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Brampton · Real estate

Real estate lawyer for Brampton buyers and sellers

In Bramalea, Springdale, Castlemore, Mount Pleasant and across Brampton, a lot of houses come with a second or third unit, and the City now registers the units and licenses the landlords. Rosalie Wannes acts on Brampton purchases, sales and refinances from our Toronto office, by phone and video.

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Services

Real estate services for Brampton

Our real estate law page explains each service in full. For wills, probate and immigration in Brampton, see our Brampton page.

  • Buying a house with a second unit

    Registration, rental licence, leases and rent adjustments, checked against the agreement before your conditions expire.

    Instant quote; tenanted closings cost more

  • Buying your first home

    Agreement review, title insurance, your mortgage and the first-time buyer refund.

    Fee by price — instant quote

  • Selling

    Mortgage payout and discharge, the buyer’s requisitions, tenancy terms and your proceeds.

    Fee by price — instant quote

  • Refinancing

    Switching lenders, or borrowing to build or legalize a unit. B-lender and alternative lender mortgages add $400 + HST.

    Fee by mortgage amount — instant quote

  • Title transfers

    Adding a family member to title, or removing one.

    Quoted individually

  • Pre-construction agreement review

    A written review of a builder’s agreement for a new house, townhouse or condo.

    $450 + HST

Additional units

In Brampton, every additional unit must be registered

If a Brampton listing mentions a basement apartment, a “legal second unit” or a garden suite, check the registration before you firm up. Older assurances that a unit was “legal non-conforming” no longer settle the question.

The City of Brampton says that all additional residential units must be registered, including units previously treated as legal non-conforming second units. Registration follows a building permit and confirms the unit meets the Ontario Building Code and the zoning by-law. A lot can have up to three units in total: the main house with a second unit and a garden suite, or with second and third units inside the house. The City publishes a map of properties with registered units, and fines for unregistered units can be substantial.

What an unregistered unit means for you

If you buy a house with an unregistered unit, the obligation to register it, or to stop using it as a separate unit, becomes yours on closing. It can also affect your mortgage, if the lender was counting the rent, and your home insurance. Price it in, or make the deal conditional on the seller producing the permit and registration.

Side entrances and separate meters

A separate entrance, a second kitchen or a second hydro meter doesn’t make a unit legal. What matters is the permit, the inspections and the registration. If the listing and the City’s records disagree, rely on the City’s.

Adding a unit later

A unit you plan to build still needs its own permit and registration, and a construction loan or refinance is a separate transaction. Talk to your lender before you firm up.

Why Wannes Law

A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed

  • A licensed Ontario lawyer

    Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.

  • Fees before you commit

    Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.

  • Every step explained

    Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.

  • Direct access

    Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.

  • Sign in person or remotely

    Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.

  • English, Armenian and Arabic

    Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.

Rental licensing

Brampton now licenses landlords in every ward

Brampton’s Residential Rental Licensing program started as a pilot in five wards in January 2024. From January 1, 2026, it covers the whole city.

In December 2025 City Council expanded the program citywide. Landlords with one to four rental units anywhere in Brampton now need a Residential Rental Licence to rent legally. The licence is free, but the landlord must show at least $2 million of liability insurance and complete a short online module about the City’s rental rules, and there are fines for renting without one.

What this means when you buy a rental house

  • Licences aren’t transferable, so the seller’s licence won’t pass to you. Plan to apply in your own name as soon as you own the property.
  • Ask the seller whether the property was licensed, and whether the City has issued any orders or fines about it.
  • The licence and the unit registration are separate requirements. A licensed landlord still needs registered units, and a registered unit still needs a licensed landlord if it is rented.
  • Tell your insurer the house is rented; the licence requires the liability coverage.

If you live in the main house

Living upstairs doesn’t exempt you: the City says owner-occupied homes with a rented additional unit still need a licence. If that is your plan, read the requirements before you close, so the tenancy can start lawfully.

How it works

Buying a Brampton house with a second unit, step by step

The legal steps are the same as any purchase. What changes is the paperwork about the unit and the tenants, and it needs to be settled early.

  1. Step 1: Before you make the offer

    Ask the listing agent for the building permit and ARU registration, whether the unit is rented, and whether the landlord holds a rental licence. Check the address on the City’s registered-unit map. If the answers are vague, write conditions into the offer that give you time to get them.

  2. Step 2: Send us the accepted offer

    With the schedules, and everything the seller gave you about the unit and any tenant. We flag what must be resolved before your conditions expire, including what the agreement says about vacant possession and rent for the month of closing.

    You provide

    • Agreement of purchase and sale and amendments
    • Permit and registration documents
    • Any lease, if a tenant is staying

  3. Step 3: Mortgage and insurance

    Confirm with your lender how it treats the rental unit and whether it needs to see the registration. Tell your insurer the house has a second unit and a tenant, and ask what coverage the rental licence requires.

    Mortgages with lenders other than the major banks add $400 + HST.

  4. Step 4: Sign by video

    We verify your identity, review the documents with you by video while you sign on paper, and you courier the originals to our Toronto office. You can sign there in person if you prefer.

  5. Step 5: Closing day

    Registration, payment of the land transfer tax, release of funds and your keys, with rent and last month’s rent deposits adjusted if a tenant is staying. Then apply for your own rental licence.

    What a real estate lawyer does on a purchase

Land transfer tax

Brampton has no municipal land transfer tax

Only the City of Toronto charges one. A Brampton purchase pays Ontario’s land transfer tax only, which leaves more room in the budget for the closing costs that come with a rental unit.

Worked example: on a $1,100,000 Brampton home with one single-family residence, Ontario’s land transfer tax is $275 + $1,950 + $2,250 + $14,000 = $18,475 (as of 2026). On $900,000 it is $14,475; on $1,300,000, $22,475. In Toronto each would roughly double.

A qualifying first-time buyer gets Ontario’s refund of up to $4,000, so on the $1,100,000 example pays about $14,475. You must live in the home as your principal residence within nine months, which a buyer living upstairs and renting the basement does.

These figures assume a home with one or two single-family residences. If a property has more units, or is partly commercial, we check how the tax applies against your agreement.

If you or your co-buyer is not yet a permanent resident, Ontario’s 25% non-resident speculation tax may apply here as anywhere in the province, unless an exemption fits. Tell us before you sign; our Brampton immigration page covers the status side. The instant quote calculates the tax for your price alongside our legal fee.

Questions

Brampton real estate questions

Do you have an office in Brampton?

No. Our only office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, Toronto. Brampton clients work with us by phone and video, signing on paper and couriering the originals back.

Does a basement apartment in Brampton have to be registered?

Yes. The City requires every additional residential unit to be registered, including second units, third units and garden suites, and including units once treated as legal non-conforming. Check before your conditions expire.

Do I need a rental licence to rent out my Brampton basement?

Since January 1, 2026, landlords with one to four rental units anywhere in Brampton need a Residential Rental Licence. It is free, but requires liability insurance and an online module. Owner-occupied homes are included, and licences aren’t transferable, so a buyer applies in their own name.

Does Brampton have a land transfer tax?

No. Only the City of Toronto has a municipal land transfer tax. A Brampton purchase pays Ontario’s tax only, about $18,475 on a $1,100,000 home before any first-time buyer refund (as of 2026).

Can I cancel a new home purchase in Brampton?

For a new condominium unit, within 10 days under the Condominium Act, 1998. For a freehold house or townhouse, a 10-day cooling-off period applies only to agreements signed from January 1, 2027. Our pre-construction review is $450 + HST.

How much does a real estate lawyer cost in Brampton?

The legal fee is calculated from your price in the online quote before you retain us; a tenanted closing costs more than the standard fee. Disbursements, title insurance and land transfer tax are separate. Real estate lawyer fees in Ontario

If the house has a rental unit, what should my will say?

Who manages the property and the tenancy if you can’t, and who inherits it. Powers of attorney matter as much as the will. See wills for Brampton families.

Guides

Guides for Brampton buyers and landlords

All guides

Related

Related pages

Areas We Serve

Real estate across Peel and the GTA

We act for buyers and sellers from Mississauga and Vaughan to Toronto, York Region and Durham.

  • Scarborough

    Real estate lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.

  • North York

    Real estate lawyer for North York clients.

  • Markham

    Real estate lawyer for Markham clients.

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