This hub covers the rules that shape buying and financing a home in Canada, from qualifying for a mortgage to what happens if you can’t pay it, plus the property law you’ll meet when you buy.
Qualifying and insurance
- How the mortgage stress test works: the qualifying rate, who applies it, exemptions for renewals and switches, and its history
- CMHC mortgage insurance rules: when insurance is needed, premiums, minimum down payments and the $1.5 million limit
- CMHC Eco Plus and Eco Improvement: the 25% premium refund for energy-efficient homes
- Recent mortgage and housing rule changes: every change since 2024 with its date
If you have trouble paying
- Mortgage arrears in Canada: how many mortgages are behind, by province and over time, and the relief lenders are expected to offer
- The Canadian Mortgage Charter: what your bank is expected to do if you’re struggling
- Foreclosure and power of sale by province: how default is enforced, whether you can owe a shortfall, and how to stop it
- Recourse vs non-recourse mortgages: the provinces where a lender can sue you for what a sale doesn’t cover, and the mortgages that are protected
Who can buy, and protecting yourself
- Foreign buyer ban: who can’t buy until January 1, 2027, the exemptions and provincial non-resident taxes
- Mortgage fraud: title fraud, application fraud, penalties and where to report it
Secondary suites
- Secondary suite incentives and financing: federal and provincial help and what financing costs
- The Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program: why it was cancelled and CMHC’s insured refinance instead
Property law and provincial buyer rules
- Easements: rights others have to use part of your land
- Restrictive covenants: limits on your land’s use, and removing them
- Liens on your house: how to check title and clear a lien
- Ontario condo status certificates: what’s in one and what to check
- BC home buyer rescission period: the 3-business-day right to cancel
Property tax guides are in the property tax hub, including property taxes by province and appealing an assessment.
Related pages
Browse All Canadian Mortgage and Home-Buying Rules (2026) Articles
Browse all 17 articles in this section.
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- Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program: Why It Was Cancelled and What to Use Instead
- Canadian Mortgage Charter: What Your Bank Is Expected to Do If You're Struggling
- CMHC Eco Plus and Eco Improvement: The 25% Premium Refund (Formerly Green Home)
- CMHC Mortgage Rules in Canada: Insurance, Premiums and the $1.5 million Limit (2026)
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Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 25, 2026. How we check facts.
- BC Laws: Home Buyer Rescission Period Regulation
- CMHC: CMHC Eco Plus Refund for Energy-Efficient Homes
- CMHC: CMHC Eco Improvement: Energy Renovation Refund
- CMHC: Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
- Department of Finance Canada: Boldest mortgage reforms in decades come into force today
- Department of Finance Canada: Government announces two-year extension to ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housing
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: How much you need for a down payment
- Justice Laws (Canada): Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
- Justice Laws (Canada): Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Regulations