Costs the lawyer calculates

A London buyer asks what the purchase will cost besides the price. London Buyers Agent will name the categories a provincial page already names, and it will not calculate a file. This is not tax advice.

The sequence of the purchase is on buying a house in London. The offer, including the deposit and the conditions, is on the offer.

Land transfer tax

When you buy land or an interest in land in Ontario, you pay Ontario's land transfer tax. The Ministry of Finance page, updated 2 January 2026, says land includes buildings, buildings to be constructed, and fixtures. You pay the tax to the province when the transaction closes. It is payable when the transfer is registered.

The tax is normally based on the amount paid for the land, plus the amount remaining on any mortgage or debt assumed as part of the purchase. In some cases it is based on fair market value. The Ministry publishes how to calculate it. This page does not copy the rate table, and it does not run a calculator.

The same Ministry page describes a municipal land transfer tax for the City of Toronto. That is a Toronto tax. This page does not treat it as a London tax, and it does not claim that London has a second land transfer tax of its own.

A first-time homebuyer refund, if the Ministry's tests are met

The Ministry says a first-time homebuyer of an eligible home may be eligible for a refund of all or part of the land transfer tax. The refund page, updated 10 February 2026, is the source for the rules below. This page does not decide whether a person qualifies.

To claim a refund, you must be at least 18. You cannot have owned a home, or an interest in a home, anywhere in the world. Your spouse cannot have owned a home, or an interest in a home, anywhere in the world while they were your spouse. You cannot re-qualify. The Ministry says that rule may differ from a federal program such as the Canada Revenue Agency Home Buyers' Plan. You must occupy the home as your principal residence within nine months of the date of transfer.

Beginning 1 January 2017, the maximum refund is $4,000. The Ministry also says that, beginning that date, no land transfer tax would be payable by qualifying first-time purchasers on the first $368,000 of the value of the consideration for eligible homes, and that purchasers of homes above that amount would receive a maximum refund of $4,000. If one of the purchasers is not a first-time homebuyer, the refund is reduced in proportion to the interest acquired by those who qualify. Beginning 1 January 2017, eligibility is restricted to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, with transitional rules on the Ministry page.

A claim has to be made within 18 months after registration. If it is claimed at registration, it may offset tax that would otherwise be payable. If it is not claimed then, the tax is paid and a claim may be submitted to the Ministry. No interest is paid on that later refund. The lawyer on the file is where the registration claim is made. This page will not fill in the affidavit.

Two taxes that are not land transfer tax

The Ministry's land transfer tax page says HST applies to a newly constructed or substantially renovated home, and does not apply to a resale home. It says buyers of new homes may receive a rebate of up to $24,000 of the provincial portion of the HST. Questions about that rebate go to the Canada Revenue Agency. This page does not calculate it.

The same Ministry page says the Non-Resident Speculation Tax is 25 per cent on the purchase of an interest in residential property anywhere in Ontario by a foreign national, a foreign corporation, or a taxable trustee, effective 25 October 2022. It is not a London default. This page does not decide who it applies to. Ask the lawyer.

What this page will not price

A legal fee, a title opinion, and an adjustment for a given closing are the lawyer's statement, not a list this site invents. RECO's seller checklist names legal fees among a seller's closing costs. That is a seller list. It is not a quote for a London purchase, and this page will not turn it into one.

Sending the form asks for a reply. It does not hire anyone, and it does not calculate a tax.

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