Setting up a Mini Home in PEI

One of PEI's great benefits to those seeking to own their own residence is the relative ease with which one can place a mobile or mini home on PEI real estate and setup the new family homestead. In most other jurisdictions, even in the country there are great barriers placed against the placing of mobile homes on private land. The restrictions here are relatively minor, which coupled with the general inexpensiveness of land makes PEI attractive as a location for your first home and a small acreage with a mini home can be an inexpensive way of getting into the PEI real estate market. Mini Homes can be used as year round homes or you may use one as your summer cottage or residence.

There are a few issues to contend with if you are setting up a mini home on land that hasn’t been developed. These include a PERC test, line of site for driveway access, land use approval, and if you are “from away”, i.e. not an island resident, you may, depending on the amount of land you are purchasing and its location, need to get approval from the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC).

A percolation test or PERC test is used to test the absorption rate of soil. This test is required to ensure that you can build an adequate septic field. A PERC test involves determining the rate at which a known volume of water percolates or dissipates from a home into the surrounding soil. It is performed by digging holes and pre-soaking them. Then a known volume of water is added and the time required for this water to soak into the surrounding ground is tested. The sandy soil that we have on PEI real estate is generally ideal for septic fields. However it is important to have the results of a PERC test before committing to a property as should your PERC test not prove the ground adequate to the task of waste dissipation either you will not be allowed to place your home or you will need a much more costly engineer-designed septic field.

The second issue to address before purchasing any given property is to ensure that the required 140 meter line-of-site exists so that you will be allowed access to the property i.e. to build a driveway. Access restrictions do vary depending on how busy the access road is. If you are starting on Highway 1 or 2 then be aware that restrictions are tight and a new access may require an order in council. If you are accessing your property from a secondary highway then you will have to have a clear 140 meter line-of-site. To determine the line of site place a stick of 16 inches with a bright flag tied to the top at the entrance to your proposed driveway. Measure off 140 meters from the stick in both directions. You should be able to see the stick clearly from 140 meters. It should not be obscured by hills or any other features. If you are accessing your property from a very secondary, country road, the line-of-site requirements may be less.

The third and fourth issues are land use approval and IRAC approval. Land use approval for a mini home is not usually a problem; however you should always check with the provincial government department responsible before committing yourself to a particular property. There are occasional zones where there may be special land-use plans.

IRAC approval is only required when you are a non-islander and for those wishing to purchase 165ft of waterfront or more or a piece of land greater than 5 acres. A married couple may double these figures provided that both husband and wife appear on the deed. Should this include your purchase make sure that the PEI realtor adds a subject “to IRAC approval”

Mini Home life is better than ever today as the homes are well built and efficient to heat.