What to bring to the signing appointment for an Ontario mortgage, what you will sign, and what to do in the days before and after.
⚖️ This is general information, not legal advice. It can't account for your specific situation. Use it to get oriented, then confirm the details with a licensed Ontario lawyer.
The signing appointment is where the mortgage becomes real: you sign the charge and the lender's documents, your lawyer registers the charge electronically, and the funds move. Most delays on closing day come from something that could have been brought or sent a week earlier. This checklist lists what to bring, what we will already have, what you will sign, and the loose ends to tie off in the days before and after. It applies to a purchase, a refinance and a switch; where they differ, the item says so.
Bring to the appointment
- Two pieces of government identification for each person signing, at least one with a photo. The Law Society's client identification rules require us to verify and record identity for every signer, including a consenting spouse.
- Your spouse, if the home is a matrimonial home and your spouse is not on title. Section 21 of the Family Law Act requires their consent to the charge, and the lender will not fund without it.
- A void cheque or pre-authorised debit form for the account the payments will come from.
- Proof of fire insurance naming the lender as mortgagee, with the policy number and the broker's contact details. Lenders will not advance funds without it.
- The balance of the down payment or closing funds, by certified cheque or bank draft payable to the firm in trust, or confirmation that the wire has been sent. We tell you the exact figure the day before.
- Any document the lender's commitment still lists as outstanding: a final pay stub, a gift letter, a status certificate.
Send a week before
- The signed commitment letter, if the lender did not send it to us directly.
- For a refinance or switch: your current mortgage statement and the lender's name and account number, so we can request the payout statement in time.
- For a purchase: the agreement of purchase and sale with all amendments and waivers, and your realtor's contact details.
- For a condominium: the status certificate if the lender requires it and it is not already with us.
- Your intended source of closing funds. Large deposits must be traceable under anti-money-laundering rules; a transfer from an account we have not seen raises questions on the day.
What you will sign
- The charge, the short registered form that references the lender's filed standard charge terms by number under the Land Registration Reform Act.
- The standard charge terms acknowledgement. You are bound by the full set; we give you a copy.
- The lender's disclosure and acknowledgements, including the information box for a bank mortgage.
- A direction on where the funds go: to the seller, to the old lender, to you.
- Statutory declarations about residency, the property and, on a purchase, land transfer tax.
- On a purchase, the transfer documents; on a refinance or switch, an acknowledgement of the payout and discharge of the old mortgage.
What we will already have
- The lender's instructions, checked against your commitment.
- The title search and execution search, and any requisitions cleared.
- The title insurance order for the lender policy and, if you chose one, the owner policy.
- The payout statement from the old lender on a refinance or switch.
- The statement of adjustments on a purchase, and the land transfer tax calculation.
On the day
- The lender advances funds to our trust account on the closing date, sometimes the day before.
- We register the charge electronically through Teraview and, on a purchase, the transfer.
- Funds are released as you directed once registration is confirmed and the lender's conditions are met.
- Keys on a purchase change hands after registration and release, usually in the afternoon.
After closing
- You receive a reporting letter with the registered charge, the standard charge terms, the title insurance policy and the statement of funds. Keep them together.
- Confirm the first payment date and amount with the lender.
- On a refinance or switch, check the parcel register a few weeks later to confirm the old charge is discharged.
- Note whether the charge is a collateral charge and for what amount; it matters at renewal.
How Treadstone Law can help
Identification, insurance, funds, spouse. Those four cover almost every delay we see. Everything else, we will have asked for already.
Treadstone Law handles real estate matters on a transparent flat fee, with online intake and a real lawyer on your file, across Ontario.
- Start your file online at treadstonelaw.ca/start-file
- See flat-fee pricing at treadstonelaw.ca/pricing
- Learn more about our real estate services at treadstonelaw.ca/real-estate
- Or call us: 1-844-900-1070
This is not legal advice
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Ontario laws and government programs change, and how the law applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed Ontario lawyer. Treadstone Law is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — reach us at 1-844-900-1070 or start a file online.