Mortgage Glossary

The legal written and/ or mapped description of the location and dimensions of your land. The survey should also show the dimensions and placement on the lot of any structure, including additions such as pools, sheds and fences. An up-to-date survey is often required by a lender as part of the mortgage transaction.

This is the term almost universally applied to changing lenders at the end of a term, when the mortgage becomes "open". Most lenders will now pay all of the costs of a "switch." (as well as giving them a reduced rate to lure them away from a competitor)

At the time of a sale, the lawyer for the buyer must confirm that local taxes have been paid up to date. If they are, a Tax Certificate is issued, from which any adjustments can be made - usually requiring the buyer to compensate the seller for any prepaid taxes. If they are not up to date, the municipality requires that the seller pay them off from the proceeds of the sale. If there are insufficient proceeds, then it may fall upon the buyer to pay them.

Insurance offered by Title Companies to protect a landowner, and thus the mortgage lender against any "clouds" or legal questions on the title to the real estate, or of legal priority of the mortgagee. This is usually considerably less expensive than the labour-intensive and liability-fraught process of having to have a lawyer search title, and certify it as "clear" -- a process known as "certifying title" or giving an "opinion of title."

The percentage arrived at by dividing your monthly shelter costs (principal, interest, property taxes, heating and half of condo fees) PLUS all other monthly debt obligations by your gross monthly income and multiplying by 100. This is used by all lenders as the "upper limit" yardstick by which to measure the ability of a borrower (or borrowers) to make mortgage payments. For example, most lenders require that this ratio be no more than 40% for a particular application, with some as low as 37%. 40% is also the maximum qualifying TDS in most applications for default insurance.

This is a promise by a Lawyer to ensure that certain conditions (usually of the lender) are met (usually after closing, due to time constraints). The best example is the undertaking to register a discharge of an old first mortgage after the new one has been registered, because there is simply not enough time to do so at closing. It also governs such closing dynamics as releasing funds before a new mortgage document is officially registered.

The process of deciding whether or not to lend you money (or how much to lend you) based on all the information you have given the lender. Every lender has a different underwriting process and lending criteria which differ to some (usually small) extent from other lenders.

The interest rate is usually compounded monthly and fluctuates with the prime rate at the chartered banks. In most, but not all cases, the VRM is fully open.

The lender will sometimes contact an applicant's employer in order to verify information provided in a mortgage application or a job letter; your income structure, length of employment, position, and so on.

Municipal by-laws ("zoning" by-laws) require among other things that residential property be maintained in a safe and habitable condition, and that a property's use conform to specific requirements (no illegal basement apartments, satellite antenna, etc.).