land transfer tax

Selling Your Rental to the Tenant Who Lives There: How the Lease Ends at Closing and Where the Deposit Goes

A money-by-money guide for Ontario landlords selling to their sitting tenant: how rent is split on closing day under Form 100, how the RTA last-month deposit and its interest are settled, when Form 200 commission still applies, and the buyer’s first-time land transfer tax refund.

Buying a High-End Detached Home in the GTA: What to Check in the Agreement and Title Review

A timeline guide for buyers of larger detached homes in the GTA: what you can only fix in the offer, what the inspector and the city record can catch during conditions, what your lawyer checks by the requisition date, and a worked Toronto land transfer tax example at $4.2 million.

Relocating for a New Job? A Stage-by-Stage Map of Which Home-Sale and Purchase Costs Count as Moving Expenses in Canada

Moving because of a new job or full-time studies, with your new home at least 40 km closer to the new work location? Follow one relocation from offer to tax return: which costs of selling the old home, carrying it while vacant, and buying the new one the Income Tax Act lets you deduct on line 21900, which it excludes, and what paperwork to keep at each stage.

Passing the Family Farm to Your Kids in Ontario: The Land Transfer Tax Break Is Real — and Narrower Than “Family” Suggests

Thinking of handing your Ontario farm to your kids tax-free? The land transfer tax exemption under Regulation 697 is real — but a field you have cash-rented to a neighbour may not count as “farming” at all, which can sink the claim before it starts. It waives only the provincial tax; the transfer’s principal purpose must be to keep farming rather than sell and subdivide; routing it through a family farm corporation adds a 95% farming-assets test; and Form 013-1205 must be filed. Broker Arthur Zhao maps out who actually qualifies.

There Is No Canadian 1031: The Section 85 Rollover That Defers the Gain When You Move Commercial Property Into Your Corporation

Sitting on a large gain in a commercial property and hoping to defer the tax the way a US 1031 like-kind exchange would? Canada has no direct equivalent — but the Income Tax Act does offer a rollover under section 85(1): transfer the property into your own taxable Canadian corporation, take back shares, and jointly elect an amount that defers the capital gain. Toronto broker Arthur Zhao breaks down the mechanism — the three conditions, the elected amount and the boot trap — and the three places it goes wrong: property held as inventory (flippers and developers) does not qualify, land transfer tax is not deferred, and GST/HST is a separate track. The core caveat: this defers the tax, it does not erase it. Tax education, not tax advice — confirm your situation with a licensed CPA or tax lawyer.

Your Mortgage Calculator Isn’t Lying — But It’s Answering a Narrower Question Than You Think

A free online mortgage calculator hands you a clean monthly payment — and stays silent on the numbers that actually blow up a budget. Toronto broker Arthur Zhao walks through what any calculator quietly leaves out: inside Toronto you pay land transfer tax twice (Ontario LTT plus the city’s MLTT); the CMHC premium can be financed but its 8% Ontario sales tax must be paid in cash at closing; five years in, roughly two-thirds of your payments are still interest; and Canadian mortgages compound semi-annually, not the monthly compounding many US-built calculators assume. A method for sanity-checking any calculator — rates shown are illustrative, not quotes; confirm with a licensed Ontario mortgage broker.

Upsizing in Ontario: The Real Cash You Need to Move Up, Line by Line

Moving up is not just selling one home and buying another. Toronto broker Arthur Zhao breaks the upsize into four cash buckets — selling costs, land transfer tax (double-taxed inside Toronto), bridge financing, and carrying two homes — and runs one worked example so you know the cash to set aside before you list.

Putting Your Spouse on Title in Ontario: What the Land Transfer Tax Exemption Actually Covers (and What It Doesn’t)

Adding your spouse to title in Ontario — does the Land Transfer Tax spousal exemption really apply? The provincial exemption sits in R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 696 (not O. Reg 70/91) and even forgives an assumed mortgage — but only when, apart from natural love and affection, that mortgage is the sole consideration; cash or another benefit on top can make LTT payable. Toronto's MLTT runs a parallel exemption you must claim within roughly ten business days of registration, and the federal side (Income Tax Act s.73(1) with s.73(1.01)(a)) only defers capital gains through a default spousal rollover. Here is what the exemption covers, what it does not, and when to call a real estate lawyer. Verified 2026-08-05.