Exactly what your lender will ask for. Gather it before your first appointment and the approval moves fast.
London, Ontario5 minute read
Exactly what your lender will ask for. Gather it before your first appointment and the approval moves fast.
Why this list is the whole game
Mortgage approvals rarely fail on the numbers. They stall on paperwork: a missing page, an unexplained deposit, an
undated letter. Walk into your first appointment with this assembled and you turn a three-week process into a
three-day one.
Every page, every schedule, signed and dated.
Identity
Government photo ID for every person going on the mortgage
Social Insurance Number
Current address, and previous address if you have moved in the last two years
Income, if you are employed
Letter of employment on company letterhead stating your position, start date, salary and whether you are permanent or probationary
Your two most recent pay stubs
T4s for the last two years
Notices of Assessment for the last two years
Ninety days of statements for every account the down payment touches.
Income, if you are self-employed, commissioned or on contract
T1 General returns, complete with all schedules, for two years
Notices of Assessment for two years
Business registration or incorporation documents
Financial statements for two years if you are incorporated
A statement showing no outstanding balance with the CRA
Down payment
90 days of statements for every account the money is coming from, with your name and the account number visible
FHSA, TFSA or RRSP statements if you are drawing from a registered account
A signed gift letter if any of it is gifted, stating it is a gift and not repayable
An explanation, in writing, for any single deposit that is large or unusual
What you owe
Balances and required monthly payments for credit cards, lines of credit, car loans and student loans
Support or alimony orders if either applies
Details of any other property you own, with its mortgage, taxes and rental income
The purchase itself
Signed Agreement of Purchase and Sale, including every schedule and amendment
The specification sheet or feature list for the home
Floor plan and site plan
Deposit receipts
Your lawyer’s name, firm, address and phone number
Five things that slow a file down
Moving money between accounts in the 90 days before you apply. Every transfer becomes a question you have to answer in writing.
Screenshots instead of statements. Lenders need the full document, all pages, with your name on it.
A new car loan after pre-approval. It changes your ratios and the approval can be pulled.
Changing jobs between approval and closing, even for more money. Tell your broker before you accept.
Shopping at four lenders at once. Let one broker pull your credit once and shop it for you.
Where this goes next
You do not have to work the rest of this out alone.
Everything in this guide is on our first-time buyer hub as well, alongside six calculators
that run the same numbers with yours plugged in. If you want a person instead of a page, that is what our
team is for.
This guide is general information for first-time buyers in Ontario, current as of August 2026.
It is not legal, tax or mortgage advice, and program amounts, rates and eligibility rules change. Confirm the
details that apply to you with your lender, your lawyer and the program itself before you rely on them.
Prices and availability referenced here are subject to change without notice. E.&O.E.
