North Bay councillors are holding off on whether to let a homeowner keep a sixth bedroom in three homes that legally can only have five bedrooms. In each case the extra bedroom was added by a previous owner without a building permit and the new owner inherited the problem. City Hall staff say the by-law is very clear and it prohibits six bedrooms after the fact. Councillor Jeff Serran suggested the landlord get rid of one bedroom and allow the displaced person to move into the fifth bedroom. Councillors want to consider more options before accepting the staff recommendation which is to deny allowing six bedrooms. It’s not council’s intention to displace tenants but it also doesn’t want to start making exceptions for fear of setting a precedence.
