Treatment of Rental Income for Borrower Qualification Purposes — Homeowner (1 – 4 Units)
Secondary rental suites are recognized as a source of affordable housing offered at a cost that is often lower than those for apartments in purpose built rental buildings.
Effective September 28, 2015:
CMHC will consider up to 100% of gross rental income from a 2-unit owner-occupied property that is the subject of a loan application submitted for insurance. The annual principal, interest, municipal tax and heat (P.I.T.H) for the property including the secondary suite must be used when calculating the debt service ratios.
For 3 – 4 unit owner-occupied and 1 – 4 unit non-owner occupied properties the net rental income (gross rents less operating expenses) can form part of the borrowers’ gross annual income.
Additional conditions when 100% of gross rental income is used include:
The income must have been sustained over at least two years.
The income amount must not exceed the average of the past two years, to address income fluctuations, smooth out cyclical trends and unexpected events such as vacancies.
Up to 100 percent of gross rental income may be used only where prospective borrowers can demonstrate a strong history of managing credit generally considered to be a minimum credit score of 680.
CMHC is working closely with lenders to ensure a smooth transition.