HELP WITH YOUR DOWN PAYMENT ACROSS ONTARIO
Down Payment & Homeownership Programs
Programs across Niagara, Hamilton, and Halton that help renters and first-time buyers bridge the down payment gap, plus funding to add a second unit and dedicated Indigenous homeownership support.
Find Your Program
Take our 3-question quiz to instantly filter the programs that match your specific situation.
Question 1 of 3
What are you looking to do?
Question 2 of 3
Where are you looking?
Question 3 of 3
Do you identify as Indigenous?
There are dedicated homeownership programs for First Nations, Métis, or Inuit households.
Your Program Matches
Based on your answers, these are the programs you should explore below.
Niagara Region
Welcome Home Niagara Homeownership Program
Down payment helpWhat it is
Niagara's flagship down payment assistance, an interest-free, forgivable loan applied toward your down payment.
Who it helps
Low-to-moderate-income Niagara renter households who do not currently own a home and can qualify for a mortgage.
How it works
The loan is forgiven over time as long as you keep the home as your principal residence. Amounts, income limits, and intake dates change. Note: this program is closed for 2026. Applications reopen in 2027.
Niagara Renovates Program
Repairs & ADUWhat it is
A forgivable loan for lower-income homeowners to make essential repairs, accessibility upgrades, or add a secondary unit (an ADU).
Who it helps
Lower-income Niagara homeowners whose home needs eligible repairs, or who want to create a second unit.
How it works
Forgiven over a set period if you stay as the owner-occupant. This is Niagara's route to help fund an additional dwelling unit. Note: this program is closed for 2026. Applications reopen in 2027.
Hamilton
Hamilton Down Payment Assistance (DPAP)
Down payment helpWhat it is
Hamilton's equivalent of Welcome Home Niagara, a forgivable loan toward the down payment for eligible first-time buyers who currently rent.
Who it helps
Low-to-moderate-income Hamilton renters who can qualify for a mortgage and do not own a home.
How it works
Forgiven over time while you keep the home as your principal residence. Funding is limited and intake opens and closes.
Hamilton Ontario Renovates
Repairs & ADUWhat it is
Forgivable loans for Hamilton homeowners to repair their home, improve accessibility, or create an affordable secondary suite (an ADU).
Who it helps
Eligible lower-income Hamilton homeowners. The Secondary Suites stream is for owners adding or legalizing a second unit.
How it works
Forgiven over a set term. The secondary-suite stream asks you to rent the unit at an affordable rate for the term.
Halton Region
Halton Home Ownership Program
Down payment helpWhat it is
Halton's down payment assistance, a forgivable loan toward the down payment for eligible first-time buyers who currently rent in Halton.
Who it helps
Low-to-moderate-income Halton renters who can qualify for a mortgage and do not own a home.
How it works
Forgiven over time while you keep the home as your principal residence. Funding is limited and first-come.
Halton Renovates Program
Repairs & ADUWhat it is
A forgivable loan for eligible Halton homeowners covering essential repairs, accessibility work, and creating additional units.
Who it helps
Lower-income Halton homeowners with eligible repair needs, or those adding a second unit.
How it works
Forgiven over a set period as the owner-occupant. This is Halton's route toward repairs and additional dwelling units.
Across Ontario & Canada
First Home Savings Account (FHSA)
EveryoneWhat it is
A registered account that lets first-time buyers save toward a home, with contributions that lower your taxes and tax-free growth and withdrawals.
RRSP Home Buyers' Plan (HBP)
EveryoneWhat it is
Lets first-time buyers withdraw from their RRSP toward a first home, repaid back into the RRSP over time.
Ontario Land Transfer Tax Refund
EveryoneWhat it is
A refund of some or all of the Ontario land transfer tax for first-time buyers, which lowers your cash to close.
Indigenous Homeownership
OAHS Homeownership Program
Niagara & HamiltonWhat it is
Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services offers down payment and closing cost help to off-reserve Indigenous buyers, as a forgivable loan.
Who it helps
Low-to-moderate-income off-reserve First Nations, Métis, or Inuit households buying outside the GTA (covers Niagara and Hamilton).
How it works
Forgiven in full after a set period if you keep it as your sole and principal residence. Amounts and intake change.
MBDC Homeownership Program
Halton & the GTAWhat it is
Down payment assistance for Indigenous households buying off-reserve within the Greater Toronto Area, as a forgivable loan.
Who it helps
Status or non-status First Nations, Métis, or Inuit households purchasing in the GTA. This is the stream that covers Halton.
How it works
A forgivable loan toward your down payment, income- and purchase-price tested. Confirm current limits on the official page.
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Goes to Fusion Mortgage Group, a team with BRX Mortgage Inc., FSRA #13463. Prefer to talk? Call 289-723-2126.
How to use this page
Verify every program before you plan around it
Down payment assistance is the most volatile information on this website. Municipal programs open, pause, exhaust their funding and change eligibility without much notice, and a program that was live last spring may not be live today.
How to check before you rely on anything here
- Go to the municipality directly, not to a summary. The city or region administering the program is the only reliable source for whether it is currently accepting applications.
- Ask about intake status, not just eligibility. Many programs stay published long after they stop taking applications.
- Check the income and price caps for the current year. These are the details that move most often.
- Confirm how it interacts with your mortgage. Some assistance is a second charge on title, which affects lender approval and needs to be disclosed early rather than discovered at closing.
What we can and cannot do
- We can tell you how a given program interacts with your financing and whether a lender will work with it.
- We cannot approve you for a municipal program or influence its funding, and we do not administer any of them.
- If a program cannot be confirmed as currently open, plan without it. Building a purchase around assistance that does not arrive is a very difficult position to unwind.
Educational information only. Program details are subject to change by the administering municipality or agency. Reviewed 30 August 2026 by Fusion Mortgage Group, a team of licensed mortgage brokers with BRX Mortgage Inc., Mortgage Brokerage #13463.
Common Questions
Down Payment Questions, Answered
How much down payment do I need to buy a home in Ontario?
For homes under $500,000, the minimum is 5%. For homes between $500,000 and $1.5 million, it is 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the remainder. Homes at $1.5 million or above require at least 20% down.
Do down payment assistance programs have to be repaid?
It depends on the program. Many regional programs, including those in Niagara, Hamilton, and Halton, are structured as forgivable loans, if you live in the home for the required period, the loan is forgiven. Selling early usually triggers repayment, often with a share of appreciation.
Can I use my RRSP or FHSA for a down payment?
Yes, and you can combine both. The RRSP Home Buyers' Plan lets each buyer withdraw up to $60,000 tax-free, and a First Home Savings Account allows up to $8,000 in contributions per year to a $40,000 lifetime maximum, with withdrawals for a first home completely tax-free.
Can my down payment be a gift from family?
Yes. Lenders accept gifted down payments from immediate family members. You will need a signed gift letter confirming the money is a true gift and does not have to be repaid.
Who qualifies for Ontario down payment assistance programs?
Each program sets its own income and home-price caps, and most require you to be a first-time buyer currently renting in the region. Availability changes as funding opens and closes, which is why we track intake dates for every program on this page.
Further reading
Next step
Found a program you might qualify for?
Most of these have timing rules and paperwork that has to line up with your purchase. We will make sure the pieces fit before you count on the money.
Want the full picture? See how we help first time buyers