Kelowna taking severe action against vacant or burned buildings
Kelowna city council is being asked to impose strict new rules on vacant or damaged buildings that trigger calls to the fire department.
“The Property Standards Compliance Team has been dealing with an increasing number of cases involving vacant or occupied homes damaged by fire or not secured appropriately to prevent unauthorized entry,” a report going to council on Monday states. “Often these properties are subject to multiple break ins over an extended period.”
The team has been tracking four properties in particular that, between 2019 and 2022, have triggered 287 calls attended by fire, police or bylaw officers.
The report does not give addresses for those properties.
The existing Fire and Life Safety Bylaw does allow the city to order that such properties be secured against unauthorized entry.
The new rules set out clearly what happens if that’s not done.
First of all, a property owner has to secure the building with plywood over all entry points within 24 hours of being told to do so. No trespassing signs also have to be posted on each side of the building.
If owners don’t comply, the city can hire a contractor to do that work and bill the owner.
The first time that security is breached the owner has to hire a security company to patrol the site twice a night, between 8-10 p.m. and 3-5 a.m.
A second breach means a 1.8-metre construction fence has to be installed and bolted together.
A third breach means a security company has to be hired to be on site continuously.
The new rules will also allow the fire department to order any building damaged by fire to be made secure.
“All costs and expenses associated with the securing of the property, materials or contractors are the responsibility of the property owner,” the report says.
Last year, the city ordered Janusz Grelecki to demolish his home because it was considered unsafe. He’s appealed to the courts to have that order overturned.
READ MORE: Kelowna city council sticks to its guns; demands unsafe house be demolished
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