Canada & Ontario mortgage rule watch
See verified rules, programs and important dates without confusing a regulator’s role with an individual lender’s approval policy.
Find the answer from your problem
Choose one clear starting point. Narrow the results by status, topic or client type afterward.
Start here
Clear status labels prevent an announcement or proposal from being mistaken for a rule already in force.
Newest relevant date first
144 published items match this view. We prioritize the effective date, then the announcement or last-update date.
Treat them as three connected deadlines. The offer deposit is usually due under the purchase agreement, the lender needs an acceptable down-payment trail during underwriting, and the lawyer needs cleared closing funds before completion.
Yes. Borrower approval and property approval are separate. A lender or insurer may question value, condition, location, legal use, marketability, condo information or property type even when the buyer’s income and credit are strong.
Use the condition period to obtain and review the live lender decision instead of merely resending the pre-approval. The borrower, property, appraisal, insurer and outstanding documents may all need attention before the condition is…
Send the listing, proposed price, taxes, condo fees, intended use, offer deadline and closing date before the offer becomes firm. A borrower pre-approval cannot confirm an unseen property.
Know the comfortable payment, tested price range, available cash and unresolved approval risks before viewing. A calculator or quick pre-qualification is not enough when an attractive property creates pressure to offer.
The federal Underused Housing Tax no longer requires returns or tax for the 2025 calendar year and later, following legislation that received royal assent on March 26, 2026. Earlier 2022–2024 obligations may still remain.
The agreement, construction, ownership and application dates all matter. For a builder purchase, the agreement generally must be on or after March 20, 2025, and the rebate application usually has a two-year deadline.
The HATC currently allows up to $20,000 of eligible annual expenses for a qualifying individual or dwelling. Budget 2025 proposed that, for 2026 onward, the same expense could no longer be claimed under both…
A federal insured-refinancing framework may allow an eligible homeowner to finance construction of legal secondary suites, potentially up to 90% of the improved property value and up to a 30-year amortization.
It may. The federal insured-mortgage definition includes a relationship-breakdown pathway, but that does not automatically create eligibility under the FHSA, HBP, GST/HST rebate or Ontario land-transfer-tax refund.
Potentially yes. A buyer can meet the 30-year insured-mortgage eligibility through the newly built property test even when they are not a first-time buyer, subject to lender and insurer approval.
A qualifying insured straight switch at renewal may avoid another minimum-qualifying-rate test, but the receiving lender still reviews the mortgage and can decline it under its own policy.
No. The higher insured-price cap expands eligibility for purchases below the program limit, but the lender and insurer still assess the borrower and property, and a lower appraisal can increase the cash required.
The federal minimum on a $1.2 million purchase is $95,000: 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the remaining $700,000, provided the mortgage and property qualify for insurance.
Yes, a qualifying first-time buyer can apply for a 30-year amortization on an insured mortgage. It can reduce the required payment, but it may increase total interest and it does not relax the lender’s…
A qualifying-rate exemption may apply to a true uninsured straight switch at renewal, but it is not a promise that every lender must accept the mortgage without reviewing the file.
Because mortgage brokers, administrators and lenders are reporting entities under Canada’s anti-money-laundering framework and must verify people and entities for specified mortgage records and transactions.
Usually yes. The longer amortization can reduce the required payment, but CMHC applies a 20-basis-point insurance-premium surcharge to eligible 30-year insured mortgages, and slower principal repayment can increase total interest.
How to read this centre
Sets laws, program requirements or prudential boundaries. FSRA regulates; it does not write every lender’s underwriting policy.
Applies only when the mortgage or client fits that insured product or program. It should not be generalized to every conventional deal.
Decides its own acceptable income, property, credit and exception policy inside the applicable rules.
Mortgage rule second opinion
Share the change you are concerned about, your timing and the client problem. Rajiv can help separate the confirmed rule from assumptions and identify questions worth exploring across A, alternative/B, MIC or private lending where appropriate.