Home records, explained › For buyers
Buying a home in Ontario: the records at each stage
The same records come up at every stage of a purchase, read by different people. This page walks the stages in order and names the record for each question, so nothing is left to the listing.
Page reviewed 20 Oct 2026. Each entry lists its sources with their data dates.
- LearningWhat a home's public record is · 3 records
- SearchingThe free check on a shortlist · 9 records
- Before the offerThe full report · 8 records
- The conditional periodWho reads which record · 6 records
- Closing and moving inThe practical records · 8 records
- OwningThe records that keep changing · 6 records
1Learning: what a home's public record is
Before any address, it helps to know which records exist and who keeps them. The three below shape every lot in a municipality, and the roles page says who reads what.
2Searching: the free check on a shortlist
The free check answers nine checks on screen for one address at a time: the ones that most often decide whether a home stays on the list.
- What is a flood plain overlay?Flood plain overlay
- Is the home inside the Greenbelt, the Oak Ridges Moraine or the Niagara Escarpment plan area?Greenbelt, Oak Ridges Moraine, Niagara Escarpment · in the free check
- How close are the nearest railway, grade crossing, pipeline or transmission line?Pipelines, power lines and rail · in the free check
- Were there landfills, pits, quarries or gas wells near the home?Past land use nearby · in the free check
- How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?Extra units allowed · in the free check
- Which trees need a City permit to remove?Trees on and near the lot · in the free check
- What are the city's rules for renting the home out or running a business from it?Rental and home business rules · in the free check
- What is the residential property tax rate?Property tax rate · in the free check
- Which parks and schools are closest?Parks, schools and child care · in the free check
Questions buyers ask, by city: Ajax, Aurora, Barrie, Belleville, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Brampton, Brantford, Brockville, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent, Clarington, Collingwood, Cornwall, East Gwillimbury, Fort Erie, Georgina, Greater Sudbury, Grimsby, Guelph, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Innisfil, Kawartha Lakes, King, Kingston, Kitchener, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Lincoln, London, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Norfolk County, North Bay, Oakville, Orangeville, Orillia, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Pickering, Quinte West, Richmond Hill, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines, St. Thomas, Stratford, Tecumseh, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, Welland, Whitby, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Windsor, Woodstock.
3Before the offer: the full report
An offer is written against a deadline. These are the records the report reads for the address itself, the ones a buyer rarely has time to find alone.
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
- Are there planning applications on file for the home itself?Applications for this address
- What development applications are active near the home?Development applications within 300 m
- What road, sewer or watermain works are planned on the street?Planned street works
- Is the street scheduled for widening?Road widening
- What is a conservation authority regulated area?Conservation authority regulated area
- How big is the lot, according to the City's mapping?Lot size from City maps
- How big is the building, according to the City's mapping?Building size from City maps
4The conditional period: who reads which record
With an accepted offer, the home inspector looks at the physical home, the lender at the property facts that affect the loan, and the lawyer at title and the municipal records. The report gives each of them the records side; none of it replaces their work.
- Is the home designated, listed or in a heritage district?Heritage
- How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?Extra units allowed · in the free check
- What zone is the home in, and what does the zone permit?Zoning
- What do Ontario's well records show?Well records
- Is the home in a basement flooding study area, and what kind of sewer serves the street?Basement flooding and sewers
- What earthquake values does the building code use here?Earthquake design value
5Closing and moving in: the practical records
The records that answer the questions of the first month.
- Who supplies electricity and natural gas to the address?Electricity and gas
- What internet speeds are available at the address?Internet speed
- Which day is collection?Garbage, recycling and green bin
- What do water and sewer cost here?Water and sewer rates
- What is the residential property tax rate?Property tax rate · in the free check
- Does the street have permit parking, and when is it plowed?Parking and snow clearing
- Which transit stops are within walking distance?Transit stops
- Which ward and federal riding is the home in?Ward, councillor and MP
6Owning: the records that keep changing
Applications next door, planned street works and the by-laws for renovations, trees, extra units and renting all change after closing. The owners' page follows from here.
- What development applications are active near the home?Development applications within 300 m
- What road, sewer or watermain works are planned on the street?Planned street works
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
- Which trees need a City permit to remove?Trees on and near the lot · in the free check
- How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?Extra units allowed · in the free check
- What are the city's rules for renting the home out or running a business from it?Rental and home business rules · in the free check
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. Records change and can be incomplete, and this page describes the records, not any particular home. What we cover, city by city.