Floating homes are a part of the fabric of British Columbia’s history and current economy. With origins in floating logging and fishing camps along the coast of the province, floating homes provide an alternative to crowded city spaces, connecting residents with a close knit community and the natural environment around them. In the late 1880s logging companies moved along the BC coast harvesting wood. Because road building was more challenging in those days, camps were built on floats, and moved along the coast to follow the harvest. This was the birth of the floating home in BC.

Certainly anyone prone to motion sickness may feel uncomfortable on a floating home. The construction of your float, your lines and connections to the dock and where you are located all contribute to how your home will move on the water. The gentle movement becomes second nature to most people who live on the water. Movement is most notable when a boat goes by at higher speeds, creating a wake, and of course, when there is stormy weather. But even storms come with caveats as wind direction and tides can also affect the amount of movement you may feel. There are a few floating home vacation rentals, it might be advisable to do a test run if this is a concern for you.

There are more than 800 floating homes in BC! Although many are moored in coastal marinas, others are moored along rivers and lakeshores. Some marina communities are exclusive to floating homes, others are mixed with boats and live-aboards, and in some cases, boat marinas may host one or two floating homes. Homes are typically privately owned although there are floating rentals and bed & breakfasts in selected locations. Marina communities range from strata-style developments where homeowners own their water lot, to marinas that provide moorage for privately owned homes. Marina communities in BC range from three to more than forty floating homes in a single marina.

Although there could be marina specific regulations, many floating home owners have pets. Cats are a common sight along docks and on decks of floating homes. In fact, many cats thrive in the marine environment! If you have a dog, you will need to be mindful of taking your pet along docks and up ramps to an appropriate place to “do their bizz”. In rare cases we have heard of animals who experience motion distress on a floating home, but most often animals do just fine.

Where a land home has a foundation, a floating home is built on a float and it’s what keeps the home afloat in the water. Historically, floating homes were built on a log raft or barge. However, because a wooden barge can rot unless coated with fibreglass, and a steel barge can rust, the best options are aluminum or ferroconcrete, both foam filled to provide positive flotation if punctured. Some people wonder how a concrete barge can float. The principal is similar to an ocean liner – they displace a volume of water equal to their weight (actually mass) so that the water doesn’t come past the freeboard (the height between the bottom of the boat and the water line) or other opening.

If you are looking for a berth in a marina or along the waterfront, you will quickly discover that moorage is limited. Due to a number of compounding factors, there are very few open spaces available for new float home moorage. It’s rare for a berth to come available in a marina for a new floating home. Most homes sell in situ and so the moorage goes along with the home (although moorage agreements aren’t necessarily transferable). The provincial government in BC has put a freeze on issuing new licences and leases for home and new marinas, which makes expansion of our lifestyle a challenge. If you have decided to build a new floating home, it’s a good idea to secure moorage before you start to build!

Many marinas have strict regulations about short term rentals, but there are a few rental opportunities, here are a few that we are aware of. Please note that we have not stayed in these rentals and provide listings only, not reviews. Fisherman's Wharf Floating Bed & Breakfast, Victoria, BC Sailor's View Floating Home Ocean Retreat, North Vancouver, BC Westbay Marine Village in Victoria, BC has three floating cottages: The Pink Dishrack, The Schoolhouse and The Admiral's Boathouse.

The simple answer is – no. Floating home moorage must be approved by the province of BC in most areas. In limited areas, approvals come from Federal ministries or First Nations government, but in all cases, approval and a licence or lease must be secured ahead of time. Every municipality has their own regulations regarding housing, and floating homes in particular. Although at the provincial level, there is legislation that prevents new floating home licenses and leases at this time, municipalities have the power to override that. We suggest you connect with your local municipal building and codes department as a first point of contact and go up the political ladder from there.

This question is somewhat location dependent. Currently most of the foreshore areas in BC where floating homes are moored are in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. Some areas are under federal jurisdiction (falling under the Port Authority, the Ministry of Transportation or the Ministry of Defense). Finally, a few marinas fall under First Nation jurisdiction. As such, there are a variety of different governing bodies.

Floating homes in strata marinas may have a property transfer tax. Please check with your realtor or lawyer for confirmation.

Financing your floating home purchase has become very restrictive for some of the same reasons that obtaining insurance is becoming more difficult - the market is small, and lenders are often unfamiliar with floating homes. At present there are no official financing programs for floating home buyers. Access to financing is one of the top issues that the floating home sector in BC is facing.

If you are looking to buy a floating home in BC, the Floating Home Association provides listings on our website. A benefit of membership is the ability to list a home for sale on our site. Realtor.ca doesn’t have a search filter for floating homes, so we suggest you look at our Maps and Marinas page in the resources section of our website and then search for listings in those areas that interest you. Some realtors specialize in floating home sales, and you may find listings on their sites. You can find some of these realtors on our website in the real estate information section.

Because there are different types of marinas, you should be familiar with the various scenarios before you start your search for a floating home. In most marinas in BC, you will own your house and pay to moor it in a marina. In a strata marina, you buy your house as well as the water lot and pay into a strata that gives you a percentage ownership of the marina facilities. These are typically more expensive than buying a house were you do not own the water lot. In some cases, you may purchase land that includes the foreshore and may have a floating home as well as land structures. One point of note is that not all water lot homes are licenced or permitted to have a floating home. These licences are issued by different government bodies and may not be allowed at this time. Finally, (and less common), you might rent a floating home from the owner who could be in any of the scenarios above.

Floating home inspections don’t differ from land-home requirements. Home inspectors look at standard issues like electrical, plumbing, structural, etc. Depending on who buyers choose as their insurance provider, there may be differing requirements for a floatation inspection. Marine surveys are an additional type of inspection that float home buyers and owners may need to complete. Often these inspections are required by insurance providers – please check with your agent regarding inspection requirements. We have some marine inspection information in the resources section of our website.

You do not need to go to a specialized agent for your home purchase. Any notary can process your purchase. There are a few who are more experienced in this area than others. We have a few options listed in the resources section of our website.

Many people ask if they need a special type of realtor to buy or sell a floating home. The simple answer is no. However, because there are some unique aspects to floating homes and the types of marinas and ownership, it is helpful to have an agent who has experience in this area. We have listed realtors who are members of the association in the resources section of our website.

All floating homes should be insured. Insurance is required for any homes in marinas in BC. It is also required for a home to qualify for a mortgage. Typically, insurance for a floating home is a little lower than land based homes, partly because you are only insuring the structure. However, there are some differences in areas of coverage. Currently there are only two BC companies that provide insurance to floating homes. Each has slightly different policy requirements and pricing. Not all floating homes are insurable. There are structural limitations (with a focus on floatation) as well as location restrictions. Most underwriters now insist on positive flotation that protects a home from sinking should the float be damaged, as well as a ferroconcrete barge on which the home sits rather than on the traditional logs or boxed in Styrofoam. Some plans insist on regular (five or 10 year depending on home age) marine surveys to ensure the floating homes are up to the regulated float home standards for integrity, fire, plumbing, buoyancy, etc. We have a link to the insurance providers in the resources section of our website.

Yes! Floating home owners do pay taxes. How much you pay is influenced by where your home is moored, and the assessed value of the structure, and land when you are part of a strata. In BC floating homes fall into a number of different ownership categories. Some homes are in marinas where home owners simply pay for moorage and own no part of the marina, or the water lot. There are others in marinas that operate as a strata, similar to condo or townhouse complexes, where the residents own their home and a percentage of the upland as well as their water lot. Then there are a few that are scattered throughout the province that are either attached to privately owned waterfront, or rent space from a private home owner. Included in the amount you pay are school taxes, municipal taxes and other general taxes.

At one time you could design and build pretty much anything you wanted. There were virtually no restrictions on floating homes, but no more. There is still much freedom of design, but construction must conform to municipal float home standards for fire, plumbing, wiring, and other safety requirements. If built on land, permits are required and inspections made by civic officials. If built on the water the regulations still apply. Architects and builders are aware of these regulations and will not knowingly design or construct floating homes not in compliance.

We have some information about architects and builders, and are working to add a list of trades people as well. Please check back soon for more information.

Many people use these two terms interchangeably, but they are two very different things! The biggest difference is propulsion or movement. House boats are - in fact - boats. They can be moved from place to place and have their own means of propulsion and navigation. They have seaworthy hulls, engines and fuel. Floating homes are a house built on a floating apparatus, and are unable to move without help. Typically, floating homes are connected to a dock, in a permanent moorage setting where they have sewer, power and other utility connections to the land. Floating homes can only move when tugboat is used to push or pull them to a new location.

If you need assistance with floatation under your home you may want to reach out to a specialist. We have some experts and links in the resources section of our website.

Floating homes berthed in salt water generally do not have a problem with sediment build up under them. However in rivers, especially the Fraser, there is considerable sedimentation in the side channels. These channels used to be scoured by the fast flowing water, but after public works installed training walls in the main channel to divert more water to reduce the need to dredge there, water slowed in the side channels and more sediment dropped out. On low tides in the estuary, especially spring tides with the maximum rise and fall, floating homes and other vessels can ground out. In floating homes this causes racking resulting in doors sticking and in worst cases furniture moving. In some cases this repeated action can result in structural damages to the home. Sometimes minor grounding can be reduced by leveling the river bottom so that the floating home rests on a more horizontal surface. But severe sedimentation can only be removed by dredging that can be very costly and must be done on a regular basis. Dredging on the side channels can reduce the necessity for dredging water lots under floating homes, but it is becoming difficult to obtain the necessary funds from the various government agencies and municipalities to do this. So in setting out a budget, these costs should be included. The South Fraser River Enhancement Society was formed to advocate on the need for dredging in the secondary channels of the Fraser River.

The association asked the Port Authority this question, and their answer was, “Reports of dangerous operations of a vessel should be directed to local police. When a complaint regarding a recreational vessel is received (e.g. reports of a speeding boater), the port authority can notify local police; however, we cannot enforce or ticket pleasure craft operators—only local police have the authority to do this”. A good resource is Drive a Boat Canada. Their website lists dangerous boating issues and offences here https://driveaboatcanada.ca/dangerous-boating-offences/, they also have a section about Canadian laws and boating https://driveaboatcanada.ca/law/. Transport Canada’s Boating safety website https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/boating-safety has a section about speed and impaired boating https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/speed-impaired-boating

Answer to come soon...

Our association’s focus is on those homes classified as Floating Homes. These are structures crafted on stationary floats that cannot move under their own propulsion. They are permanently fixed to docks or piles and only move on rare occasions. Visit the BC Nautical Residents Association for more information.

Our work is important, and so is support from our membership. Funded through membership fees, the FHA works diligently on behalf of members to liaise with government agencies on relevant topics and legislation that impacts floating homes, while promoting float home living to the public. Your dues support our various communications tools included our website and brochure. We also endeavour to host networking and information meetings of the membership. These include our Annual General Meeting, Regional Meetings and others when required. Learn more here.

The association represents both residents and owners of floating home marinas, and is therefore not in a position to take sides in a negotiation. We can provide some background and in some cases, examples of past situations. If you are negotiating a lease or licence of occupation for a floating home with a government body, we are here to provide background and contacts. One of our mandates as an association is to work with government to expand the floating home lifestyle in BC.