Expanding Your House

If you wish to expand your house, you will need approval from your municipal corporation before proceeding. You will need approval for the following reasons:

To be assured that your design complies with the existing building code and regulation.

To verify that your plan complies with restrictive covenants on the title to avoid breaches during expansion.

To avoid demolition by the municipal corporation. The corporation may demolish a structure for not having obtained prior approval.

Here are some general procedures when seeking to modify your property.

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6 Refer to the restrictive covenant, a copy of which may be included in the back of this book, before drafting plans to add to your house or build any permanent structures.

If you are expanding, engage an architect or engineer to draft the plan. Ask the person to supply you with four copies of the plan. One copy is for the municipal corporation. You would hand one to your contractor and retain the other two copies for safekeeping.

If you are using an expansion plan provided by the NHT, you will need an architect to prepare supporting drawings including a site layout and drainage plan for your lot. These drawings must be approved by your municipal corporation before you begin to build*

Supply your architect or engineer with a copy of the commissioned land surveyor’s identification report. This will guide him or her on how to place the expansion on the land.

Submit all four copies of the plan and your current property tax receipt to the municipal corporation in your parish, and pay the required building and administrative fees.

Once all approvals have been obtained, you may begin construction.

*The NHT offers expansion plans for some housing developments.

Please check the home owners package you received from the NHT to see if such a plan is available for your scheme.