Category Archives: Real Estate Finance

Updated property assessment notices; what do they mean?

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Exactly how will the updated property assessment notice affect you?

You’ve just opened your mail from MPAC- it’s your new “Property Assessment Notice” and in a nice little box it says “This is not a tax bill”. No it’s not a tax bill, but it will probably have an impact on your property taxes. This notice is telling you what MPAC feels your house is worth. The more they think your house is worth- the more property taxes you’ll pay. There’s no hiding the facts; Hamilton’s property taxes rank amongst the highest in Southern Ontario. A City report in 2014 showed that at the time of the report, Hamilton taxes were 9% higher than most medium to large sized municipalities in Ontario.

Calculate your taxes

Good news for property owners: Hamilton real estate values continue to climb.

Hamilton has been making headlines. In September, 2015, the Canadian Real Estate Association reported that the average price of a home in Hamilton shot up more steeply than any other part of the country, citing an increase of 16.4% for the period of August 2014- August 2015. Today, the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington released its statistical report indicating that the market doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Still sizzling! Hamilton & area real estate stats for June 2016
Bad news for property owners: it’s property assessment update time
MPAC, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation has just mailed out their new property assessments. Without a doubt you’re going to be elated to see that your property value has gone up; in some cases it will be significant. MPAC has reported that values went up an average of 18% since their last assessment. The big question is how will it reflect on your future tax bills.

So how does all of this work? Every year the City sets its “mill rate”. You multiply the mill rate with your MPAC property assessment and voila! You’ve got your property taxes.

Understanding your 2016 MPAC Assessment update

Use your property assessment to calculate your property taxes
When you get your new assessment, compare it with your previous assessment and see what the difference is. Divide the difference by 4. Every year, your assessment will go up by that amount. Example. Your current assessment is $300,000. Your new MPAC assessment shows a value of $360,000; the difference is $60,000. $60,000 divided by 4 is $15,000, so every year the assessed value on your house will increase by this amount. You can then visit the City of Hamilton’s nifty tax calculator to figure out what your new tax bill will look like. Warning: you may want to be sitting down. In the example given, the $15,000 increase will translate into a $200.00 increase in property taxes each year for the next 4 years.

City of Hamilton Tax Calculator

Will the new Hamilton property assessment reports impact the real estate market?
Since the increase is phased in, the first year won’t pack too much of a punch and shouldn’t have a huge impact on buyers qualifying for a mortgage; it may have a slight negative effect on first time buyers who are stretching every single cent of their earnings to qualify for a mortgage. The true impact will be a few years down the road. Without factoring in the City’s annual increase in property taxes, the new assessments may see a property tax increase by hundreds of dollars in many sections of the City. With the average assessment increasing by 18%, we’re bound to see some major increases. Good news for the City coffers; bad news for homeowners who are already living in one of the highest taxed cities in Ontario.

If you’re buying a home avoid surprises; ask your Realtor® what the new assessed value is for any home you may be interested in.

Why you might appeal your new tax assessment?

Notices to appeal must be launched 120 days after you receive your Notice of Assessment; MPAC

Student rentals: Finance update April 2016

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Financing Student Rental properties in Hamilton

Student rentals are investment properties; the problem is most banks do not want to finance them. Regardless if you’re buying a single family home or a multi unit rental building to rent, the banks underwriting departments want to make sure that #1- you have a reasonable expectation of collecting the amount you’re renting it for and #2- the property can be legally used for the rents you’re collecting. A home rented to a family is rarely a problem. With 2-6 unit buildings, the bank wants to make sure the property is zoned for the number of units you’re renting. Most banks just don’t like student rentals!

How the bank sees a Student Rental

So what’s the problem with student rentals anyhow? For the most part, they’re just single detached houses- aren’t they? Well, the banks do have a problem with them;  even though these properties are in fact single family homes, “the tenant” is usually a group of unrelated 18-23 year old students.

Then there’s negative publicity around student rentals. Residents are constantly trying to cope with being neighbours to properties filled to the brim with fun loving students and absentee landlords. This means no lack of publicity for this type of housing as the City is constantly trying to balance the need for student housing with the rights of non-student residents. Complaints are constant: properties that are housing too many students, lack of fire safety, illegal construction/building of bedrooms along with property standards and parking bylaw violations.

Student Rentals vs. Lodging Homes

The rules around renting to a collective of students can be complex. First of all, students are a protected group under the Human Rights Code. Cities have been told they’d be wise to avoid any type of zoning that could be considered “people zoning”.  The Human Rights Commissioner has stated that groups of students who want to live together as a family unit while attending school away from home, have the same rights under the act as any other family unit and municipalities must respect this right. At the same time, municipalities have the right to enforce their zoning bylaws.

 

Illegal development

Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it’s legal and it certainly doesn’t mean that you can get it legalized on the basis that it’s already there. Doesn’t work that way. For example, if the original house is a 2 bedroom house with a kitchen and living room, you cannot assume that the 4 bedrooms in the basement are legal. If they do not comply with the Ontario building code, that is if the ceiling height is below the requirement or there isn’t adequate light (windows) they may in fact be “illegal”.

Rules and regulations are in place for a reason. The City has a right to be concerned about over intensification along with owners circumventing the building permit process and creating additional bedrooms and bathrooms without inspections, approvals or permits.

Sometimes Buyers and Sellers will go through great effort to “de-student” properties, trying to convince the appraiser and bank that it’s not what it is. They take all the locks off the doors and try to clean it up in an effort to make it look as “single family” as possible, but it seldom passes the scrutiny of an appraiser familiar with the area. Even though the Buyer swears on their life that they’re going to be renting this property to a nice young couple with 4 kids, most banks decline.

Getting a mortgage for a Student Rental in Hamilton

The Royal Bank is one of the few major banks interested in financing Student Rental properties in Hamilton. This is not an ad campaign for the Royal Bank, nor do I collect a referral from them for promoting their services- just passing on the info!  The good news is that the Royal Bank has expanded their student rental finance program: increasing the number of properties from 5 to 9 and reducing the down payment required from 30% to 20%. When the Royal Bank’s appraiser shows up at the property, they know it’s being used as a student rental; no need to try to pull the wool over their eyes or lie about what you’re going to be using it for- which by the way is really “mortgage fraud”, but that’s another subject!

Insurance:

Also, make sure your insurance company knows that the property they’re insuring is a Student Rental. Just like banks, many companies will not insure these properties. If you experience a loss, you may face issues making a claim.

Summary

So, if you’re purchasing a Student rental keep in mind that the City “usually” doesn’t have a problem if the property contains eight habitable rooms and houses 6 students. If you’re creating more living space, make sure you obtain a building permit. The City also “usually” doesn’t have a problem if you have one lease on the property, even though there may be 6 individuals signing on the lease. And lastly, if you need a mortgage, DO NOT try to pull the wool over the eyes of your financial institution. Ask them straight up if they will finance a student rental- if they don’t, contact Katie Morrison, Mortgage Specialist for the Royal Bank in Hamilton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financing student rentals in Hamilton

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Hamilton, Ontario: Home to McMaster University, Redeemer University, Mohawk College and a campus of Brock University. Needless to say, the demand for student housing is high.

Financing student rentals can be a lot more difficult than finding the students to fill them.

The Royal Bank of Canada is one of the only major lenders offering an actual “Student Rental Mortgage” program.

With the RBC program, there are no worries about the appraiser reporting that the property is being used as a student rental complete with locks on all the bedroom doors.

RBC Student Housing Mortgage requirements

  • 30% down payment
  • $55,000 personal income for 1 property (rental income not included)
  • $75,000 personal income for 2 or more properties (rental income not included)
  • Net worth of $100,000 excluding real estate holdings (RRSP’s, stocks, bonds etc)
  • Maximum loan amount of $500,000 per property.
  • 5 property limit.

RBC will also allow you to use 50% of the rental income from the subject student rental provided signed lease agreements are in place.

You are also allowed to purchase the property in the name of a holding company, provided that it is only real estate related and the owners (maximum 2) sign as guarantors.

The property cannot be held in trust.

RBC will also grant a mortgage to a “Non-resident” with 35% down and proof of income from one of their many approved countries.

Residential mortgage rates apply. $250.00 appraisal fee for all properties.

 

For more information, contact Katie Morrison, RBC Mortgage Specialist (905) 515-1173