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Real Estate · City of Toronto

Real estate lawyer in Scarborough

Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto, so a purchase here carries both land transfer taxes and the Vacant Home Tax declaration. Much of its housing is post-war, and a basement apartment is part of many files. We close purchases and sales across Scarborough.

Get a Closing EstimateDiscuss your matter(647) 793-2939

Our Thornhill office is a straight run east along Steeles or down the 404 to the 401 for Scarborough clients. In-person signing is available there, and remote identity verification and document signing are also available if you prefer.

We handle
Purchases, sales, refinancing & title transfers
Signing
Thornhill office or remote, your choice
Local tax
Provincial and Toronto municipal land transfer tax
Start here
Send us your agreement as early as possible

What matters in a Scarborough closing

Toronto's two land transfer taxes still apply

Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto, so the municipal land transfer tax and the Vacant Home Tax declaration apply here as they do downtown.

More details

Scarborough's suburban streets do not change which municipality it sits in. A Scarborough purchase carries both the provincial land transfer tax and the City of Toronto municipal land transfer tax, calculated the same way and payable on the same closing date as anywhere else in the city. The annual Vacant Home Tax occupancy declaration applies to every residential owner here too, and it belongs on the closing file rather than the calendar.

Basement apartments and second suites

Post-war bungalows and split-levels across Scarborough often carry a basement apartment, and whether it was built with permits is a question for the file, not the listing.

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A large share of Scarborough's housing stock is post-war detached and semi-detached, and a basement apartment or in-law suite is common. A listing that describes a unit as a second suite does not settle whether it was built under a permit or meets fire and electrical requirements. Where the rental income matters to your financing, or where you intend to live in the unit yourself, we raise the question before the agreement is firm rather than after closing.

Condominiums and the subway extension

Around Scarborough Town Centre, along Kingston Road, and near the Scarborough Subway Extension, condominium and pre-construction transactions carry a status certificate or a builder agreement to review.

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Scarborough Town Centre and the Kingston Road corridor carry much of Scarborough's condominium stock, and the Scarborough Subway Extension has brought pre-construction and assignment activity to the streets along its route. On a resale condominium the status certificate review sits alongside the title search: reserve fund health, any pending special assessment, arrears, and what the declaration permits for rentals and pets. On a pre-construction unit the builder agreement governs, and the statutory rescission period for a new condominium purchase is short.

Closing costs

Land transfer tax in Scarborough

Two land transfer taxes

Scarborough purchases carry the provincial tax and the City of Toronto municipal tax, since Scarborough is part of Toronto.

First-time buyer rebates
A rebate may be claimed against each tax. They are applied for separately and have their own maximums.
Land Transfer Tax Calculator
How the tax works

A buyer in Scarborough pays the same two land transfer taxes as a buyer anywhere else in Toronto: the provincial tax that applies across Ontario, and the City of Toronto municipal land transfer tax on top of it. Both are calculated on the purchase price on a graduated structure and both are payable on closing.

First-time buyers may claim a rebate against each tax separately, each with its own maximum. Scarborough's border with Markham runs along Steeles Avenue, and the tax bill on one side of that line differs from the other: the municipal boundary determines whether the second tax applies, not the character of the neighbourhood.

Real estate matters in Scarborough

  • Residential purchases

    We review your agreement before the conditions come off, search title, and carry the file through to the day you get the keys.

  • Residential sales

    We answer the buyer's requisitions, arrange the discharge of your existing mortgage, and account for every dollar leaving the transaction.

  • Refinancing and new mortgages

    Whether you are moving lenders, taking equity out, or adding a second charge, we handle the registration and the discharge that follows it.

  • Title transfers

    Adding a spouse, removing a name, transferring to family, or updating title after a death. Each one carries tax and mortgage consequences worth understanding first.

  • New construction and builder purchases

    Builder agreements are written for the builder. We read yours as early as we can, and where a statutory rescission right applies, inside that window, while there is still something you can do about it.

  • In-person and remote signing

    In-person signing at our Thornhill office is our standard approach, and remote identity verification and document signing are available if you prefer. Remote signing changes how you meet with us, not the lawyer-led legal work performed on your closing.

Explore our full real estate practice
How it works

Your Scarborough closing

  1. Bring us in early

    Reach out before you buy, or as soon as you have an offer. We'll tell you what we need and how to send it.

  2. We prepare the file

    Searches, lender work and closing documents are handled by our team.

  3. Sign and close

    Sign at our Thornhill office, or remotely if you prefer. We confirm when the transaction closes.

Start your Scarborough closing
Where we act

Scarborough neighbourhoods

We act throughout Scarborough, including:

  • Agincourt
  • Malvern
  • L'Amoreaux
  • Bendale
  • Woburn
  • Wexford
  • Scarborough Village
  • Guildwood
  • West Hill
  • Birch Cliff
  • Highland Creek
  • Rouge
Common questions

Scarborough real estate questions

Does the Toronto municipal land transfer tax apply to a Scarborough purchase?

Yes. Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto, so a purchase here carries the same provincial and municipal land transfer taxes as a purchase in any other part of the city. A home just north of Steeles, in Markham, would carry the provincial tax only, which is why the boundary matters more than the neighbourhood.

The house I am buying has a basement apartment. What should I check?

Whether it was built under a building permit and whether it meets fire and electrical requirements. A listing calling it a second suite does not answer either question. If the rental income is part of your financing, or you plan to occupy the unit, raise it with us before the agreement is firm so the answer can shape the deal rather than surprise you after closing.

Do I need to worry about the Vacant Home Tax on a Scarborough property?

Yes, in the same way any Toronto property owner does. The annual occupancy declaration applies across the city, Scarborough included, whether or not the home was ever vacant. We handle it as part of the closing rather than leaving it to the calendar.

What should I check before buying a condominium near Scarborough Town Centre?

The status certificate first. It discloses the reserve fund's health, any pending special assessment, whether the unit is in arrears, and what the declaration permits around rentals, pets, and short-term occupancy. Where your agreement is conditional on a satisfactory certificate, the review period is short and set by the agreement itself, so send it to us the moment it is delivered.

I am buying pre-construction along the subway extension. Is there a review period?

For a new or pre-construction condominium unit purchased from the declarant, Ontario's condominium legislation provides a short statutory rescission period. It is measured in days, not weeks, so the builder agreement needs to reach us as soon as it is signed. A freehold new build does not carry the same statutory right; any review window comes from the agreement.

Do I have to sign in person?

Our Thornhill office is a direct drive along Steeles or the 404 for most Scarborough clients, and in-person signing is available there. If you would rather not make the trip, identity verification and document signing can be completed remotely. Remote signing changes how you meet with us, not the lawyer-led legal work performed on your closing.

Also serving

Nearby areas we serve

Planning a purchase, sale or refinance in Scarborough?

Tell us about your transaction and receive a personalized closing estimate by the next business day.

Get a Closing Estimate

Buying or selling in Scarborough?

Send us the agreement and we will confirm both land transfer taxes, any second-suite questions, and what the file needs before closing.

Discuss your Scarborough matter