Call or write. Tell us which building it is, what it's used for, the amount and your deadline. You don't need any documents yet.
Commercial and industrial mortgages: the lender looks at different numbers.
For premises your business occupies, the lender reads the business's financial statements. For a leased building, it reads the leases and the building's net income. We arrange financing for offices, retail and industrial buildings. We work in Québec and Ontario.
Mortgage broker since 2020 · AMF licence 237729 · MA Mortgage Architects inc.
When to call us
- Your business is growing and you want to buy your premises instead of renting.
- You are buying a building with a shop on the ground floor and apartments upstairs.
- The term on your building's loan is ending.
- A major tenant leaves, or renews, and the building's value changes.
- You want to refinance an office building that has emptied out.
For a purchase, have the price and the expected closing date. For a refinance, your goal and the loan balance on the building.
Owner-occupied or leased
Your business occupies the space. The loan is repaid from the business's profits. The lender asks for its financial statements.
The building is leased to tenants. The loan is repaid from rents. The lender calculates the debt coverage ratio: net operating income divided by the year's mortgage payments. Below 1.0, rents no longer cover the loan.
Mixed-use buildings. A building with at least 5 apartments and some commercial space can be insured by CMHC as a multi-unit building, if the commercial part is 30% or less of the floor area and 30% or less of the value. That part is then financed at no more than 75% of its value, with a coverage ratio of 1.40 to 1.50 and a 1% premium surcharge.
What the lender looks at
Offices. According to OSFI, office values are falling with vacancies, and older buildings are hit hardest. Some owners may need to add equity to refinance (OSFI, 2025–26 outlook). If your term ends in a year or two, talk to us early.
The type of lender. Banks, credit unions, finance companies: according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the type of lender affects your rate. We present your file to lenders whose criteria fit the building.
The rate. It depends on the lender, the building and the term. The latest bond yields are on the Indicators page.
What we need to know. Where the building is, what it is used for, who occupies it, how much you want to borrow and by when.
Let's have a discovery call.
We look at what you have, even if the file is incomplete. We tell you what's missing.
You gather the documents on the list.
We build the file and present it to lenders whose criteria fit the project.
We follow the application until funding.
How long it takes depends mostly on the lender and the appraisal. Give us your deadline on the first call.
What's needed.
Financial statements of the business or the building, current leases, recent appraisal if any.
Your questions about commercial financing
What is the rate on a commercial mortgage?
It depends on the lender, the building and the term. According to the Bank of Canada, fixed residential mortgage rates generally follow 5-year bond yields; the latest are on the Indicators page.
How much down payment for a commercial building?
There is no public rule like the one for insured multi-unit loans. It depends on the use, the leases and the lender. We give you a first idea from the building's numbers.
My building has apartments and a shop. Is it commercial?
If it has at least 5 apartments and the shop is 30% or less of the floor area and value, it can be financed as a CMHC-insured multi-unit building.
Can I call before I have every document?
Yes. We look at what you have. The application goes to a lender once the file is complete.
Is there a minimum amount?
No. There's no minimum loan.
Related financing
Let's talk about your project.
Where it is, how many units, and what you want to do: buy, refinance or build. We call or email you back. You can also call us yourself, any day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.