Tier 2
Design
Available once you are approved
Site visit and measurements, a dimensioned site plan, a fire-access diagram, build cost ranges, and a timeline — the design direction for the suite your report approved.
After your report
What are your next steps after your report?
You now know what your lot may allow. Below: how homeowners can pay for a garden suite, and the Design + Permit step that turns your report into a permit application the City can review. If you book Design + Permit work for the same property within 30 days of receiving your report, we take a flat $450 off that work. The credit is not transferable and does not apply to project management.
Your report is a preliminary review, not a permit.
A small home with a premium tenant experience.Illustrative. A compact, finished garden suite designed around typical Toronto lot conditions and a realistic budget.
Toronto garden suites
Garden suites in Toronto: what's allowed
A garden suite is a self-contained home in a separate building, usually in the rear yard of a house lot. Lots that front on a public lane typically follow the City's laneway suite rules instead.
- Garden suites are permitted in the R, RD, RS, RT and RM zones, subject to the City's performance standards, including setbacks, height, lot coverage and landscaping.
- The maximum gross floor area is generally 60 m² for a one-storey suite or 120 m² for a two-storey suite, and the suite must be smaller than the main house.
- A clear path for fire and emergency access to the suite is required. The City publishes the access standards with its garden suite permit guide.
These are general rules from the City of Toronto. Whether a particular lot qualifies depends on the zoning, the lot, and a review by the City. Final decisions rest with the City of Toronto. This page is general information, not a permit or an approval.
Sources: City of Toronto garden suites · Zoning By-law Chapter 150.7 · New garden suite permit guide · Emergency access
Step 2 · Financing options
How homeowners can pay for a garden suite
Most Toronto homeowners fund a garden suite with savings plus borrowing against their home. Depending on your situation, the following may be available, subject to lender approval and eligibility:
- Insured refinance for a secondary suite (federal rules). Since January 15, 2025, federal insured-mortgage rules allow eligible owner-occupiers to refinance to build a legal secondary suite. Total mortgage debt is capped at 90% of the home's value after the suite is built (as-improved value under $2 million), with up to 4 units and up to 30-year amortization, and new borrowing limited to project costs. The suite must be legal and self-contained, not a short-term rental. Insurance is usually approved before construction starts. Availability depends on the lender and insurer. (Finance Canada; CMHC)
- Home equity line of credit or refinance. Federally regulated lenders generally cap the revolving part of a HELOC at 65% of your home's value, with combined borrowing up to 80%. (OSFI Guideline B-20)
- Toronto development charges. An eligible garden suite may qualify for the City's development charge deferral. Charges are deferred for 20 years from permit issuance and become payable during that period if the lot is severed or turned into a condominium, or if the property is sold without an assumption agreement. (City of Toronto)
- Tax credits and rebates. The federal Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit may apply if the work creates a self-contained secondary unit for a qualifying relative who is 65 or older, or an adult eligible for the disability tax credit. If you build a garden suite to rent long-term to someone who is not a relative, you may have to self-assess GST/HST on the suite (including the land reasonably needed for it) and you may then be able to claim GST/HST new residential rental property rebates. A single garden suite generally does not qualify for the federal purpose-built rental housing rebate, which is for buildings with at least four self-contained units or at least ten residential units. Ontario's rental-property rebates, including a temporary enhanced Ontario rebate for construction that begins between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027 (other eligibility rules also apply), can apply to a single long-term rental suite and do not require a four-unit building. Eligibility, amounts and any tax you have to account for depend on how the suite will be used and on its value. These rules are complex. This is not tax advice — speak to an accountant. (MHRTC · GI-168 · NRRP · PBRH · ENRRP)
Please note: the federal "Secondary Suite Loan" ($80,000 at 2%) never launched and will not be implemented (Budget 2025), and Toronto's $50,000 laneway/garden suite forgivable loan is discontinued.
General information only, not financial, mortgage, tax or legal advice. Ontario Garden Homes is not a lender, mortgage brokerage, mortgage agent or financial advisor. We don't arrange, recommend or negotiate financing, assess borrowers, or share your information with lenders, and we receive no payment from lenders. Speak to your lender or an FSRA-licensed mortgage professional (fsrao.ca). For tax rebates, speak to an accountant.
Sources checked Oct 30, 2026. Budget 2025 wording on the Secondary Suite Loan was re-confirmed Nov 6, 2026.
The landlord walk-through
See the finished experience before the drawings begin.
See how finish, flow and privacy can turn a buildable footprint into a comfortable rental home.
Your next step: Design + Permit
You now know what your lot may allow. The next step turns that into a permit application the City can review.
What's included
- Site visit and on-site measurement. We walk your lot and measure the real conditions: trees, grades, existing structures, services and the route from the street.
- Dimensioned site plan of your lot. It shows the suite's location, setbacks, separation from the house, and the zoning numbers. Toronto requires a site plan referenced to a current survey and a lot grading plan with every application. If you don't have a current survey, the survey cost is extra.
- Fire access diagram. It maps the path from the street to the suite's entrance. That distance decides whether the suite needs only the standard requirements (up to 45 m) or one of the City's extra fire-safety options that allow a path of up to 90 m. The City's published options are: (1) an automatic sprinkler system, an exterior strobe light and a smoke-alarm/warning system; or (2) increased fire-protection materials and building methods, an exterior strobe light and a smoke-alarm/warning system.
- Design choice. You can choose one of the City of Toronto's pre-approved garden suite plans (studio or two-bedroom, with a heat pump or forced air), customize one, or go with a custom design. Honest note: if a pre-approved plan is changed in any way, including HVAC or plumbing, the City no longer treats it as pre-approved, and the whole design gets a full review.
- Build cost range and timeline for your chosen design. These are estimates, not a construction quote.
- Financing documents package (for you to give your lender): concept drawings, a cost estimate and a one-page project summary. These are the kinds of documents lenders and mortgage insurers typically ask for in connection with an insured secondary-suite refinance or other renovation financing. CMHC's published required-document list includes improvement lists and cost estimates or quotes, building plans, the building permit, and an occupancy permit or a third-party report from a qualified professional confirming the work complies with applicable bylaws and regulations. Canada Guaranty asks for plans, contracts or drawings at submission, and requires an approved building permit before the first advance. The insurer usually orders its own full appraisal of the as-improved value. This package may help support your application, but lender approval is not guaranteed, and your lender may ask for more, such as contractor quotes or a signed contract.
- Permit-ready drawings by a BCIN-qualified designer, plus preparation and submission of your building permit application. City fees are extra. For example, Toronto's 2026 residential permit fee is $18.56 per m² of floor area, and there is a road damage deposit and other fees as applicable.
Typical timeline (estimates, not guarantees)
- Site visit: scheduled with you by email after you book.
- Design and site plan: about 2–4 weeks (longer for a custom design).
- Permit drawings and submission: about 2–4 weeks after you approve the design.
- City review: for a complete house-stream application, the Ontario Building Code requires the City to issue the permit or refuse it with reasons within 10 business days. Garden suites are reviewed in Toronto's House Stream. That clock only starts once the application is complete, which includes an issued Zoning Applicable Law Certificate (ZAP). The ZAP review and any corrections the City requests add time. Incomplete applications have no set review time.
Pricing
If you book Design + Permit work for the same property within 30 days of receiving your report, we take a flat $450 off that work. The credit is not transferable and does not apply to project management.
Tier 3
Design + Permit Help
Available once you are approved
An in-person assessment of the approved property, design development, and a complete drawing package shaped to the buildable footprint. Permit help only: we identify and pull together the permits your project needs — you handle submissions, fees, and follow-ups. City fees are extra. Servicing connections are a separate add-on, quoted on their own.
The report itself is $450, HST included.
City fees and the survey (if you don't have a current one) are extra.
Optional during the build: project management at 9% of the total project cost. The $450 report credit does not apply to project management.
We can't guarantee that the City will approve a permit (no guarantee of permit approval) or how long it will take. What we can do is make your application as complete and clear as possible. Financing decisions are between you and your lender or an FSRA-licensed mortgage professional.
You can cancel for a full $450 refund before work starts (work starts when we email that your intake passed screening). If we catch at screening that the property is outside Toronto, is not eligible, or backs onto a public lane, you get a full refund. If we only discover a public lane during the full review, you receive a $450 credit toward a Garden Suite Feasibility Report on another lot. If we deliver more than two business days after the deadline for reasons within our control, you may request a full refund.