the North Thompson have faced losing battles with regional governments for years.

There are some conditions where they are allowed, often when used temporarily or in mobile home parks, but they typically cannot be used as a permanent replacement for a single-family home. Though the province has recently made carveouts for much smaller homes, those on wheels weren’t included.

As they are often on wheels, they can’t be taxed like a typical home, but that’s not the explanation typically given by regional districts.

Aside from regional district zoning rules, tiny homes and RVs don’t meet typical building codes, which can raise safety concerns.

“I actually completely agree with it, so you know these tiny homes are built well and safe, but the one thing I don’t agree with is where they’re placed. You can technically only live in an RV or tiny home in places like RV parks. If you own a thousand acres of land, technically… you cannot live in a certified RV,” King said.

If King had his way, there would be more flexibility in the types of housing allowed in BC, particularly on rural properties, so long as the building and utilities are safe.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re a ways from that. It seems like it’s kind of a tax grab — if it’s on wheels, you can’t tax it,” he said.

King said his tiny home is well-built and he consulted experienced construction workers in the process, but it was never inspected to be certified under RV or mobile home and he said it’s too late to do so without dismantling it entirely.

“I’m going against the grain on what I believe is right, but here I am and I know at heart this is built better than many homes in BC,” he said.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to the Central Okanagan regional district for comment on its settlement with King, but did not receive a response.