Home records, explained › Who does what in an Ontario offer
Who does what in an Ontario home offer
Every role in a purchase is licensed or designated by someone, and each has a public register. This page says what each one does, where to check a licence, and which records in the guide each one reads. OfferDue sells public-record information and is none of these roles.
Page reviewed 20 Oct 2026. Registers and statutes named as they stood on that date.
The records each role reads
A dot for each record in the guide that a role reads, in the report's seven groups. Hover a square for the records' names; each role's part of the page lists them.
| Role | Water | Land | Nearby | Home and lot | Street | Services | Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Mortgage | · | · | · | · | |||
| Lawyer | · | · | · | · | |||
| Inspector | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Appraiser | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Insurance | · | · | · | ||||
| Surveyor | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Builder | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Condo corporation | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Municipality | · | · | · | · | |||
| MPAC | · | · | · | · | · | ||
| Landlord and Tenant Board | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Real estate agent and brokerage
Represents a buyer or a seller in the trade: the search, the showings, the offer and the negotiation. In Ontario, trading in real estate requires registration under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002.
Check a licence or find oneRECO (Real Estate Council of Ontario): registrant search
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue does not trade in real estate, represent anyone or take a fee tied to a sale. Agents use the reports as a sourced diligence list for a client.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- 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
- What zone is the home in, and what does the zone permit?Zoning
- How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?Extra units allowed · in the free check
Mortgage broker, agent and lender
Arranges or provides the loan. Mortgage brokering is licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario under the Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act, 2006. The lender's own rules decide what property facts matter to the loan.
Check a licence or find oneFSRA: public register of mortgage brokerages, brokers and agents
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue gives no advice on borrowing. The records a lender's file commonly asks about are below.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- How many homes does the zoning allow on the lot?Extra units allowed · in the free check
- Is the home designated, listed or in a heritage district?Heritage
- What is a flood plain overlay?Flood plain overlay
- What do Ontario's well records show?Well records
- Who supplies electricity and natural gas to the address?Electricity and gas
Real estate lawyer
Searches title, reviews the agreement, handles the closing and registers the transfer. Legal advice and conveyancing are the lawyer's regulated work under the Law Society Act.
Check a licence or find oneLaw Society of Ontario: lawyer and paralegal directory
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue is a starting list the lawyer verifies, never a substitute for a title search or legal advice. The parcel register itself is on ONLand.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- 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
- Are there planning applications on file for the home itself?Applications for this address
- Is the home designated, listed or in a heritage district?Heritage
- How big is the lot, according to the City's mapping?Lot size from City maps
- Is the street scheduled for widening?Road widening
Home inspector
Examines the physical home: structure, roof, systems, moisture. Ontario passed a Home Inspection Act in 2017 but has not brought it into force, so inspectors are not licensed by the Province; some belong to voluntary associations.
RegisterNone in force in Ontario
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue reads records and never comments on the physical condition of a home. The two are different questions: a record of a permit says what the City approved, not how the work was done.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
- How big is the building, according to the City's mapping?Building size from City maps
- What soil do the provincial surveys record at the lot?Soil at the lot
- How high is the lot, and which way does the ground fall?Height and slope of the land
Appraiser
Gives the lender an opinion of value. Appraisal is designated work; lenders generally require a designated member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada.
Check a licence or find oneAppraisal Institute of Canada: find an appraiser
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue gives no valuation and lists no sold prices of individual homes. The two area-level figures it reads are below.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Insurance broker and insurer
Places and writes the home insurance a lender requires before closing. Brokers are licensed by the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario.
Check a licence or find oneRIBO: licensee lookup
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue gives no advice on coverage. The facts an application commonly asks for are below.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- How far are the nearest hydrant and fire station?Fire hydrant and fire station
- What is a flood plain overlay?Flood plain overlay
- Is the home in a basement flooding study area, and what kind of sewer serves the street?Basement flooding and sewers
- What do Ontario's well records show?Well records
- Who supplies electricity and natural gas to the address?Electricity and gas
- Have mapped forest fires reached the area?Forest fires
Land surveyor
Establishes the legal boundaries of the lot and prepares the survey. Only a licensed Ontario land surveyor may do so.
Check a licence or find oneAssociation of Ontario Land Surveyors: find a surveyor
What OfferDue is here: The lot size in an OfferDue report comes from the City's mapping, which is not a survey; only a survey fixes the boundaries.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Builder and new-home warranty
For a new home, the builder must be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority and the home enrolled in the Tarion warranty.
Check a licence or find oneHCRA: Ontario Builder Directory
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue reads the same municipal records for a new home as for any other; warranty and builder matters are Tarion's and the HCRA's.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Condominium corporation and manager
The corporation issues the status certificate a condo buyer's lawyer requests; managers are licensed by the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario, and the Condominium Authority of Ontario publishes the rules and the tribunal.
Check a licence or find oneCondominium Authority of Ontario
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue does not obtain, read or summarise condo documents of any kind. For a condo unit, the report covers the building's lot and its surroundings only.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Municipality and conservation authority
The municipality's building department issues permits, its planning department and committee of adjustment handle applications, and its council sets the by-laws and the tax rate. The conservation authority regulates building near water and on hazard lands.
Check a licence or find oneConservation Ontario: find a conservation authority
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue is not affiliated with any municipality or conservation authority; it reads what they publish and links the rest.
Records this role reads in the guide:
- What building permits are on record for the home?Permits and renovations
- What zone is the home in, and what does the zone permit?Zoning
- What is a conservation authority regulated area?Conservation authority regulated area
- What is the residential property tax rate?Property tax rate · in the free check
MPAC (property assessment)
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation assesses every Ontario property for tax purposes and sends the owner the assessment notice.
Check a licence or find oneMPAC: understanding your assessment
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue gives the municipal rate; the tax on a home is that rate times MPAC's assessed value, which the owner's notice gives.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Landlord and Tenant Board
The tribunal under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006: it publishes the rules, the forms and the rent-increase guideline, and hears disputes between landlords and tenants, including in a sale of a tenanted home.
Check a licence or find oneLandlord and Tenant Board
What OfferDue is here: OfferDue states the Act's rent rule in the rental entry and gives no advice on a tenancy.
Records this role reads in the guide:
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. OfferDue is not affiliated with any regulator, register or body named on this page; each is named so a reader can check a licence or find the rules at the source.