Canada & Ontario mortgage rule watch

What changed—and what does it mean for your mortgage?

See verified rules, programs and important dates without confusing a regulator’s role with an individual lender’s approval policy.

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Dedicated client journeyFirst-Time Home Buyer RulesQualification, down payment, FHSA/HBP, rebates, new construction, offers and closing.Open the first-home pathway →

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190 published items match this view. We prioritize the effective date, then the announcement or last-update date.

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In forceDown Payment

How should a first-time buyer use the FHSA without creating a closing problem?

An FHSA can combine a tax deduction for eligible contributions with a tax-free qualifying withdrawal. The first year’s participation room is $8,000 and the general lifetime limit is $40,000, but the account, contribution room,…

Effective
Apr 1, 2023
Applies to
First Time Buyer
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In forceHousing Tax

Does the Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit pay $50,000?

No. Up to $50,000 is the qualifying-expenditure ceiling for an eligible renovation—not the cheque amount. The refundable credit is a percentage of eligible costs and the rate can depend on the tax year.

Announced
Apr 7, 2022
Effective
Jan 1, 2023
Applies to
Homeowner · Investor
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In forceInvestor Tax And Ownership

Could selling a home within 365 days trigger Canada’s flipped-property rule?

Potentially. For dispositions after 2022, profit on a residential property held for fewer than 365 consecutive days is generally deemed business income unless a legislated life-event exception applies.

Announced
Apr 7, 2022
Effective
Jan 1, 2023
Applies to
Home Buyer · Homeowner
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In forceClosing Cost

Is an Ontario Non-Resident Speculation Tax exemption or rebate automatic?

No. Ontario NRST exemptions and rebates have specific purchaser, spouse, immigration, occupancy, registration, documentation and deadline conditions. Expecting future status does not by itself remove tax at closing.

Effective
Oct 25, 2022
Applies to
First Time Home Buyer · Home Buyer
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In forceOntario Benefits

When can Ontario’s 25% Non-Resident Speculation Tax affect a home purchase?

Ontario’s NRST is generally a 25% tax on certain residential-property acquisitions by foreign nationals, foreign corporations and taxable trustees. Citizenship, permanent-resident status, ownership structure and exemptions must be checked before the offer becomes firm.

Announced
Oct 24, 2022
Effective
Oct 25, 2022
Applies to
Home Buyer · Newcomer
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In forceBuyer Protection

Is GST/HST charged when a new-construction purchase agreement is assigned?

Generally, yes. CRA says all assignment sales of newly constructed or substantially renovated residential housing are taxable for GST/HST purposes when the agreement is entered into after May 6, 2022.

Announced
Apr 7, 2022
Effective
May 7, 2022
Applies to
Home Buyer · Pre Construction Buyer
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In forceMortgage Qualification

What is the current stress test for an uninsured mortgage?

For uninsured mortgages at federally regulated lenders, the prescribed qualifying rate remains the greater of the contract rate plus 2% or 5.25%, subject to the straight-switch renewal exception.

Effective
Jun 1, 2021
Applies to
Home Buyer · Refinancing Homeowner
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In forceClosing Cost

Does Ontario’s first-time homebuyer refund eliminate land transfer tax?

Not always. Ontario’s first-time-homebuyer land-transfer-tax refund is capped at $4,000. It can eliminate provincial land transfer tax on a lower-priced home, but a buyer owes any amount above the refund.

Announced
Nov 14, 2016
Effective
Jan 1, 2017
Applies to
First Time Home Buyer · Home Buyer
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How to read this centre

Rules, insurer requirements and lender policies are different layers.

01

Government or regulator

Sets laws, program requirements or prudential boundaries. FSRA regulates; it does not write every lender’s underwriting policy.

02

Insurer or program

Applies only when the mortgage or client fits that insured product or program. It should not be generalized to every conventional deal.

03

Individual lender

Decides its own acceptable income, property, credit and exception policy inside the applicable rules.

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Review What This Rule Means for MeRajiv Verma, Mortgage BrokerOntario · No automatic approval or lender outcome is implied.