AskRajiv.ca Mortgage & Real Estate Knowledge Centre

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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Offer accepted or closing problem?Appraisal shortfall, financing condition, job or credit change, or funds to close.Show me where to start Buying your first home?Qualification, down payment, benefits, offer protection and closing.Show me where to start Renewal or refinance decision?Compare the offer, penalty, switching cost, equity plan and timing.Show me where to start Income does not fit the standard box?Self-employed, variable income, leave, pension, support or documentation issue.Show me where to start Rental or investment property?Rental calculations, portfolio qualification, tax and property-use rules.Show me where to start New to Canada or using foreign income?Status, foreign credit, overseas funds, NRST and purchase eligibility.Show me where to start Payment problem or lender notice?Missed payment, renewal refusal, power of sale warning, arrears or a short-term rescue plan.Show me where to start Application accuracy or fraud concern?Document accuracy, occupancy, income, deposits, identity, disclosure or pressure to misstate facts.Show me where to start

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Choose what you need to know

Clear status labels prevent an announcement or proposal from being mistaken for a rule already in force.

In force nowRules and programs currently available or required.255 published Coming soonAnnounced changes with a future effective date.2 published Proposed / watchingNot current rules. Follow the official decision before acting.2 published Expired / withdrawnOlder measures kept for context, not current planning.0 published
Dedicated client journeyFirst-Time Home Buyer RulesQualification, down payment, FHSA/HBP, rebates, new construction, offers and closing.Open the first-home pathway →

Newest relevant date first

Offer accepted or closing problem?

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

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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.

Mortgage rule second opinion

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