You find a home that's for sale on the regular market, anything on Realtor.ca. We buy it, you move in and rent it from us, and we sign an agreement that locks in the price for you to buy it back from us down the road. While you're living there, you pay rent plus a separate monthly payment (we call it the option payment) that builds up your down payment.

At the same time, a mortgage specialist works with you to clear whatever's standing between you and a mortgage, usually credit or the down payment. Then at the end of your term, which is two or three years depending on your plan, you get your own mortgage and the home is yours. That's the whole idea: you get into the home now and become ready to own it while you're already living in it.

People who can't get a mortgage today but will be able to in two or three years, and who are tired of renting with no end in sight. Maybe your credit took a hit, maybe you're self-employed and don't look great on paper yet, maybe you just haven't pulled the full down payment together. None of that means you're stuck renting forever.

Honestly, about a third of Canadians can't qualify for a mortgage right now, so if that's you, you're in good company. This is the bridge from renting to actually owning, and it's built for people who are ready to put in the work to get there.

Around 500 to get started, but honestly the exact number matters less than whether your credit can be fixed up in time. What we're really looking at is whether we can realistically get you into the high 600s or low 700s by the end of your term. We've worked with people sitting below 500 when something specific was dragging them down, like a consumer proposal they'd just paid off.

This is built for people working through credit challenges, so don't count yourself out before we've had a look. If your credit were already perfect, you wouldn't need us, you'd just walk into a bank.

There's no hard cutoff, and I don't auto-decline people the way some companies do. As a rough starting point, somewhere around $75,000 a year in household income works in most areas, but it really depends on the price of the home and what debts you're carrying. The one thing to keep in mind is the bank only counts income you can prove on paper, so cash jobs or money you don't claim won't help you qualify, even if it's real.

Often, yes, and we work with people in exactly this spot all the time. Once a consumer proposal or bankruptcy is discharged, you can buy with 10% down once you're two years past the discharge date, or 20% down if you're under two years.

One thing people get tripped up on: the clock starts from your official discharge letter, not from your last payment, and the trustee can take a few months to send that letter. So on a three-year program, the goal is usually to have it paid off and discharged inside the first year, which leaves the two clean years you need before you buy.

There are two. A $725 commitment fee when we put your file together, and a $3,000 program fee once you're approved and ready to start shopping for a home. I'll be straight with you: both are non-refundable.

But here's the part people miss. That $3,000 isn't money you hand over and never see again. As long as you finish the program (payments on time, follow your plan, and complete your purchase by the end of your term), it gets credited straight toward your down payment when you buy.

Your initial deposit is 4% of the purchase price or $10,000, whichever is greater. It's a minimum, and it can shift a bit depending on the home and your situation. The good news on timing is that it isn't due when you apply, it's due once you've got an accepted offer on a home. So if you're a little short right now, you can often get the process going and keep saving toward it in the meantime.

Pretty much any home for sale on the open market, as long as it passes a few common-sense checks. The simplest way I put it: could someone rent this place out tomorrow, as-is? If yes, it probably works.

Homes that work:

• Freehold houses, half-duplexes, and townhouses with no condo fees
• Move-in ready and in good shape (sound roof, working furnace and hot water tank)
• On municipal water and sewer, inside a town or city
• Generally built around 1990 or newer (older can work if it's had the big upgrades done: roof, furnace, windows, wiring, plumbing)
• A primary home you'll actually live in

Homes that don't work:

• Mobile, modular, or manufactured homes (banks treat them as depreciating, so financing at the end is nearly impossible)
• Condos or anything with condo or strata fees (freehold townhouses and half-duplexes with no fees are fine)
• Acreages or homes on well and septic (very hard to finance at the end)
• Fixer-uppers that need real work
• Investment or multi-unit properties

A couple of specific things, like poly-B plumbing or aluminum wiring, are hard nos, because we can't insure them as a company. Don't stress about memorizing any of this, though. Just send me a listing and I'll tell you straight if it works.

Totally fair thing to ask, and you should ask it of anyone you'd hand money to. Here's what makes this real: we actually buy and own the home you choose, so nothing rides on a side deal with a stranger. You sign two proper agreements, a residential lease and an Option to Purchase, and those are legally binding documents that lenders recognize.

You work with a licensed mortgage specialist the whole way through, you're welcome to have your own lawyer review everything before you sign, and you can always pick up the phone and talk to me directly, since I'm the owner. That's how this is built, and it's there so you can feel sure about it.

First thing to know: you're not doing this alone, and that's the whole point. From day one you've got a mortgage specialist building you a real plan and checking in every few months to keep you on track, and the program is designed so that people who follow the plan qualify at the end. That's what normally happens.

The one thing none of us controls is whether the home appraises high enough at the finish line, and if something genuinely unexpected comes up, the usual answer is a short extension, not losing your home. And if it truly doesn't work out, you're not walking away empty-handed: you get at least 10% of your option money back, less the expenses of selling the home and any amounts owing, plus we point you to free credit and budgeting courses so you're in better shape for next time.

"Rent to own" is just the phrase everyone knows. The actual structure we use is called a lease option, and it's two separate signed agreements: a regular residential lease, and an Option to Purchase agreement. The Option to Purchase is the important one. It locks in your future price, sets your term, and records the option money you're building as your down payment. Having two clean agreements is also exactly what makes the bank accept that money as a real down payment when you go to buy.

You pick. We don't keep a stack of houses sitting around waiting for someone. Once you're qualified, you go shopping on Realtor.ca like any other buyer, find a place you love, and send it over. We check that it fits the program, run the numbers, and then buy that specific home for you. You're choosing from everything on the market, not from some short list of ours.

We do, along with the partner who helps fund the purchase. Your name isn't on the title or the mortgage during the program, and that's normal for how this works. What you hold is a legally binding option to purchase, and that's what protects you: once it's signed, we can't sell the home out from under you, and you can even register your interest on title for extra peace of mind. When you buy at the end, the home becomes yours.

No, and this is an important difference. The old version was a landlord tacking a bit extra onto your rent and calling it a credit, and banks stopped accepting that as a down payment years ago. We actually buy the home, and your down payment gets built through a proper Option to Purchase agreement, which is exactly what a lender will recognize when it's time to get your mortgage.

It's a set term, usually two or three years, and your strategy plan decides which one fits you based on how much time you need to repair credit, pay down debt, and build your down payment. Three years is the most common because it gives you breathing room at a comfortable monthly amount. We don't do one-year deals.

At the end of that term, you buy the home at the price we locked in at the start. If you need a little more time near the end, a short extension is usually possible. (A four-year term comes up once in a while, and just so you know, that one needs 20% down instead of 10%.)

Then go get the mortgage, honestly. It's cheaper, and I'll tell you that flat out. If you're close, the mortgage specialist might be able to get you there in a couple of months and you skip rent to own altogether. I'd genuinely rather send you to a broker than sign you up for something you don't need. We're here for the people who can't quite qualify yet.

The Canada Child Benefit does count toward qualifying, yes. And disability income does not automatically disqualify you, so please don't let anyone tell you it does. Plenty of steady, long-term income can be used to qualify, and some disability income counts too. Because it's often tax-free, it can sometimes be grossed up, which actually works in your favour.

Whether a specific source counts depends on the type, how steady it is, the amount, and the lender, so the mortgage specialist looks at your situation personally rather than guessing. The honest caveat is that AISH on its own is usually too small to carry a mortgage at the prices most homes sell for, but that's about the dollar amount, not the fact that it's disability income.

Monthly debt payments, more than most people expect. A vehicle or truck payment is almost always the biggest one, often worse than credit cards, because the bank counts that monthly payment against you. Open collections need to get cleared, since they'll block financing at the finish line. Child support, alimony, even deferred student loans get counted too. The upside is your strategy plan lays out exactly what to deal with and when, so you're not guessing.

You need to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. Most lenders won't give a mortgage to someone on a work or student visa, so a mortgage at the end wouldn't be possible, which is why it's a requirement up front. If you're a newcomer with PR who needs time to build up Canadian credit and income history, this is actually a great fit.

A co-signer can help, but only if they fully qualify on their own, solid income, clean credit, manageable debt. A co-signer who's carrying their own big truck payment or an active consumer proposal might not move the needle at all. Banks also don't love seeing more than two or three people on a mortgage, and they prefer them to be family. And everyone living in the home goes on the lease.

Definitely workable, with one catch: the bank looks at the net income on your tax filings, not your gross sales or what actually landed in your account. You'll usually need two or three years of filed returns showing enough income, and being behind on your taxes is a hard stop.

The nice thing about a multi-year program is it gives you time to show the income the bank needs, then you can go back to being tax-efficient afterward. I worked in the trades before this, where a big chunk of my pay never showed up on my T4, so I get how backwards it feels when the bank can't see money you actually earn.

Find out for sure instead of talking yourself out of it. The application is short, there's no credit check, and there's zero commitment. It's the easiest way to see if you're a fit based on your actual situation rather than a guess. And if it turns out you're not quite there yet, we've got free credit and budgeting courses to help you get ready, no strings attached.

Most of the homes we do come in under about $500,000. Here's the part people get backwards: it's your deposit, not your income, that sets your ceiling. The more you've got for your initial deposit, the higher the price you can reach for. We'll map out your real range together on a call.

Both, in that order. It's collected as a fee, after you're already approved, and then it converts into part of your down payment when you complete your purchase. If you walk away before then, it's not returned. That's why I call it non-refundable but still real money working for you, as long as you finish.

No pressure at all. Plenty of people build it over six months to a year from a tax refund, a gift, an RRSP withdrawal, a bonus, or selling something. If you're within a thousand or two of the minimum, you're close enough to get going. And if you're further out than that, grab our free budgeting course and reach back out when you're closer. The door stays open either way.

Two different answers, because there are two different buckets. The program fees ($725 and $3,000) are non-refundable. Your option money (your initial deposit plus the monthly option payments that build your down payment) is partially refundable.

If you don't end up buying, you get at least 10% of that option money back, less the expenses of selling the home and any amounts owing. That 10% is the floor, and honestly, when the home's gone up in value, we've usually been able to give back more. Your option money isn't tied up in some trust account either.

None of it, and that's on purpose. The bank won't let rent count toward a down payment, so we keep the two completely separate. Your rent is just rent, it covers our mortgage, the property taxes, and the home insurance. The separate monthly option payment, on top of your rent, is what actually builds your down payment, and every dollar of that counts.

Because you're doing two things at once: paying rent and saving up a down payment at the same time. So yes, the total is more than plain rent would be, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But that extra isn't disappearing, it's your down payment, money that turns into ownership at the end. With regular renting, every dollar just leaves and never comes back.

We cover the property taxes and the home insurance out of the rent. You cover your own utilities, your own tenant's insurance (a couple hundred bucks a year, same as any rental), repairs and maintenance while you're there, and the home inspection before we buy (it's going to be your home, so that one's your call and your cost, usually around $500 to $600). Right at the end, you'll have normal closing costs like lawyer fees and a property-tax adjustment, and those get paid then, not upfront.

It's locked in right at the start and written into your Option to Purchase agreement, so you know your price before you sign a thing, and any gains above it down the road become your equity when you buy. The exact number depends on the specific home and the length of your term.

I'm not going to throw out a percentage or a made-up figure here, because the honest answer is that it depends on your situation. Send me a listing or hop on a quick call and I'll give you real numbers on a real home.

No, because we're not lending you money. You're renting with an option to buy, so there's no mortgage and no interest during the program. You only take on a mortgage (from a bank, not from us) when you buy the home at the end.

You can, any time after the first year. We don't charge a penalty of our own for it. The one cost is that we hold a mortgage on the home, so you'd cover our actual cost to break that mortgage, which is usually around three months of interest. It changes deal to deal, it's handled through the lawyer at closing, and it goes to the bank, not to us. I won't throw a dollar figure at you, because it genuinely depends on the mortgage.

Five steps, and the first three cost you nothing and commit you to nothing:

1. Fill out the short application on renttohomenow.ca. Four quick questions unlock the full form, and there's no credit check. I read every single one myself.
2. If it looks like a fit, you book a call with me to talk through your situation, your budget, and what you're hoping for.
3. We run a soft credit check (more on that just below).
4. The mortgage specialist builds your strategy plan, your roadmap to a mortgage.
5. Once your plan's set and the commitment fee is paid, you start house shopping with a realtor.

We run a soft credit check through a company called Front Lobby. It doesn't affect your score and doesn't show up on your credit report, the same as when you check your own score in an app. You and any co-applicant each get your own private link. You might notice a placeholder address in the form, just ignore it, it's only a default the system needs to run.

This is the heart of the whole thing. The mortgage specialist goes through your full financial picture exactly like they would for a mortgage today, then maps out everything you need to do over the next two to three years to qualify at the end: your maximum future price, your down payment target, the right term length, and any credit items to clean up. It usually takes five to eight business days to put together, and from there they check in with you every few months to keep you on track.

From the day you start your application to the day you move in, plan on roughly five to eight weeks. Qualifying (the application, soft check, and strategy plan) takes about one to two weeks. Once you've got an accepted offer, the purchase itself takes about four weeks minimum: two weeks for conditions and two weeks to possession. Those timelines are pretty firm with sellers, so it's worth starting earlier than you think you need to.

Qualify first, always. Your strategy plan sets the price range you can actually shop in, and we can't write offers until we're sure we can move ahead with you. Homes go fast, so getting qualified early means you're ready when the right one shows up. A good time to start is three to six months before you want to be moving in.

We do a quick walkthrough within about a week (the insurer asks for it). After that, there are property check-ins every quarter, which can be done over video, and the mortgage specialist checks in every few months to look at your credit and keep your file on track. About four to six months before your term ends, they kick off the formal mortgage process so you're ready to buy.

Usually, yes, if you need a bit more time and there's a real path to qualifying. A short extension keeps the same approach to your pricing, just prorated for the extra time, and we go over the exact numbers with you. What I won't do is string someone along with endless extensions when there's no realistic way to get them across the line. That's not fair to anyone, including you.

No one honestly can, and I won't pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is that, based on everything we go through up front, you should qualify if you follow the plan, and the mortgage specialist's track record with people who get to that stage is very strong. The big thing is to tell us right away if something changes, a job change, a new debt, so we can adjust the plan instead of getting surprised at the end.

With regular renting, the money goes out every month and nothing comes back, you're basically paying off someone else's house. With rent to own, part of your monthly total is building your own down payment, your price is locked in today, and your on-time payments build your credit through Front Lobby. On top of that, you get to move into the home you actually want to buy now, instead of renting somewhere else for a few more years and moving again. It does cost more per month than plain renting, because you're saving at the same time, but that's money coming back to you.

If you can qualify for a mortgage right now, that's cheaper and better, full stop, and I'll point you to a broker. Rent to own is for people who can't qualify just yet. The trade-off versus a straight mortgage is that it costs a bit more overall than buying outright, and bigger renovations need our okay since you're not on title yet. What you get in return is the chance to lock in your home and your price now and become an owner on a clear timeline, instead of waiting and hoping prices don't run away from you.

It's got a mixed one, I'll be upfront about that, mostly because a lot of operators don't set it up properly. So it's worth understanding how ours actually works. The difference here is that we genuinely buy and own the home, we use two proper agreements (a lease and an Option to Purchase) that lenders recognize, and you've got a licensed mortgage specialist in your corner the whole way through.

You can have a lawyer review everything, and you can call me directly with anything that doesn't sit right. I bring this up on purpose, because I'd rather you understand exactly how it's structured than wonder about it.

Your Option to Purchase agreement is a legally binding sale document that holds up even if the company went under, whoever ends up holding the property still has to honour it. And realistically, if you start this year, you're only with us for two or three years and then you own the home outright, so you don't need us to be around for a decade.

Absolutely, and I encourage it. Having a lawyer look over the lease and the Option to Purchase usually runs a couple hundred dollars. It's not required (you can sign a short waiver if you'd rather not), but on something this important, it's never a bad idea, and I'd never talk you out of it.

Rent to own isn't tightly regulated in Canada, so it's smart to be choosy about who you work with. We're a member of CAROP, the Canadian Association of Rent-to-Own Providers, which is about the closest thing the industry has to a governing body (it's an association, not a government agency). Our legal company name is Bam Real Estate Ventures, and Rent To Home Now is the trade name we operate under.

We work across Alberta, in Saskatchewan (cities like Saskatoon and Regina), and in Newfoundland (the St. John's area). If you're somewhere else, reach out anyway, we sometimes help in other provinces through partner companies or on a case-by-case basis, and I'll tell you honestly whether we can help.

Yes, and it's one of my favourite parts. We report your on-time rent payments to both Equifax and TransUnion through Front Lobby, so it shows up as a tradeline on your credit file, like a loan or a credit card paying on time every month, and it helps your score climb while you're in the program, at no extra cost. A few habits go a long way too: keep your credit card balances under 30% of the limit, don't cancel paid-off cards, and check with the mortgage specialist before you take on any new debt or let anyone run a hard credit check.

Cosmetic stuff like paint, light fixtures, hanging pictures, putting in a garden, that's all fine, no need to ask. Anything structural or permitted, or that changes the value (a kitchen remodel, finishing a basement, a shed), just run it by me first, since we're on title. Pets are usually workable. Subletting isn't allowed, but having a boarder is fine. Basically, treat it like your home, because it's going to be, just loop me in on the big stuff.