Multi-Generational Multiplex Living
In the 2021 Census, 441,750 households in Canada had three or more generations living together, and in Surrey the share was 9.6%, according to Statistics Canada. A multiplex lets each generation have its own front door on the same property, with the family close enough to share dinner and far enough apart to keep their own routines.
Questions about this guide: Gary Paul, REALTOR®, Personal Real Estate Corporation, Grand Central Realty, 778-828-7476
Key Topics
Separate Doors, Same Property
Each generation gets its own front entrance, kitchen and living space. You are close enough to share a meal and far enough apart to keep your own bathroom.
Pool Your Savings
Each first-time buyer in the family can use their own First Home Savings Account (up to $40,000 in total) and Home Buyers' Plan withdrawal (up to $60,000), according to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Childcare Next Door
Grandparents one floor down or one door over. No daycare waitlist and no drive across town to pick up the kids. In our view, this is the best reason to buy together.
A Title for Each Household
Most multiplex homes are sold as strata homes, so each home has its own title. Each household can have its own mortgage and sell its home without the others.
Families Who Live Together
In 2020, 4.3% of multigenerational households in Canada were living in low income, against 30.2% of people who lived alone, according to Statistics Canada.
Why More Are for Sale Now
BC's local governments had to allow three to four homes on most lots that held one house by June 30, 2024, according to the Province of BC. That is why more multiplex homes are for sale.
What Each Household Needs for a Down Payment
When each household buys its own home in the building, each one needs its own down payment. Here is the legal minimum at the median asking prices in our own count.
| Purchase | Price | Minimum down payment |
|---|---|---|
| One townhome at the median asking price | $1,478,900 | $122,890 |
| One half duplex at the median asking price | $1,799,000 | $359,800 (20%, because the price is $1.5 million or more) |
| Two households, one townhome each | $1,478,900 each | $122,890 each, $245,780 together |
Prices: median asking prices in MultiLiving's count of 617 active MLS® half duplex and townhome listings in Vancouver and Burnaby, October 9, 2026. Down payment rules: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, read October 9, 2026. A lender also checks each household's income and debts before it approves a mortgage.
Which Layout Fits Your Family?
Every multiplex divides its space in its own way. Here is how the main layouts compare for a family buying together.
Duplex: Two Homes, One Property
Two full homes side by side, each with its own front door, outdoor space and title. One family takes each side. This works well for two generations who want to be close but keep separate households: parents on one side, an adult child's family on the other.
Best for: two generations, full independenceFourplex: A Home for Each Household
Four separate homes on one property, sometimes with a ground-floor home suited to grandparents, a larger home for the family with children, and a smaller one for a single adult child. One home can be rented out until a family member is ready to move in.
Best for: three or more households, mixed needsGround-Floor Home With No Steps
Some new multiplex homes have a ground-floor home with no stairs to the front door. If an aging parent is moving in, ask about this home when you tour. It decides whether the home still works for them at 85 as well as at 70.
Best for: aging parents, long-term comfortBrowse active multiplex listings to see current layouts, or talk to our team about what fits your family.
Programs That Help Families Buying Together
Each of these is assessed person by person or home by home, so a family can sometimes use more than one.
Each first-time buyer can put up to $8,000 a year, and $40,000 in total, into an FHSA and use it toward a first home.
Canada Revenue Agency, page updated September 17, 2026Each first-time buyer can withdraw up to $60,000 from their RRSP to buy a first home, and must pay it back into the RRSP later.
Canada Revenue Agency, page updated February 17, 2026A first-time buyer gets back up to $50,000 of the GST on a new home priced at or below $1 million. The rebate gets smaller above $1 million and is gone at $1.5 million.
Canada Revenue Agency, page updated March 30, 2026No property transfer tax on a newly built home worth up to $1,100,000, with a partial exemption up to $1,150,000, if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and live there as your main home.
Province of BC, thresholds in force since April 1, 2024Financing Together
A family buying into a multiplex has two choices. Each household can buy its own strata home with its own mortgage, or the family can share one home and one mortgage. Everyone on a shared mortgage is responsible for the whole loan, so a missed payment by one household affects all of them. In our view, separate homes with separate mortgages are the safer choice for most families.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) insures mortgages on homes priced below $1.5 million when the buyer lives in the home. For one home, or a whole building of two homes, the minimum down payment is 5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the rest. For a whole building of three or four homes, it is 10%. At $1.5 million or more, insurance is not available and the minimum is 20%.
Each first-time buyer in the family can also use their own FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan, as set out above. Add them up person by person, because one person's eligibility does not cover another.
For a longer look at buying with family, see the buying together guide and the tax rebates and savings guide.
Sources: CMHC homeowner mortgage loan insurance (purchase) product page and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada down payment page, both read October 9, 2026.
How Families Structure Ownership
Strata Title
Each home has its own title. Each household buys its home, gets its own mortgage, and can sell without the others. Most multiplex homes are sold as strata homes.
Best for: families who want full independenceTenants in Common
One title shared by two or more owners, each with a set share, such as 60 and 40 percent. Under section 11 of BC's Property Law Act this is what you get unless the transfer says otherwise. Each share can be sold or left by will separately.
Best for: households sharing one home with unequal contributionsJoint Tenancy
The owners hold the whole home together, with a right of survivorship: when one owner dies, the others take the whole interest, outside the will. It is registered under section 177 of the Land Title Act.
Best for: spouses or partners buying togetherSources: Property Law Act, section 11, and Land Title Act, section 177, on BC Laws. Get independent legal advice before choosing a structure, because family needs and tax results differ.
Multigenerational Households in Canada
Source: Statistics Canada, Living under one roof: What the data say about multigenerational households in Canada, September 4, 2025, read October 9, 2026. A multigenerational household has at least three generations of one family living together.
Is a Multiplex Right for Your Family?
Before you start touring, walk through these five questions together. The more you answer yes, the better the fit.
Does everyone want their own front door?
If your family wants to share meals sometimes but not a hallway every day, a multiplex, where each household has its own entrance, fits better than one big house with a finished basement.
Can you agree on how to split the cost?
Two or three households pooling a down payment need to agree on the split before they start touring, while no one has a favourite home yet. See the ownership structures above for the choices.
Does someone in the family need a no-stairs entrance?
If a parent or grandparent has mobility needs now or in the next few years, look for a home with a ground-floor entrance and no steps. Ask about this when you book a tour.
Would rental income help the numbers work?
If the family does not need every home right away, renting one out can lower everyone's monthly cost until a family member is ready to move in.
Are you buying to live there for years?
A multiplex works best for families planning to stay for years. The work of setting up ownership is worth it over ten years of shared holidays and childcare next door.
Answered mostly yes? Talk to our team about what is available, or start with the Buying With Family guide.
This guide is part of the MultiLiving Playbook, our collection of guides for buying, financing and living in a multiplex home in BC.
The bottom line
Living near family is one of the best reasons to buy a multiplex in Metro Vancouver. Grandparents next door, someone to water the plants when you travel, and help with the children without a drive across town. The families who do this well decide two things before they buy: who owns which home, and what happens when someone wants to leave.
In our view, the cleanest answer for most families is one strata home per household, each with its own title and mortgage. If you share a title, write down the shares and ask a lawyer for a co-ownership agreement. Each first-time buyer in the family can bring their own FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan money, which adds up quickly across two generations.
Families who live together are common enough that Statistics Canada tracks them: 441,750 households in the 2021 Census, and close to one in ten in Surrey. A multiplex gives those families a separate front door for each generation on one property.
If your family is ready to look, talk to our team. We help families find the right multiplex, understand the ownership choices, and plan the move.
Data: Statistics Canada, Living under one roof (September 4, 2025); Canada Revenue Agency FHSA, Home Buyers' Plan and first-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate pages; Province of BC Newly Built Home Exemption; CMHC and Financial Consumer Agency of Canada down payment rules; Property Law Act and Land Title Act on BC Laws; MultiLiving listing count, October 9, 2026. Read October 9, 2026.
General information only. The down payment examples, FHSA and Home Buyers' Plan limits, GST rebate and property transfer tax thresholds on this page are illustrative and based on rules as of the dates noted. They are not financial, mortgage, tax, or legal advice, and not a guarantee of qualification or any outcome. Mortgage rules, CMHC rules and tax thresholds change. Always consult a licensed mortgage broker, a tax professional and an independent real estate lawyer before making any purchase, financing or ownership decision.
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Key Takeaways
- Statistics Canada counted 441,750 multigenerational households in the 2021 Census; the share was 3.7% in BC and 9.6% in Surrey.
- Most multiplex homes are strata homes, so each household can have its own title, mortgage and sale.
- Each first-time buyer can use an FHSA (up to $40,000) and the Home Buyers' Plan (up to $60,000), according to the Canada Revenue Agency.
- On a shared title, BC's Property Law Act makes the owners tenants in common unless the transfer says otherwise.
- Everyone on a shared mortgage is responsible for the whole loan.
- In 2020, 4.3% of multigenerational households were in low income, against 30.2% of people living alone (Statistics Canada).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can family members co-own a multiplex in BC?
Yes. Family members can co-own a multiplex home in British Columbia in two ways: each household buys its own strata home in the building, or two or more people share one title. On a shared title, section 11 of BC's Property Law Act treats the owners as tenants in common unless the transfer says otherwise, so each person holds a share they can sell or leave by will. Joint tenancy, registered under section 177 of the Land Title Act, instead passes a share to the surviving owner when one owner dies.
Can each generation get its own mortgage in a multiplex?
Yes, when each household buys its own strata home in the multiplex, because each strata home has its own title and can carry its own mortgage. Each household then needs its own down payment. The minimum is 5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the rest up to $1.5 million, and 20% at $1.5 million or more, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. At the $1,478,900 median townhome asking price in our October 9, 2026 count of Vancouver and Burnaby listings, that is $122,890 for each household.
How many multigenerational households are there in Canada and BC?
Statistics Canada counted 441,750 multigenerational households in the 2021 Census, 2.9% of all private households in Canada and 21.2% more than in 2001. In British Columbia the share was 3.7%, and in Surrey it was 9.6%, close to one household in ten. Statistics Canada counts a household as multigenerational when at least three generations of the same family live together, so two generations sharing a home, such as parents and an adult child, are not included in these figures.
What's the best ownership structure for family co-buying?
In our view, the best ownership structure for most families buying a multiplex is for each household to buy its own strata home, with its own title and mortgage. If you share one title instead, section 11 of BC's Property Law Act makes you tenants in common unless the transfer says otherwise, and tenants in common can hold unequal shares, such as 60 and 40 percent. Record the shares on the transfer, and ask a lawyer to write a co-ownership agreement that covers selling, buying each other out and paying shared costs.
What happens to the mortgage if one family member wants to sell?
If each household owns its own strata home in the multiplex, the family member who wants to sell lists their home and pays off their own mortgage, and nobody else is affected. If you share one title as tenants in common, each share can be sold separately under BC's Property Law Act, but in our view few buyers want part of a home shared with another family, so the others usually buy that share or the whole home is sold. Every borrower on a shared mortgage stays responsible for the whole loan until it is paid off.
How do families split costs when one unit is bigger than another?
In a strata multiplex the strata fees are split by a set rule: each home pays a share based on its unit entitlement, a number set for each home and often based on its size, according to the Province of BC's strata rules. A larger home therefore pays more of shared costs such as building insurance and the savings fund for repairs. Each home also gets its own property tax bill. If two households share one home on one title, nothing is split for you, so write the split into a co-ownership agreement before you buy.
Can first-time buyers in the family each use an FHSA and the Home Buyers' Plan?
Yes. Each first-time buyer in the family is assessed on their own and can use their own savings plans, according to the Canada Revenue Agency. A First Home Savings Account (FHSA) takes up to $8,000 a year and $40,000 in total, and the Home Buyers' Plan lets each person withdraw up to $60,000 from their RRSP for a first home. A relative who does not meet the first-time buyer test cannot use them, even if the person buying with them can, so check each person before you count the money.
Can our family rent out one of the homes until a relative moves in?
Yes. Since November 24, 2022, no strata in British Columbia can have a bylaw that stops owners from renting out their home, according to the Province of BC. That covers almost every multiplex home, because most are sold as strata homes. A strata can still limit or ban short-term rentals, such as nightly stays, with a three-quarter vote of owners, so read the bylaws before you plan on that kind of rental.
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