Archive for the ‘GST’ Category
Short-term rentals: Top GST/HST questions answered
Short-term rentals have seen a noticeable increase in popularity the last few years. Whether people decide to rent out their homes while on vacation, buy a block of properties to use for AirBnB, or share their cottage on the weekends, the demand for short-term and weekend getaways is ever-present. Plus, there’s often more money to […]
B.C. condo registry: What can property owners expect?
In an effort to address housing affordability in British Columbia, and catch unreported tax revenues in the condo market, the provincial government has introduced a real estate condo registry. The condo registry was created to regulate pre-sale property flipping and help reduce tax evasion in the B.C. real estate market. Our real estate and construction […]
What to watch with trust agreements and GST/HST New Housing Rebates
The need to carefully consider who is entitled to the GST/HST New Housing Rebate has been emphasized in recent court cases involving trust agreements. A trust agreement is an agreement between two parties where one party has done something on behalf of the other. We see these agreements in real estate where an individual has […]
Real estate audits – CRA renews its focus on the industry
We have been warning for many years now that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been placing a renewed focus on real estate audits. These real estate audits can cover real estate investors, realtors, developers, and contractors, among others, across the country. This is resulting in a significant uptick in taxes and penalties for those […]
Cottage or vacation property rentals and GST/HST
As we head into vacation season, we often get questions related to GST/HST on cottage or vacation property rentals using services such as Airbnb. For example: “I purchased a cottage that is closing on June 1st. I plan to rent this out for short-term rentals on Airbnb. I am also planning to turn another cottage […]
Limited Partnerships: GST/HST Changes Proposed
Is a limited partnership part of your real estate business structure? If so, changes may be coming to your GST/HST obligations. The 2018 Federal Budget will impact GST/HST and its application on limited partnerships (LP) that are now defined to be “investment limited partnerships”. Investment limited partnerships, or ILPs, are a newly defined entity. Last […]
GST/HST Pitfalls of Buying Real Estate “In Trust”
Who pays the GST/HST can be tricky to answer on real estate purchases, especially when done “In Trust” for another corporation. A recent court case, 2252493 Ontario Limited vs the Queen, provided some direction on this situation, and an expensive lesson learned for the vendor of the property. Background on buying “In Trust” case The […]
GST/HST New Housing Rebate: 4 things every real estate investor must know
Receiving a GST/HST new housing rebate can mean a substantial chunk of money back in a real estate investors pocket to re-invest. However, the new housing rebate forms and process has some built-in difficulties that can mean the money that should be coming to you will stay firmly in the government’s hands. While the process […]
3 GST/HST areas to navigate when constructing multi-unit residential buildings
GST/HST issues surrounding building multi-unit residential complexes are questions that have a large impact on cash flow and costs. Savvy real estate investors and builders coordinate the intricacies of GST/HST issues with their real estate accountants as a matter of course to avoid surprises. Builders and investors must consider at least three GST/HST areas when constructing a residential […]
Q&A: Is HST applicable on a rental property if commercially zoned but all units are residential rentals?
Question: We are investigating the purchase of a rental property in an Ontario town, and have a quick question about the HST. The property is presently set up as four residential rental units, but it is zoned commercial. From conversations with the city, apparently the property is to include three residential and one commercial unit. If […]
