RBC Financial Performance Update
Legislation and policies - promoting a healthy Canadian housing market
January 2021 (proposed) - Department of Finance
■ Tax of 1% on the value of non-resident, non-Canadian-owned real estate considered vacant or underused.
June 2021 (proposed) - OSFI
■ The stress test qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages changing to the client rate plus 2 percentage points or 5.25%, which ever is greater.
July 2020 CMHC
■ Minimum credit score for CMHC insured mortgages raised from 600 to 680
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Gross debt service ratio reduced to 35%; total debt service ratio reduced to 42% to qualify for CMHC insured mortgage
■ CMHC tightened rules on admissible down payment sources
February 2018 - Government of British Columbia
■ The B.C. government introduced a 30-point plan to address housing affordability issues. It included a new speculation tax (2% of assessed
value) on homeowners who do not pay income tax in the province and increased in the foreign buyer tax to 20% from 15%
January 2018 - OSFI
Qualifying rate for uninsured mortgages raised to 2 percentage points above the contract rate or the five-year posted rate, whichever is higher
April 2017 Government of Ontario
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Introduced the 'Fair Housing Plan': 16 measures to address risks in the housing market including a 15% speculation tax on non-residents
purchasing homes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region
January 2017 - City of Vancouver
■ Vancouver introduced a tax of 1% of the assessed value of each home which is vacant (principal residence is exempt)
October 2016 - Department of Finance
Qualifying rate for high-ratio mortgages with a term of five years or more is changed to the 5-year posted rate
Portfolio-insured low-ratio mortgage loans must meet the eligibility criteria of high-ratio insured mortgage
■ A principal residence sale must be reported in the seller's tax return, even if any capital gain is protected by the principal residence exemption
46 | CANADIAN HOUSING MARKET
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