For landlords & owners
Offer affordable rent — and stay viable
Two honestly different kinds of programs, kept separate: the ones that actually pay you, and the ones that simply lower your costs in exchange for keeping rents down.
Programs that pay you toward market rent
A government or service manager pays you the difference between what a lower-income tenant can afford and market rent. These can genuinely pencil — but spots are usually limited and waitlisted.
Monthly money toward your rent
Canada Housing Benefit (federal-provincial/territorial, including the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit)
This is a rent help program paid right to you each month to make private rent more affordable if you have a low income.
Monthly money toward your rent
Rent Supplement Program (Service-Manager Landlord Agreements)
A landlord signs an agreement with the local service manager (e.g.
Monthly money toward your rent
Commercial Rent Supplement Program for RGI Housing (Toronto)
Toronto partners with private market-rental landlords to secure units as rent-geared-to-income (RGI).
Programs that lower your costs (in exchange for affordability)
Cheaper financing, insurance incentives, forgivable retrofit loans, and tax or development-charge relief. These reduce or defer your costs, but they require binding affordability commitments and do not guarantee a market return.
Up to $15,000
Oxford County My Second Unit (Secondary Dwelling Forgivable Loan)
An Oxford County program offering homeowners an interest-free, forgivable loan of up to $15,000 to help plan and finance a secondary, self-contained dwelling unit in their home (e.g.
Funding for affordable housing
Apartment Construction Loan Program (ACLP)
CMHC's low-cost construction financing program for purpose-built rental apartments.
Funding for affordable housing
MLI Select (Multi-Unit Mortgage Loan Insurance)
CMHC's multi-unit mortgage loan insurance product that rewards landlords/developers who commit to affordability, energy efficiency and/or accessibility with better financing terms (higher loan-to-value/cost, longer amortizations and recourse flexibility).
Funding for affordable housing
Affordable Housing Fund (formerly National Housing Co-Investment Fund)
CMHC capital program (low-interest and/or forgivable loans and contributions) for building new affordable/community housing and repairing/renewing existing community housing.
Funding for affordable housing
Affordable Housing Innovation Fund
CMHC fund supporting new ideas, financing models and designs that lower the cost and risk of affordable housing (e.g.
Funding for affordable housing
Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)
CMHC fund that pays local governments to cut red tape and reform planning systems (zoning, permitting, missing-middle and transit-oriented density) so more homes get built faster.
Up to $170,000
Depends on your household size and income
Canada Greener Affordable Housing (Retrofit + Pre-Retrofit Funding)
CMHC program providing low-interest repayable and forgivable loans (plus pre-retrofit contributions) for deep energy retrofits of existing multi-unit affordable/community housing buildings, to cut energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions.
Up to $2,000,000
CMHC Refinance (Secondary / Additional Suites)
An insured-refinancing pathway that lets an owner refinance an existing home to fund construction of self-contained secondary/additional rental suites (e.g.
Funding for affordable housing
Development Charges Exemption for Affordable Residential Units (Ontario, Bill 23)
Under Ontario's Development Charges Act (amended by Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act), new residential units kept affordable for 25 years are exempt from municipal development charges.
Up to $3,245/year
Rental Housing Supply Program (Toronto)
Toronto's incentive program for new purpose-built rental housing.
Up to $45,000
Affordable Rental Housing Program (City of London - Dollars to Doors)
London's incentive that provides up to $45,000 per new affordable rental unit (as a loan) to offset construction costs, in exchange for keeping rents at 80% of CMHC average market rent for at least 25 years.
Money for building upgrades
Secondary Suite Incentive Program (BC Housing)
A BC forgivable-loan program that helped homeowners build a new secondary suite on their principal residence to rent out below-market, effectively turning a homeowner into a small affordable-housing landlord.
Funding for affordable housing
Affordable Housing Program - Quebec (Programme d'habitation abordable Quebec / PHAQ)
A Societe d'habitation du Quebec funding program that financially supports the construction and renovation of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income households and people with particular housing needs.
Grant money
Ontario Renovates
This gives you money, usually as a loan you may not have to repay, to fix up your home or make it more accessible.
Money back at tax time
Property Tax Exemption for Affordable Housing (Region of Waterloo)
Region of Waterloo program that exempts the Regional and education portions of property tax on eligible affordable housing units, lowering operating costs for housing providers (including for-profit landlords) who keep units affordable.
Other / context
Get notified about landlord programs
Funding rounds, rent-supplement intakes, and retrofit programs open and close on their own schedules. Tell us about your portfolio and we'll flag what fits.