When Do I Get the Keys on Closing Day in Ontario?

You have waited weeks for this. The agreement says you get possession on closing day, you have the truck booked, and the only question is when someone will actually hand you the keys. Many first-time buyers expect to be at the door in the morning and are surprised by an afternoon or evening wait.

The time you get the keys is not decided by a single rule. It depends on your agreement, on the steps that must be completed first, and on how smoothly your lawyer and the seller's lawyer finish them. This article walks through the usual sequence and why keys can arrive later than the possession time in your contract.

Possession time in your contract versus the real handover

Your agreement of purchase and sale sets a closing date and usually a possession time. Read it carefully, because it is the starting point. The exact time stated, and the wording around it, vary from agreement to agreement, so this article cannot give a single time that applies to everyone.

In practice, a possession time in a contract does not mean the seller walks out and hands over keys at that minute. When and how the keys are handed over depends on your agreement and on how the closing steps go, so it is worth confirming the plan with your lawyer.

The usual sequence on closing day

• Your lawyer receives your closing funds and the lender's advance, if you have a mortgage.
• Your lawyer pays the land transfer tax and submits the transfer for electronic registration.
• The transfer is registered in your name.
• Your lawyer tells you when the closing is complete and how to collect the keys.

On the tax step, the person who tenders the conveyance for registration pays land transfer tax, and it is payable when the conveyance is tendered or before. That is why it is paid on closing through the buyer's lawyer. An electronic conveyance is tendered when it is submitted under Part III of the Land Registration Reform Act.

How the keys are handed over depends on the arrangements made for your closing. Your lawyer will tell you where and how to collect them, such as from your agent, from the seller's agent, or from a lockbox.

Why keys may come later than expected

Electronic registration has set hours. According to a 2012 ministry bulletin, document registration is Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time and is not allowed on statutory or government holidays, while Teraview searches are available outside those hours. Hours may have changed since that bulletin, so your lawyer will confirm the current ones, and Teraview publishes a yearly holiday schedule showing when registration is unavailable.

On September 30, 2026, Teraview and OnLand continued to operate as usual for electronic registrations and searches, while paper submissions and inquiries were handled the next business day. That shows holidays are not all treated the same, which is another reason to ask your lawyer rather than assume.

When the home has a tenant

If you are buying a rented home, getting the keys may not mean getting vacant possession. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, the word landlord includes the landlord's heirs, assigns, personal representatives and successors in title, so a buyer who takes title steps into the landlord's role. The tenant generally stays unless the tenancy is validly ended.

A buyer who personally wants to live in the unit can be able to ask for an eviction on an N12 notice, but there are limits. The landlord must have an agreement to sell, the rule applies only where the property has no more than three residential units or is a condominium, and 60 days' notice is required, ending on the last day of the rental period or term. The application needs the purchaser's affidavit, and the tenant can dispute it at a hearing or move out earlier with at least 10 days' written notice.

Compensation rules for N12 notices are changing. For notices served before September 21, 2026, the landlord must pay one month's rent or offer another acceptable unit, and the Landlord and Tenant Board's brochure says that for notices served on or after that date compensation is not required if the notice gives at least 120 days and meets other criteria. Because the rules are shifting, confirm the current requirements with a lawyer or the Board before relying on them.

What to do next

• Find the closing date and possession time in your agreement of purchase and sale.
• Ask your lawyer how and where you will collect the keys, and who will call you when they are ready.
• Plan movers for later in the day, or book them for the next morning if timing is tight.
• Stay reachable for signatures or questions throughout closing day.
• Check your agreement and ask your lawyer before going into the property ahead of closing.
• If the home is tenanted, ask your lawyer what the tenant's rights mean for your plans before you close.

If keys are not released when you expect, call your lawyer first. They can find out whether the holdup is registration, funds or the seller's side.

Frequently asked questions