Ottawa announces bold mortgage reforms to unlock homeownership opportunities

The federal government has announced what it says are the boldest mortgage reforms in decades, designed to address housing affordability and make homeownership more affordable for more Canadians.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announced on Sept. 16 a suite of reforms to mortgage rules to make mortgages more affordable for Canadians and put homeownership within reach:
• Increasing the $1-million price cap for insured mortgages to $1.5 million, effective Dec. 15, 2024, to reflect current housing market realities and help more Canadians qualify for a mortgage with a downpayment below 20 per cent. Increasing the insured-mortgage cap – which has not been adjusted since 2012 – to $1.5 million will help more Canadians buy a home.
• Expanding eligibility for 30-year mortgage amortizations to all first-time homebuyers and to all buyers of new builds, effective Dec. 15, 2024, to reduce the cost of monthly mortgage payments and help more Canadians buy a home. By helping Canadians buy new builds, including condos, the government is announcing another measure to incentivize more new home construction and tackle the housing shortage. This builds on the Budget 2024 commitment, which came into effect on Aug. 1, 2024, permitting 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds, including condos.

Most significant mortgage reforms

These new measures build on the strengthened Canadian Mortgage Charter, announced in Budget 2024, which allows all insured mortgage holders to switch lenders at renewal without being subject to another mortgage stress test. Not having to requalify when renewing with a different lender increases mortgage competition and enables more Canadians, with insured mortgages, to switch to the best, cheapest deal.

These measures are the most significant mortgage reforms in decades and part of the federal government’s plan to build nearly four million new homes – the most ambitious housing plan in Canadian history – to help more Canadians become homeowners. The government will bring forward regulatory amendments to implement these proposals, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.

As the federal government works to make mortgages more affordable so more Canadians can become homeowners, it is also taking bold action to protect the rights of homebuyers and renters. As announced in Budget 2024, the government released the blueprints for a Renters’ Bill of Rights and a Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights.

More open and transparent

These new blueprints will protect renters from unfair practices, make leases simpler, and increase price transparency; and help make the process of buying a home, fairer, more open and more transparent. The government is working with provinces and territories to implement these blueprints by leveraging the $5 billion in funding available to provinces and territories through the new Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund.

As part of these negotiations, the federal government is calling on provinces and territories to implement measures such as protecting Canadians from renovictions and blind bidding, standardizing lease agreements, making sales price history available on title searches, and much more – to make the housing market fairer across the country.

“We have taken bold action to help more Canadians afford a down payment, including with the Tax-Free First Home Savings Account, through which more than 750,000 Canadians have already started saving,” says Freeland. “Building on our action to help you afford a down payment, we are now making the boldest mortgages reforms in decades to unlock homeownership for younger Canadians. We are increasing the insured mortgage cap to reflect home prices in more expensive cities, allowing homebuyers more time to pay off their mortgage, and helping homeowners switch lenders to find the lowest interest rate at renewal.”