Interviewer instructions
Chapter III - Data on the Building Where the Dwelling is Located
39. This chapter records the characteristics of buildings intended for human habitation, buildings intended for other designation, or collective living units where dwellings units exist, as well as those under construction but partially occupied by the population.
This chapter of the PL form will record only the first dwelling of the building; for other dwellings in the building, Q. 15 - 18 of Chapter III ib the PL form will be crossed out with an oblique line.
Q. 17 Year of construction
42. The year of construction, when the building was put into commission, is defined as the year when the building was completely finished, with all construction and systems completed, all inside fixtures installed, and finishing tasks completed.
For buildings partially put into commission, the year of construction will be defined as the year when the first dwelling was finished, or if it is a single dwelling building, when the first room was ready for habitation.
For buildings where expansions, addition of floors, or renovations were made after the original construction was finished, the year of construction will normally be the year when the building was originally constructed. The year of construction of the latest expansion or addition will be entered whenever these additional spaces are larger than the initial building capacity, determined by the size of the new available floor space.
For buildings where reconstruction has transformed more than 50 % of the initial construction, the year of construction will be considered the year when the house was rebuilt.
When the year of construction is unknown, this will be estimated by taking into consideration the following characteristics: similarity with other buildings from the same census sector, or even other census sectors where the year of construction is known; the presence of construction materials or of a particular construction style characteristic to a certain era, etc.
For all the buildings built before 1900, record 1900 as the year of construction.