What types of property count as residential under the federal foreign buyer ban in Ontario?

The federal ban is generally aimed at housing intended for people to live in - detached homes, semis, townhouses, and condominium units are the core examples - located within defined urban areas of Canada, rather than every parcel of land a non-Canadian might want to buy. Larger multi-unit residential buildings above a certain size, some recreational and vacation properties, and land outside the defined urban boundaries the regulations use can fall outside its scope, depending on the specific rules.

Because the exact size thresholds and the boundaries of what counts as a covered urban area are detailed regulatory definitions rather than something intuitive from looking at a property, it is easy to guess wrong about whether a specific property is actually covered. A cottage or rural property that seems clearly outside the ban's intent might still fall inside its technical scope, or vice versa, depending on precisely where it sits and how it is classified.

Confirm whether a specific property is actually treated as covered residential property under the current federal rules before assuming either that the ban applies or that it doesn't.