Surrey council files notice on title on 2 Newton properties for illegal construction<\/p>\n
Published 2:35 pm Monday, April 20, 2026<\/p>\n
Surrey city council voted to have notices on title issued against two residential properties in Newton because of illegal construction during a special hearing at City Hall on Monday.<\/p>\n
The notices serve to alert potential buyers, lenders, and insurers about sites of illegal construction and the potential risks associated with a property, pursuant to Section 57 of the Community Charter. On April 27, 2022, the City of Surrey launched its Illegal Construction Enforcement Team (ICET) to crack down on unpermitted residential construction in Surrey.<\/p>\n
The first case involved a residential property at 13466 87A Avenue, owned by Kuldip Singh Mundi and Narinder Kaur Mundi.<\/p>\n
According to city staff, illegal construction at this property includes a two-storey addition to the southeast corner of the house; an accessory building in the southwest corner of the property which includes a self-contained dwelling unit and a rooftop deck; an addition in the southwest corner of the basement floor of the house; a deck on the main floor of the rear of the house with a staircase; a deck on the upper floor of the rear of the house; a laundry room in the east side of the house; and four dwelling units on the basement level of the house.<\/p>\n
The City of Surrey issued four site visit fees totalling $912, which have been paid.<\/p>\n
Assistant city solicitor Guillermo Flores argued the case for Surrey. The owners didn\u2019t attend the hearing.<\/p>\n
Flores said city staff tried a variety of \u201cenforcement tools\u201d in an effort to achieve compliance such as posting a stop-work order, issuing compliance letters to the owners as well as a demand letter from city hall\u2019s legal department that have been unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn summary the owners here carried out substantial unpermitted construction,\u201d Flores told council. \u201cThe unpermitted work was done to create additional dwelling units. There are a total of five unpermitted dwelling units that were constructed; a building permit was never issued for any of these dwelling units. Work continued after a stop-work order was posted on the property. The owners have applied for a building permit which has been rejected. At this time again staff don\u2019t see a realistic path for the owner to obtain a building permit in the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second case involved a residential property at 12464 77A Ave. owned by Amrit Singh Sohal, Gurjot Kaur Sekhon, Gurbir Singh Sekhon, and Saveena Sohal.<\/p>\n
Council heard that city staff, including building inspectors, attended the property numerous times and confirmed a \u201cnon-exhaustive\u201d list of illegal construction that includes a two-storey addition to the rear of the house with two dwelling units, a deck, an awning, a staircase, and laundry room; a two-storey addition to the west side of the house; an addition to the garage; and a deck in the upper level of the front of the house.<\/p>\n
The City of Surrey issued four site visit fees totalling $912, which have been paid, as well as three bylaw enforcement notices and one \u201cmunicipal ticket information\u201d for a total of $2,000, which remains unpaid.<\/p>\n
Flores also argued Surrey\u2019s case on this one.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff had to repost a stop-work order at least three times because it had been removed,\u201d Flores told council. \u201cDespite the stop-work order work continued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe owners have not made any attempt to bring this property into compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owner Amrit Singh Sohal told council said he was speaking on behalf of the other owners and himself. \u201cWe would like to bring the structure into compliance. We are obtaining a lawyer at the moment which would like to review the case and do whatever it takes to basically bring the structure into compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also preparing to give our tenants eviction notices as well, so that will be done as well,\u201d he told council. \u201cWe want to work on making our property legal and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
He asked for an adjournment to review the file but it was denied.<\/p>\n
Flores opposed an adjournment, noting the illegal construction commenced in 2020 \u201cand the owners have taken no steps at all towards attempting to bring this property into compliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop-work orders were repeatedly removed and ignored even though a lot of the work had not even been completed when the stop-work order was first posted,\u201d Flores told council. \u201cA compliance order was posted on the property on Feb. 16, 2025 so over a year ago the owners knew full well what was required of them to bring this property into compliance and again there was no efforts on their part.\u201d<\/p>\n