Tiny House Advocates of Vancouver Island
Tiny House Advocates of Vancouver Island (THAVI) is a grass-roots advocacy group that is working with local governments to make it legal to live in moveable tiny homes full time.
Welcome to “THavi”!
Whether you are already a tiny house owner, would like to live in one in the future, have land available to rent or are just curious, we’re glad you found us!
We are a group of tiny house enthusiasts – some owners and some want-to-be owners. We formed “Tiny House Advocates of Vancouver Island” in July 2017 with the goal of working with local governments to make tiny houses a legal and acceptable housing option.
Although our group is based in the Victoria area, this website offers resources for others on Vancouver Island that will help to pursue legalization of, and publicity about, tiny houses without having to reinvent the wheel.
If you are in the early stages of tiny house interest, please check out our Facebook Page.
And if you are ready to roll up your sleeves and get involved with our advocacy efforts, please contact Karen at [email protected].
Online Resources
Tiny House Resources: Tiny House Industry Association - North America (THIA) Tiny House Alliance Canada (THAC) Tiny House Listings Canada Tiny House Expedition
FAQ’s (under construction)
What is a Moveable Tiny House? A tiny house is defined in the International Residential Code Appendix Q as “a dwelling that is 400 ft2 (37 m2) or less in floor area excluding lofts.” It may sit on either a foundation or wheeled trailer. If the latter, the tiny house is towed to its destination and then often established on blocks with the wheels...
Advocacy Update – summer 2020
Things we’ve done We’ve been pretty busy these last three years. We’ve: written many letters to councils and initiated letter-writing campaigns, been interviewed by several newspapers and one podcaster, presented to various council meetings, presented at lunchtime speaker series, participated as invited panel speakers at housing strategy meeting...
Many thanks to all of those who participated in and attended the Tiny House Showcase 2019.
The event was sponsored by financial contributions from Vancity and The Smith Manoeuvre.
Goods and services were generously donated by Heritage Acres, Thrifty Foods, Slegg Building Materials, Community Options, Fairfield Gonzales Community Association, Parsi Development Ltd and SPR Traffic Services.

What is our vision for tiny housing?
- Infill: an alternative to garden suites
- Communities: clusters of tiny houses with shared amenities.
Who wants a tiny home?
- Younger singles, couples, small families
- Older singles, couples
- People who can’t afford a conventional home
- Renters constrained by ultra-low vacancy rates and high rents
- People who do not want to be a burden on society or government

Members have joined the THAVI Meetup Group
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