Official forms and links, organised by what you're doing

Bank of Canada — the policy interest rate

Bank of Canada

The target for the overnight rate, set on eight fixed dates a year, and the announcement schedule. This is the rate variable mortgages ultimately follow — it is not a mortgage rate, and no lender quote appears here. Our explainer sets out how the two connect.

Checked August 2, 2026

CMHC — mortgage loan insurance and homebuying

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

The federal housing agency: mortgage loan insurance rules, homebuying guidance and housing research. See our plain-language explainer for what it does and does not do for you.

Checked July 25, 2026

Ontario land transfer tax, and the first-time buyer refund

Ontario Ministry of Finance

Rates, how the tax is calculated, and the first-time homebuyer refund. Refund requests must be made within 18 months of the transfer — a deadline people miss.

Ottawa has no municipal land transfer tax, unlike Toronto.

Checked July 25, 2026

Non-Resident Speculation Tax (25%)

Ontario Ministry of Finance

25% since October 25, 2022, applying anywhere in Ontario. It is charged on 100% of the consideration if any one buyer is a foreign entity — not on that person's share. Rebates and exemptions exist and are claimed on evidence.

Checked July 25, 2026

Prohibition on residential purchases by non-Canadians

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

The federal ban, its coverage and every exemption. In force since January 1, 2023 and currently set to expire January 1, 2027 — it applies in Ottawa.

MUST be re-verified at the January 2027 expiry. See our newcomers guide.

Checked July 25, 2026

The Act itself — Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act

Justice Canada

The legislation as enacted (S.C. 2022, c. 10, s. 235), for when you need the words rather than a summary of them.

Checked July 25, 2026

Home Buyers' Plan — withdrawing from an RRSP

Canada Revenue Agency

Lets a first-time buyer withdraw from their RRSP to buy or build a qualifying home, currently up to $60,000, repayable over 15 years. It can be combined with an FHSA withdrawal for the same home if each set of conditions is met.

Checked July 25, 2026

Form T1036 — request to withdraw funds under the HBP

Canada Revenue Agency

The form your financial institution needs before releasing RRSP funds under the Home Buyers' Plan.

Checked July 25, 2026

First Home Savings Account (FHSA)

Canada Revenue Agency

The registered account for first-home savers: contributions are generally deductible and qualifying withdrawals to buy or build a first home are tax-free.

Checked July 25, 2026

First-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate — new homes

Canada Revenue Agency

A rebate of the federal GST for first-time buyers of a newly built or substantially renovated home, capped by the home's value and limited to agreements signed inside a defined window. It applies to new construction only — there is no GST/HST on a resale purchase, so there is nothing to rebate.

NEW and still moving — enacted 2026. Read the amounts, value thresholds and agreement-date window from this page rather than restating them in prose. Secondary sources disagreed on the detail when this was added.

Checked July 30, 2026

Ontario's provincial portion — enhanced new housing rebate

Canada Revenue Agency / Ontario Ministry of Finance

Ontario rebates its provincial share of the HST on an eligible newly built home alongside the federal rebate, on its own thresholds and its own eligibility window.

Dated risk: the eligibility window is defined by agreement-of-purchase-and-sale dates and will lapse. Re-verify before each quarterly review.

Checked July 30, 2026

Home buyers' amount — the tax credit at line 31270

Canada Revenue Agency

A non-refundable federal credit claimed on the tax return for the year you bought a qualifying home. It can be split with a spouse or common-law partner up to the combined maximum. Commonly missed, because it is claimed months after closing.

Checked July 30, 2026

City of Ottawa — maps and zoning

City of Ottawa

Look up what a property is zoned for. Ottawa is mid-transition: Zoning By-law 2026-50 was enacted March 11, 2026, and applications deemed complete on or after that date must comply with it as well as the older By-law 2008-250.

Checked July 25, 2026

Ontario Land Transfer Tax Refund Affidavit for First-Time Purchasers of Eligible Homes

Ontario Ministry of Finance

How you claim the first-time buyer land transfer tax refund when it was not applied at registration. Maximum $4,000 on conveyances on or after 1 January 2017.

The application must be received within 18 months of registration, and it has to carry the registered transfer, the agreement of purchase and sale with every schedule and amendment, and the statement of adjustments. Ontario's test is absolute: neither you nor your spouse, while your spouse, may have owned a home or an interest in one anywhere in the world.

Checked July 31, 2026

Land Transfer Tax Affidavit

Ontario Ministry of Finance

The affidavit that states what was paid and on what basis, sworn on every conveyance. Your lawyer completes it as part of registration.

You will not normally fill this in yourself, but it is worth knowing it exists — it is where the value of the consideration is declared.

Checked July 31, 2026

GST190 — GST/HST new housing rebate, for a house bought from a builder

Canada Revenue Agency

The rebate application for a new or substantially renovated home bought from a builder, where the home is the primary place of residence for you or a relation — not a rental.

Ontario's provincial portion is claimed on its own schedule, RC7190-ON, filed with the federal form rather than instead of it. Guide RC4028 explains which rebate applies.

Checked July 31, 2026

Status certificate — the prescribed form a condo corporation must give

Government of Ontario / Condominium Authority of Ontario

The condo corporation's own disclosure of a unit's financial and legal standing, in the form the Condominium Act prescribes. Your lawyer reads it; our question card is for the conversation afterwards.

The corporation must provide it on request, and what it may charge is capped at $100 including taxes.

Checked July 31, 2026

Check a real estate agent or brokerage — RECO's public register

Real Estate Council of Ontario

Confirms that a salesperson, broker or brokerage is registered to trade in real estate in Ontario, and shows charges and disciplinary action from the last 60 months. Free, searchable by name, and the one source on an agent that is neither written by them nor by their happiest client.

Also covers brokerages, and individuals who were registered at any point in the past ten years. A clean result is a filter rather than a reference — most registrants have nothing on file, so it is the exception you are looking for.

Checked August 1, 2026

RECO Information Guide — what you must be given before any advice

Real Estate Council of Ontario

The guide a brokerage must give a buyer or seller before services or assistance are provided. It sets out what representation means and what a self-represented party gives up.

The timing is the useful part: before services, not at signing. An agent who delivers a full listing presentation without it has skipped a required step at the first opportunity.

Checked August 1, 2026

Complaining about a real estate agent or brokerage

Real Estate Council of Ontario

How to report the conduct of a registered agent or brokerage to the regulator, and what evidence to gather first — the representation agreement, the offer documents and the correspondence.

Know the limit before you need it: RECO states it has no authority to order that monies be refunded, contracts be cancelled, or damages or restitution be awarded. It handles conduct; money is a separate legal route. Outcomes are published, and stay searchable on the register for a minimum of 60 months.

Checked August 1, 2026

The Canadian radon guideline — 200 Bq/m³

Health Canada

The national guideline for radon in indoor air, and what to do above it. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Canada, and the age of a house tells you nothing about its level.

Above 200 Bq/m³ in the normal occupancy area, Health Canada recommends corrective action within one year. "Normal occupancy area" means anywhere someone spends more than four hours a day — a finished basement counts, an unfinished one does not. Testing must include a minimum of 91 days during the heating season; a short-term test is not a result.

Checked August 1, 2026

Flood plain mapping — is this property in a flood hazard?

City of Ottawa and the conservation authorities

The public interactive map of known riverine flood hazards, showing 1-in-50, 1-in-100 and 1-in-350-year flood scenarios. Worth checking before an offer on anything near a watercourse.

Three conservation authorities cover the city — Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation — and which applies depends on the watershed rather than any boundary a resident would recognise. Insurers price overland flood cover on this kind of risk, so the map often predicts the quote.

Checked August 1, 2026

Lead Pipe Replacement Program — and how to tell if you have one

City of Ottawa

Support for replacing a lead water service pipe, plus an address lookup and free water testing. Homes potentially affected are typically those built before 1958.

The pipe splits in two: the private portion runs from the house to the shut-off valve and belongs to the owner, the public portion from that valve to the watermain and belongs to the City. Lead pipe is dull grey and scratches easily; copper is red-brown. The City's own advice is to scratch the pipe with sandpaper to expose bare metal.

Checked August 1, 2026

geoOttawa — look up a property's zoning by address

City of Ottawa

The City's interactive property map. Type an address and the pop-up returns the zone code — showing both the 2008-250 code and the new 2026-50 code, each linked to the by-law text. Free, and about two minutes.

It carries far more than zoning: property parcels, and aerial photography going back decades, which is a good way to see when something on a lot was actually built.

Checked August 1, 2026

Zoning By-law 2026-50 — status, appeals and what is in force

City of Ottawa

Ottawa's new comprehensive zoning by-law, enacted 11 March 2026. The page to check before relying on any zoning rule, because the transition is not finished.

Two by-laws are in effect at once. Applications deemed complete on or after 11 March 2026 must comply with BOTH 2008-250 and 2026-50, with the most restrictive provisions of the two applying. An OLT decision of 2 July 2026 brought into force the parts not caught by the 25 appeals, retroactive to enactment; appealed provisions are being marked in bold italic, with site-specific appeals flagged on the map as *_ before the zone code.

Checked August 1, 2026

Committee of Adjustment — minor variances and consents

City of Ottawa

Where to apply when what you want to do does not comply with the zoning by-law. A quasi-judicial tribunal under the Planning Act, handling minor variances, consents to sever, permissions for legal non-conforming uses, and validation of title.

Worth knowing before you apply: effective 21 November 2025 a provincial regulation allows a reduced minimum setback of 90 per cent of the zoning requirement — a 10 per cent variation as of right. It applies to setbacks only; height, lot width and area, and parking are unchanged.

Checked August 1, 2026

RECO — information for buyers

Real Estate Council of Ontario

The regulator's own consumer guidance for buyers: choosing an agent, competing offers, open offers, home inspections and mortgage fraud. This is where to check what your agent is required to do, rather than taking it from the brokerage that signed you.

Checked August 2, 2026

City of Ottawa — building permits and when you need one

City of Ottawa

Whether your project needs a permit, and the application route. Applications now go through the Building, Planning and Land Development portal and need a My ServiceOttawa account. Electrical work is NOT a City permit — that is the Electrical Safety Authority.

Checked August 2, 2026

City of Ottawa — Report on Compliance

City of Ottawa

The City's written statement on a property: building permits on file, the status of occupancy permits and final inspections, any outstanding orders or complaints, the zoning designation, and whether the current use conforms to the Zoning By-law. The document that answers 'was that addition ever permitted?' Fees vary by property type and payment must accompany the application.

Checked August 2, 2026

Requesting a status certificate — the process, the cap and the clock

Condominium Authority of Ontario

What a corporation must do once a status certificate is requested. Two numbers are set by the Act and both are the issuer's: corporations 'can charge up to $100 including all applicable taxes to provide it', and 'must provide them within 10 days'. Management companies commonly add their own ordering-portal fee on top of that cap.

Checked August 2, 2026

Reporting the sale of your home — principal residence rules

Canada Revenue Agency

The principal residence exemption and what must be reported when you sell. A sale generally has to be reported even where the whole gain is exempt.

Checked July 25, 2026

Form T2091(IND) — designating a property as your principal residence

Canada Revenue Agency

Needed where the home was not your principal residence for every year you owned it — so part of the gain is taxable. Filed with Schedule 3.

Since the 2016 tax year the CRA allows the exemption only if the sale is reported, even when the whole gain is exempt.

Checked July 25, 2026

Canada Revenue Agency

Government of Canada

The starting point for federal tax questions on property — reporting, forms and current rules.

Checked July 25, 2026

T2062 — certificate of compliance for a non-resident selling Canadian property

Canada Revenue Agency

The section 116 clearance a non-resident seller needs. Without a certificate the buyer is required to withhold a share of the price and remit it.

The CRA does not issue the certificate until the tax on the gain is paid or secured. T2062A covers resource, timber, non-capital real property and depreciable property. This one has caught out sellers who became non-resident without thinking of themselves that way.

Checked July 31, 2026

Check a real estate agent or brokerage — RECO's public register

Real Estate Council of Ontario

Confirms that a salesperson, broker or brokerage is registered to trade in real estate in Ontario, and shows charges and disciplinary action from the last 60 months. Free, searchable by name, and the one source on an agent that is neither written by them nor by their happiest client.

Also covers brokerages, and individuals who were registered at any point in the past ten years. A clean result is a filter rather than a reference — most registrants have nothing on file, so it is the exception you are looking for.

Checked August 1, 2026

RECO Information Guide — what you must be given before any advice

Real Estate Council of Ontario

The guide a brokerage must give a buyer or seller before services or assistance are provided. It sets out what representation means and what a self-represented party gives up.

The timing is the useful part: before services, not at signing. An agent who delivers a full listing presentation without it has skipped a required step at the first opportunity.

Checked August 1, 2026

Complaining about a real estate agent or brokerage

Real Estate Council of Ontario

How to report the conduct of a registered agent or brokerage to the regulator, and what evidence to gather first — the representation agreement, the offer documents and the correspondence.

Know the limit before you need it: RECO states it has no authority to order that monies be refunded, contracts be cancelled, or damages or restitution be awarded. It handles conduct; money is a separate legal route. Outcomes are published, and stay searchable on the register for a minimum of 60 months.

Checked August 1, 2026

Flood plain mapping — is this property in a flood hazard?

City of Ottawa and the conservation authorities

The public interactive map of known riverine flood hazards, showing 1-in-50, 1-in-100 and 1-in-350-year flood scenarios. Worth checking before an offer on anything near a watercourse.

Three conservation authorities cover the city — Mississippi Valley, Rideau Valley and South Nation — and which applies depends on the watershed rather than any boundary a resident would recognise. Insurers price overland flood cover on this kind of risk, so the map often predicts the quote.

Checked August 1, 2026

geoOttawa — look up a property's zoning by address

City of Ottawa

The City's interactive property map. Type an address and the pop-up returns the zone code — showing both the 2008-250 code and the new 2026-50 code, each linked to the by-law text. Free, and about two minutes.

It carries far more than zoning: property parcels, and aerial photography going back decades, which is a good way to see when something on a lot was actually built.

Checked August 1, 2026

Zoning By-law 2026-50 — status, appeals and what is in force

City of Ottawa

Ottawa's new comprehensive zoning by-law, enacted 11 March 2026. The page to check before relying on any zoning rule, because the transition is not finished.

Two by-laws are in effect at once. Applications deemed complete on or after 11 March 2026 must comply with BOTH 2008-250 and 2026-50, with the most restrictive provisions of the two applying. An OLT decision of 2 July 2026 brought into force the parts not caught by the 25 appeals, retroactive to enactment; appealed provisions are being marked in bold italic, with site-specific appeals flagged on the map as *_ before the zone code.

Checked August 1, 2026

RECO — information for sellers

Real Estate Council of Ontario

The regulator's consumer guidance for sellers: choosing an agent, dealing with competing offers, property information statements, open houses and lockbox safety. Under TRESA a seller may now direct that the content of offers be disclosed — this is the issuer's account of that choice.

Checked August 2, 2026

City of Ottawa — Report on Compliance

City of Ottawa

The City's written statement on a property: building permits on file, the status of occupancy permits and final inspections, any outstanding orders or complaints, the zoning designation, and whether the current use conforms to the Zoning By-law. The document that answers 'was that addition ever permitted?' Fees vary by property type and payment must accompany the application.

Checked August 2, 2026

Requesting a status certificate — the process, the cap and the clock

Condominium Authority of Ontario

What a corporation must do once a status certificate is requested. Two numbers are set by the Act and both are the issuer's: corporations 'can charge up to $100 including all applicable taxes to provide it', and 'must provide them within 10 days'. Management companies commonly add their own ordering-portal fee on top of that cap.

Checked August 2, 2026

Landlord and Tenant Board

Tribunals Ontario

Ontario's tribunal for residential tenancies. The authority on procedure for both sides of a tenancy — and the only body that can actually end one.

Checked July 25, 2026

Official LTB forms — every notice and application

Tribunals Ontario

The complete set, by number: landlord notices (N1 rent increase, N4 non-payment, N12 landlord or purchaser's own use), landlord applications (L1–L10), tenant applications (T1–T7) and the shared A-series. Filing fees are non-refundable.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked July 31, 2026

Ontario's standard lease, and the guide to it

Government of Ontario

Mandatory for most residential tenancy agreements signed on or after April 30, 2018. Care homes, mobile-home and land-lease sites, most social and supportive housing, and co-operative housing are outside it. The guide is published in some twenty languages.

Checked July 25, 2026

Renting in Ontario — your rights

Government of Ontario

The province's plain-language overview of the Residential Tenancies Act: deposits, maintenance, entry, and how a tenancy legally ends.

Checked July 25, 2026

Rent increase guideline

Government of Ontario

The cap on annual increases for most rented units, set each year. The published guideline for 2027 is 1.9%. Proper written notice is required regardless of the amount, and some units are exempt.

Re-check every summer — Ontario sets the following year's figure mid-year.

Checked July 25, 2026

Form N4 — Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent

Tribunals Ontario

The first step in a non-payment eviction, not the eviction itself. It gives the tenant a period to pay the arrears in full; paying within it voids the notice. Only if it expires unpaid can the landlord apply to the Board. A tenant who receives one has not been evicted and has not lost their home.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

Form N12 — Notice to End your Tenancy Because the Landlord, a Purchaser or a Family Member Requires the Rental Unit

Tribunals Ontario

The notice used when the unit is wanted for the landlord's own use, a family member's, or a purchaser's. It carries a compensation requirement and a good-faith requirement, and it is the form most often served incorrectly when a tenanted property is sold — see our guide to selling a tenanted property.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

Form T2 — Application about Tenant Rights

Tribunals Ontario

The tenant's application when the landlord has interfered with reasonable enjoyment, harassed, entered without proper notice, or withdrawn a service such as parking or laundry. Remedies include a rent abatement and an order to stop.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

Form T6 — Tenant Application about Maintenance

Tribunals Ontario

The tenant's application when the landlord has not met the maintenance and repair obligation. This is the route for repairs that are requested and not done — the Board can order the work and compensate the tenant.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

Landlord and Tenant Board

Tribunals Ontario

Ontario's tribunal for residential tenancies. The authority on procedure for both sides of a tenancy — and the only body that can actually end one.

Checked July 25, 2026

Official LTB forms — every notice and application

Tribunals Ontario

The complete set, by number: landlord notices (N1 rent increase, N4 non-payment, N12 landlord or purchaser's own use), landlord applications (L1–L10), tenant applications (T1–T7) and the shared A-series. Filing fees are non-refundable.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked July 31, 2026

Ontario's standard lease, and the guide to it

Government of Ontario

Mandatory for most residential tenancy agreements signed on or after April 30, 2018. Care homes, mobile-home and land-lease sites, most social and supportive housing, and co-operative housing are outside it. The guide is published in some twenty languages.

Checked July 25, 2026

Renting in Ontario — your rights

Government of Ontario

The province's plain-language overview of the Residential Tenancies Act: deposits, maintenance, entry, and how a tenancy legally ends.

Checked July 25, 2026

Rent increase guideline

Government of Ontario

The cap on annual increases for most rented units, set each year. The published guideline for 2027 is 1.9%. Proper written notice is required regardless of the amount, and some units are exempt.

Re-check every summer — Ontario sets the following year's figure mid-year.

Checked July 25, 2026

Form N4 — Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent

Tribunals Ontario

The first step in a non-payment eviction, not the eviction itself. It gives the tenant a period to pay the arrears in full; paying within it voids the notice. Only if it expires unpaid can the landlord apply to the Board. A tenant who receives one has not been evicted and has not lost their home.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

Form N12 — Notice to End your Tenancy Because the Landlord, a Purchaser or a Family Member Requires the Rental Unit

Tribunals Ontario

The notice used when the unit is wanted for the landlord's own use, a family member's, or a purchaser's. It carries a compensation requirement and a good-faith requirement, and it is the form most often served incorrectly when a tenanted property is sold — see our guide to selling a tenanted property.

Use the Board's own copy — form versions change and an out-of-date form can be refused.

Checked August 2, 2026

First-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate — new homes

Canada Revenue Agency

A rebate of the federal GST for first-time buyers of a newly built or substantially renovated home, capped by the home's value and limited to agreements signed inside a defined window. It applies to new construction only — there is no GST/HST on a resale purchase, so there is nothing to rebate.

NEW and still moving — enacted 2026. Read the amounts, value thresholds and agreement-date window from this page rather than restating them in prose. Secondary sources disagreed on the detail when this was added.

Checked July 30, 2026

Ontario's provincial portion — enhanced new housing rebate

Canada Revenue Agency / Ontario Ministry of Finance

Ontario rebates its provincial share of the HST on an eligible newly built home alongside the federal rebate, on its own thresholds and its own eligibility window.

Dated risk: the eligibility window is defined by agreement-of-purchase-and-sale dates and will lapse. Re-verify before each quarterly review.

Checked July 30, 2026

Tarion

Tarion Warranty Corporation

Administers Ontario's new-home warranty. Your builder provides the warranty; Tarion backstops it when the builder does not resolve a claim.

Checked July 25, 2026

What the new home warranty covers

Tarion Warranty Corporation

Coverage before possession (deposits, delayed closing, condo cancellation) and after it, across the one, two and seven-year periods. Coverage is automatic by law and follows the home if it is sold.

Checked July 25, 2026

Warranty claim forms and their deadlines

Tarion Warranty Corporation

The forms and — more importantly — the windows: the Initial and Mid-Year forms and then the Year-End form in year one, the Second-Year form, and the Major Structural Defect form available up to seven years from possession.

Deadlines here are strict, and year one's forms submit themselves on a schedule rather than waiting for you — the Initial form goes in on day 41, the Mid-Year on day 183, the Year-End on day 365. Missing a window is the most common reason a real defect goes uncovered.

Checked July 31, 2026

Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA)

HCRA

Licenses and regulates Ontario's new-home builders and vendors — a different body from Tarion, which handles the warranty.

Checked July 25, 2026

Ontario Builder Directory — look up a builder

HCRA

The public register of licensed builders and vendors, including enforcement actions and disciplinary decisions. Worth checking before you sign anything at a sales centre.

Checked July 25, 2026

GST190 — GST/HST new housing rebate, for a house bought from a builder

Canada Revenue Agency

The rebate application for a new or substantially renovated home bought from a builder, where the home is the primary place of residence for you or a relation — not a rental.

Ontario's provincial portion is claimed on its own schedule, RC7190-ON, filed with the federal form rather than instead of it. Guide RC4028 explains which rebate applies.

Checked July 31, 2026

GST191 — GST/HST new housing rebate, for an owner-built house

Canada Revenue Agency

The rebate for a house you built yourself, substantially renovated, added a major addition to, or converted from non-residential use.

The GST191-WS construction summary worksheet is required alongside it, and Ontario's portion goes on RC7191-ON.

Checked July 31, 2026

Residential Protective Plumbing Program — rebates for backwater valves and sump pumps

City of Ottawa

City rebates towards the devices that prevent basement flooding: up to $3,000 for a sump pump including a new pit, $2,500 for an outdoor storm backwater valve, $1,000 for an indoor sanitary backwater valve, plus 100 per cent of the building permit fee.

Two eligibility dates catch people out: storm-side work needs a property built before 1 January 2004, sanitary-side before 1 January 2012. A building permit is required before work starts, and as of 1 July 2026 there are 18 months from permit issue to complete and apply. No rebate for maintenance, repair or replacement of an existing device.

Checked August 1, 2026

Home Renovation Savings Program — Ontario rebates for heat pumps, insulation and windows

Save on Energy (Ontario)

Ontario’s main retrofit rebate, delivered by Save on Energy with Enbridge Gas. It is not income-tested and not restricted to one fuel type — it covers a home energy assessment, insulation, air sealing, windows and heat pumps.

Sequencing is the trap: several rebates require a pre-retrofit home energy assessment BEFORE the work starts, and applying afterwards forfeits them. Amounts change — confirm on the program page rather than from a summary.

Checked August 3, 2026

Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program — federal grant for switching off oil heat

Natural Resources Canada

A federal grant for homeowners who currently heat with oil and switch to a cold-climate heat pump. NRCan lists up to $10,000, with up to $5,000 more available in participating provinces and territories.

Ontario IS a participating province — confirmed on NRCan’s participating-provinces page, 3 August 2026. Only for households heating with oil: a gas or electric furnace does not qualify however old it is.

Checked August 3, 2026

Better Homes Ottawa Loan Program — a City loan repaid through your property tax bill

City of Ottawa

A City loan for home energy work, repaid through your property tax bill rather than to a bank — so the obligation sits with the property. Rate and term are set by the City; confirm current figures on the program page.

Delivered alongside Better Homes Ottawa (betterhomesottawa.ca), which also lists the provincial and federal programs that can be combined with the loan.

Checked August 3, 2026

Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program — no-cost retrofits for lower-income households

Natural Resources Canada

The federal program that replaced the closed Greener Homes Grant. It is aimed at low-to-median-income homeowners and tenants, and is structured as no-cost direct-install retrofits rather than a rebate you pay for and reclaim.

NOT AVAILABLE IN ONTARIO as of 3 August 2026. NRCan lists British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec as the provinces whose residents can apply, and says more will be added as agreements are signed. Applications go to the provincial program, never to the federal government. Registered here so an Ottawa reader can find that answer rather than assume.

Checked August 3, 2026

Renting commercial property in Ontario

Government of Ontario

The province's plain-language guidance: no rent control on commercial tenancies, the landlord's remedies for unpaid rent, and which court hears a dispute.

Checked July 25, 2026

Commercial Tenancies Act

Government of Ontario

The statute behind commercial leases (R.S.O. 1990, c. L.7) — far lighter-touch than the residential regime, which is why the lease itself carries the weight.

Checked July 25, 2026

City of Ottawa — maps and zoning

City of Ottawa

Look up what a property is zoned for. Ottawa is mid-transition: Zoning By-law 2026-50 was enacted March 11, 2026, and applications deemed complete on or after that date must comply with it as well as the older By-law 2008-250.

Checked July 25, 2026

Zoning By-law 2026-50 — status, appeals and what is in force

City of Ottawa

Ottawa's new comprehensive zoning by-law, enacted 11 March 2026. The page to check before relying on any zoning rule, because the transition is not finished.

Two by-laws are in effect at once. Applications deemed complete on or after 11 March 2026 must comply with BOTH 2008-250 and 2026-50, with the most restrictive provisions of the two applying. An OLT decision of 2 July 2026 brought into force the parts not caught by the 25 appeals, retroactive to enactment; appealed provisions are being marked in bold italic, with site-specific appeals flagged on the map as *_ before the zone code.

Checked August 1, 2026

Committee of Adjustment — minor variances and consents

City of Ottawa

Where to apply when what you want to do does not comply with the zoning by-law. A quasi-judicial tribunal under the Planning Act, handling minor variances, consents to sever, permissions for legal non-conforming uses, and validation of title.

Worth knowing before you apply: effective 21 November 2025 a provincial regulation allows a reduced minimum setback of 90 per cent of the zoning requirement — a 10 per cent variation as of right. It applies to setbacks only; height, lot width and area, and parking are unchanged.

Checked August 1, 2026

Ontario land transfer tax, and the first-time buyer refund

Ontario Ministry of Finance

Rates, how the tax is calculated, and the first-time homebuyer refund. Refund requests must be made within 18 months of the transfer — a deadline people miss.

Ottawa has no municipal land transfer tax, unlike Toronto.

Checked July 25, 2026

Non-Resident Speculation Tax (25%)

Ontario Ministry of Finance

25% since October 25, 2022, applying anywhere in Ontario. It is charged on 100% of the consideration if any one buyer is a foreign entity — not on that person's share. Rebates and exemptions exist and are claimed on evidence.

Checked July 25, 2026

Home Buyers' Plan — withdrawing from an RRSP

Canada Revenue Agency

Lets a first-time buyer withdraw from their RRSP to buy or build a qualifying home, currently up to $60,000, repayable over 15 years. It can be combined with an FHSA withdrawal for the same home if each set of conditions is met.

Checked July 25, 2026

First Home Savings Account (FHSA)

Canada Revenue Agency

The registered account for first-home savers: contributions are generally deductible and qualifying withdrawals to buy or build a first home are tax-free.

Checked July 25, 2026

First-time home buyers' GST/HST rebate — new homes

Canada Revenue Agency

A rebate of the federal GST for first-time buyers of a newly built or substantially renovated home, capped by the home's value and limited to agreements signed inside a defined window. It applies to new construction only — there is no GST/HST on a resale purchase, so there is nothing to rebate.

NEW and still moving — enacted 2026. Read the amounts, value thresholds and agreement-date window from this page rather than restating them in prose. Secondary sources disagreed on the detail when this was added.

Checked July 30, 2026

Ontario's provincial portion — enhanced new housing rebate

Canada Revenue Agency / Ontario Ministry of Finance

Ontario rebates its provincial share of the HST on an eligible newly built home alongside the federal rebate, on its own thresholds and its own eligibility window.

Dated risk: the eligibility window is defined by agreement-of-purchase-and-sale dates and will lapse. Re-verify before each quarterly review.

Checked July 30, 2026

Home buyers' amount — the tax credit at line 31270

Canada Revenue Agency

A non-refundable federal credit claimed on the tax return for the year you bought a qualifying home. It can be split with a spouse or common-law partner up to the combined maximum. Commonly missed, because it is claimed months after closing.

Checked July 30, 2026

Reporting the sale of your home — principal residence rules

Canada Revenue Agency

The principal residence exemption and what must be reported when you sell. A sale generally has to be reported even where the whole gain is exempt.

Checked July 25, 2026

Form T2091(IND) — designating a property as your principal residence

Canada Revenue Agency

Needed where the home was not your principal residence for every year you owned it — so part of the gain is taxable. Filed with Schedule 3.

Since the 2016 tax year the CRA allows the exemption only if the sale is reported, even when the whole gain is exempt.

Checked July 25, 2026

Canada Revenue Agency

Government of Canada

The starting point for federal tax questions on property — reporting, forms and current rules.

Checked July 25, 2026

City of Ottawa — property taxes

City of Ottawa

Rates, due dates, payment options, assessment information, tax certificates for a sale, and the Vacant Unit Tax.

Checked July 25, 2026

Ontario Land Transfer Tax Refund Affidavit for First-Time Purchasers of Eligible Homes

Ontario Ministry of Finance

How you claim the first-time buyer land transfer tax refund when it was not applied at registration. Maximum $4,000 on conveyances on or after 1 January 2017.

The application must be received within 18 months of registration, and it has to carry the registered transfer, the agreement of purchase and sale with every schedule and amendment, and the statement of adjustments. Ontario's test is absolute: neither you nor your spouse, while your spouse, may have owned a home or an interest in one anywhere in the world.

Checked July 31, 2026

Land Transfer Tax Affidavit

Ontario Ministry of Finance

The affidavit that states what was paid and on what basis, sworn on every conveyance. Your lawyer completes it as part of registration.

You will not normally fill this in yourself, but it is worth knowing it exists — it is where the value of the consideration is declared.

Checked July 31, 2026

GST190 — GST/HST new housing rebate, for a house bought from a builder

Canada Revenue Agency

The rebate application for a new or substantially renovated home bought from a builder, where the home is the primary place of residence for you or a relation — not a rental.

Ontario's provincial portion is claimed on its own schedule, RC7190-ON, filed with the federal form rather than instead of it. Guide RC4028 explains which rebate applies.

Checked July 31, 2026

GST191 — GST/HST new housing rebate, for an owner-built house

Canada Revenue Agency

The rebate for a house you built yourself, substantially renovated, added a major addition to, or converted from non-residential use.

The GST191-WS construction summary worksheet is required alongside it, and Ontario's portion goes on RC7191-ON.

Checked July 31, 2026

T2062 — certificate of compliance for a non-resident selling Canadian property

Canada Revenue Agency

The section 116 clearance a non-resident seller needs. Without a certificate the buyer is required to withhold a share of the price and remit it.

The CRA does not issue the certificate until the tax on the gain is paid or secured. T2062A covers resource, timber, non-capital real property and depreciable property. This one has caught out sellers who became non-resident without thinking of themselves that way.

Checked July 31, 2026

Request for Reconsideration — disagreeing with your assessed value

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

The free first step if you think MPAC has your property's assessed value wrong. Filed online through AboutMyProperty, or on paper.

The deadline is 31 March of the tax year. MPAC aims to respond within 180 days, and you then have 90 days from its decision to appeal to the Assessment Review Board. Property-specific evidence is required — an opinion that the number looks high is not enough.

Checked July 31, 2026