As you may have heard, the Bank of Canada recently changed the stress test rules as of June 1, 2021. With these changes, now both insured and uninsured mortgage borrowers will be subject to a stricter stress test when qualifying for their mortgage.

The new qualifying rate on uninsured and insured mortgages is now the contracted rate plus two percentage points or 5.25%, whichever is higher.

Overall, the implementation of these tougher stress test rules will reduce buying power by roughly 4-5% for borrowers. To help illustrate  how this change affects you, consider the following scenario with $100,000 gross income:

The previous stress test at 4.79% would give this individual the ability to borrow $469,530 (based on a good credit score with max GDS/TDS qualifications at 39/44%). Now, with the current scenario of 5.25% stress test rate, they can now only borrow $448,880 (based on a good credit score with max GDS/TDS at 39/44%). This is a difference of $20,650 which reduces your home options.

To ensure you are searching in the right price range and budgeting accordingly, it is important to consider this stress test change. If you are looking to purchase your first home or move, please don’t hesitate to contact me today for a better understanding of the rules and what you qualify for.

Original article published by Dominion Lending Centres