Home records, explained › For newcomers and relocating buyers
New to Ontario: how a home offer works, and the records behind it
An Ontario purchase has a fixed cast (agent, lawyer, lender, inspector) and a public record for every home. This page introduces both, then walks the records that describe daily life from an address.
Page reviewed 20 Oct 2026. Each entry lists its sources with their data dates.
1Who does what
The roles in an offer, who licenses each, and what OfferDue is not.
- What zone is the home in, and what does the zone permit?Zoning
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
Who does what in an Ontario offer · For buyers: the records at each stage
2Daily life from an address
Transit, schools, shops, services, weather and the collection day, from the records.
- Which transit stops are within walking distance?Transit stops
- Which parks and schools are closest?Parks, schools and child care · in the free check
- How far are the nearest supermarket and public EV charger?Groceries and EV charging
- How far are the nearest hospital, clinic and pharmacy?Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies
- How far are the nearest library and recreation centre?Library and recreation
- What is a normal year of weather at the nearest station?Weather here
- What internet speeds are available at the address?Internet speed
- Which day is collection?Garbage, recycling and green bin
3What it costs to hold a home here
Tax and water rates, and who supplies the utilities.
4The records that decide most offers
Flood overlays, applications nearby and permits on file: the facts that most often decide whether a home stays on the list.
- What is a flood plain overlay?Flood plain overlay
- What development applications are active near the home?Development applications within 300 m
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
- 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
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.
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.