A lender reads your tax documents, not your bank account. Money that never reached a notice of assessment doesn’t count, no matter how steady it is.
Pick the lender the proof fits
Variable, self-employed and commission income get treated differently. Some lenders average two years, others take the lower year. On the amount you can borrow, that gap matters far more than the rate.
Don’t send a half-empty file
An incomplete file gets declined, and a complete one often wouldn’t have. Sort your documents first. Otherwise the lender fills the holes with its own assumptions, and they’re rarely in your favour.
Documents to gather
What the lender will ask for.
Purpose of the mortgage
Income proof and documents
Debts and credit
Property or security
Closing timeline
Lender choices
Frequently asked
Which documents should I gather?+
Your last two notices of assessment, recent pay stubs, an employment letter, three months of bank statements and proof of your down payment. Gather them before the offer and a five-day financing condition works. Wait until after and it stretches into weeks.
Current rates
Today’s rates, with the fine print.
These rates are indicative. Yours depends on your file, the type of mortgage (insured or not) and the lender. And look at the penalty too, it matters as much as the number.
Buying, renewing, refinancing, or something a bit out of the ordinary: tell us where you’re at, even if it’s still fuzzy. Mathieu gets back to you with next steps and the documents to pull together.
