Vacant house in Charlottetown faces demolition if owner doesn't repair it by deadline

The owner of a house in Charlottetown has a year and half to fix up the building or the city says it will have it torn down. 

Charlottetown councillors voted 8-0 during a meeting Tuesday to deem 31 Kirkwood Dr. an unsafe property under a municipal bylaw and the National Fire Protection Association code.  

The vote means the vacant house will now be boarded up and sealed off to prevent people from going inside. 

"From there, there will be an 18-month process where... we'll try to work with the property owner to either bring that building to code, or there will have to be plans to demolish," said Coun. Julie McCabe, chair of the city's protective and emergency services committee.

The issue goes back to 2023, when the city called the property "unsightly" and sent workers to clean up the yard. 

Then last October, council handed the owner a compliance order, telling her to repair the house and make it safe. That work was never done. 

Charlottetown will tear down this resident's house if it's not fixed

2 days ago

Duration 1:55

At a meeting this week, Charlottetown councillors unanimously voted to serve notice to the owner of 31 Kirkwood Dr. She can either fix up her house in the next year and a half, or the city will tear it down.

With Tuesday's vote, the 18-month deadline to complete those repairs has been set. 

"We always want to be able to work with people and try to help them do what's necessary," McCabe said. 

What are the risks?

The house is dangerous because it's been left vacant and uncared for, said Tim Mayme, chief of the Charlottetown Fire Department. 

"It starts to deteriorate, of course, just like anybody's home," Mayme said. "When you live there, you take care of those things, and things are put in their place more often than not." 

The contents can also increase the risk of fires. If the house is full of furniture or being used for storage, it could all act as fuel, he said. 

Mayme also worries about the potential for "very serious consequences" to someone who may enter a home that's unsafe. 

Property records show the house belongs to Brenda Moore, who CBC News spoke with Tuesday. She did not want to do an interview but said she lived there until about five years ago.

It's been empty since, and she said there have been problems with vandalism. A new chimney was put on the home last summer and she wants to fix the roof, but she said finding workers has been difficult.

Moore said she was not aware of Tuesday's council meeting.