The Ontario Cities with the Highest Property Taxes

Published on 29 August 2022, 07:22:56 AM

Before you buy a home or land, check out these cities with the highest property taxes in Ontario.

Your property taxes fund local police and fire services, libraries, rec centres, roads, transit, recyling, and more (schools are covered by the provincial education tax). Taxes are municipalities’ biggest revenue source, explaining why:

• new residential subdivisions are popping up all over Ontario
• death and taxes are such contentious topics.

If you thought your residential taxes are high, imagine what commercial and industrial rate payers must feel. Greater Toronto Area commercial property tax rates were over twice what homeowners paid in 2019, and industrial taxes were three times residential property rates.

Drafting the offer to purchase for a trouble-free real estate closing. 

Heads up, Ontario property value assessments are frozen at 2016 levels until 2024. You have COVID-19 to thank for that.

Why Comparing Tax Rates Matter

You get what you pay for, and moving to cities with the highest property taxes in Ontario may be smarter than you think. 

Large cities have more homeowners to share the grief with, and more services. Smaller places may have high taxes for fewer rate payers, but a better quality of life. Just ask the 1.8 million residents who live in Ontario’s 89 towns, average population 22,316.

Questions to ask real estate lawyers. 

What’s In Tax Rates for Business Owners

It’s true commercial and industrial rates can dictate which cities have the highest property taxes in Ontario. Businesses migrate where they can make the greatest profit, and that requires a competitive tax regime. 

So before you invest in or move to a city that boasts it has a business improvement association (BIA), take a look around for tell-tale signs the economy is healthy:

• Large employers.
• Low unemployment, or higher than average wages.
• Thriving main streets and shopping areas.
• Reliable, frequent bus service.
• Plentiful dental and medical offices.
• Good schools near your neighbourhood.

They’re all potential signs commercial and industrial tax rates are attracting businesses that are helping your city’s economy thrive.

Finding a real estate closing lawyer in Ontario. 

Comparing Highs and Lows

So what city has the highest property taxes, and the lowest? Zoocasa compared cities across Ontario to find the differences.

Which City Has the Highest Property Taxes in Ontario

Automotive City Windsor, home to the busiest U.S.-Canada commercial border crossing in Canada, leads cities with the highest property taxes in Ontario at 1.81%. 

That’s three times what you would have paid in Toronto in 2021. Of course, home prices in Windsor averaged $535,452, compared to $1.09 million in Toronto when Zoocasa compiled its list last November. 

Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, and Sudbury were next in line, all at under 1.6%. Sudbury backstopped the Northern Ontario cities with a 1.54% residential tax rate.

Documents to give your real estate lawyer in Toronto.  

Which City Has the Lowest Property Taxes in Ontario

The Greater Toronto Area fared well in comparison. Five GTA cities ranked as the cheapest Ontario cities for rate payers. Milton posted the highest rate (0.68%), followed by Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, and Toronto, which recorded Ontario’s lowest property tax rate (0.61%). 

Capital city Ottawa was right in the middle at 1%, with Pickering, Ajax, and Waterloo in close pursuit at just slightly less than 1.1%. 

Why are Property Taxes So High in Windsor?

The explanation is easy, Windsor’s chief financial officer Joe Mancina told CBC News. Taxes go down when home values increase. And Windsor real estate just happens to be cheaper than in Toronto.

Take away: your home’s age, size, type, location, and condition all impact your Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) results.  

Why You Need a Real Estate Lawyer

Axess Law has a real estate lawyer near you when making an offer to purchase on an Ontario home. We review agreements of purchase and sale for clauses that protect your buyer’s right to cancel.

Latent defects not visible during a realtor’s showing can make a home inhabitable or expensive to fix. We include standard home inspection clauses at your request and can add a final walk-through right to help you uncover problems before you commit to purchase an older home.

What happens to deposits if a sale falls through. 

Axess Law can check pre-construction contracts when you are thinking of buying a new build home in Ontario. Contracts can bind you to terms and conditions you may not understand. We point those out and refer you to trusted legal partners for advice. 

What a real estate lawyer does.

When you’re ready to purchase a home or construction services, our real estate lawyers (Toronto, Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa) liaise with your mortgage lender or developer to close your sales transaction on time.

What to bring to your Axess Law appointment.  

We receive legal documents you need to sign. Discharging a mortgage in Ontario takes no time at all when our licensed legal professionals meet with you in person or by remote video conference. Transfer of property title documents are searched and registered with a local land registry office to make your purchase legal. 

When finding a bank, credit union or private lender on time threatens to delay a closing, Axess Law negotiates with sellers’ lawyers to see if they will extend the agreement of purchase and sale.

25 questions to ask real estate lawyers.

Save More With Flat Fee Real Estate Services 

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Your lawyer’s role in buying an Ontario home. 

You get the services of a qualified Ontario real estate lawyer for $999.99 and up plus HST when you buy a home or $799.99 and up plus HST when you sell. A property title transfer (Ontario) starts at $649 plus HST. We show you how to add spouses to house titles in Ontario. 

Make Online or Phone Appointments at Your Leisure

Dialing our 647-479-0118 lawyer line (toll free to 877-402-4207) gets you an in person appointment with a lawyer near you in Greater Toronto Area or Ottawa. Axess Law locations https://axesslaw.com/locations/ are open 7 days a week. Choose from convenient, flexible day or evening appointments, whatever works for you.

We have onsite parking and easy transit access.

Virtual Real Estate Lawyer Services

Don’t have time to meet in person? Our virtual real estate lawyers can connect with you anywhere in Ontario via a secure, confidential video conference call. In person or via video, it takes just minutes to make appointments with our easy-to-use online booking form. Remote lawyers call your home or office at your convenience. We make e-signing easy or you can drop by any Axess Law office to finalize your home purchase or sale.