The $80,000 Suite Loan
Never Launched
It was announced, then doubled, then quietly confirmed dead without a single application ever being taken. Contractors and blog posts still quote it. Here is what happened, and what you can actually use to pay for a garden suite.
Checked · status confirmed against Budget 2025
Announced, Doubled, Never Opened
| When | What was said |
|---|---|
| Budget 2024 | A Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program announced at $40,000 |
| December 2024 | Doubled to $80,000 at 2% interest over 15 years, with a launch promised for early 2025 |
| January 15, 2025 | A different measure took effect: CMHC’s refinance for secondary suites |
| Through 2025 | No application portal ever opened |
| Budget 2025 | Confirmed the programme was never made operational and will not be implemented, on the basis that it duplicated the refinance option introduced weeks earlier |
If someone is still offering it. There was never an application to submit. A contractor quoting an $80,000 federal suite loan as part of your financing is working from stale information at best, so treat the rest of that quote with the same caution.
The Money That Is Actually There
A garden suite on a property you already own has a real set of programs behind it. None of them is a single $80,000 cheque, and together they are worth considerably more than one.
- Effective January 15, 2025 — the measure Budget 2025 pointed to when it dropped the loan
- Refinance up to 90% of the as-improved value, to a $2 million property cap
- Amortised up to 30 years, on owner-occupied properties of up to four units once the suite is added
- A suite that will be the primary residence of you or a relation: the Enhanced New Housing Rebate, up to $80,000, plus ONHAP up to $50,000
- A suite you rent out: the ENRRP instead, up to $80,000 per unit, with no minimum unit count
- Both need construction to begin by March 31, 2027
- A detached garden suite under 100 m² is exempt under Ontario Regulation 332/12
- Worth $20,000 to $40,000 depending on the municipality
- EpicMod’s compact models all fall under the threshold
- Several municipalities pay toward an additional residential unit, usually as an affordable rental
- They open and close with council budget cycles
- Most are funded through federal agreements reviewed annually, so confirm before planning around one
Other Programs That Have Closed
A lot of Canadian housing and energy content is out of date. If a quote or an article points you at any of these, the information is stale.
Closed to new applicants.
Closed, and replaced by Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings Program.
Up to $7,500 for air-source heat pumps and $12,000 for ground-source, plus insulation, windows and appliances. A retrofit program, so a new modular home is generally not eligible; adding a heat pump to an existing home on the property is worth checking.
For a new EpicMod build, energy performance is handled through the Feature List rather than through a retrofit rebate.
Straight Answers
The programs that exist have deadlines that matter far more than the one that never launched.
March 31, 2027
Ontario’s HST rebates need physical work started on the land by then, and permits take 4 to 16 weeks. That is the date worth planning around. Pick your model and municipality and get the last safe day to apply.
Programme statuses are drawn from the administering body’s published material on the date shown, and they change. Confirm with the administering body and your own accountant before making a purchase decision. EpicMod does not provide tax or legal advice.