Closing Date

Learn what a closing date is in Canadian real estate, what happens on that day, and why it’s critical to a successful home purchase or sale.

Closing Date



What is a Closing Date?

The closing date is the day on which a real estate transaction is legally finalized and ownership of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer.

Why Closing Dates Matter in Real Estate

The closing date marks the culmination of a real estate deal. It is specified in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and is when the buyer pays the remaining balance, and the seller provides legal title and vacant possession of the property.

On this date, lawyers for both parties complete the necessary paperwork, ensure funds are transferred, register the new title, and handle any final adjustments for taxes or utilities. The buyer also receives the keys to the property on or shortly after the closing.

A delayed or missed closing date can have serious consequences, including financial penalties, lost deposits, or even breach of contract. That’s why both parties must ensure financing, inspections, and legal requirements are satisfied well in advance.

For buyers, being prepared for the closing date means having their mortgage finalized, closing costs ready, and legal documents reviewed. For sellers, it means ensuring the property is in agreed-upon condition and that they are ready to vacate.

Example of a Closing Date

A homebuyer in Ottawa agrees to a closing date of August 15. On that day, their lawyer finalizes the mortgage funds, registers the title, and the buyer receives the keys to their new home.

Key Takeaways

  • The day a property officially changes ownership.
  • Legal, financial, and administrative processes are completed.
  • Requires coordination between buyers, sellers, lawyers, and lenders.
  • Missing it can result in penalties or legal action.
  • Preparation is key to a smooth closing.

Related Terms

  • Agreement of Purchase and Sale
  • Deposit
  • Mortgage Funding
  • Title Transfer
  • Closing Costs

Additional Terms

Recourse Loan

A recourse loan is a type of loan where the lender can pursue the borrower’s personal assets, beyond the collateral, in the event of default.. more

Pari Passu

A pari passu clause is a contractual provision ensuring that multiple creditors share equally in repayment priority from the borrower’s assets.. more

Non-Recourse Loan

A non-recourse loan is a type of loan where the lender’s only remedy in case of default is to seize the collateral property; the borrower is not. more

Net Operating Income

Net operating income (NOI) is the total income generated by a property after operating expenses are deducted but before taxes and financing costs.. more

Mechanic's Lien

A mechanic’s lien is a legal claim by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier for unpaid work or materials provided for a property.. more

Lis Pendens

Lis pendens is a legal notice filed in the land registry indicating that a property is subject to ongoing litigation that may affect its title.. more

More For You

High Park Church Conversion In Receivership Finds Buyer, Presales To Be Terminated
The proposed development at 248 and 260 High Park Avenue/Medallion Capital Group, Turner Fleischer Architects

More than a year after being placed under receivership, 248 and 260 High Park Avenue has found a buyer. The site of the High Park Alhambra Church has been under construction since November 2019, with TRAC Developments and Medallion Capital Group planning a four-storey, 70-unit condo through adaptive reuse.

But those plans, bogged down by budget overruns, have yet to come to fruition, and now the property’s fate is up to the new owner.

Keep ReadingShow less
RAM Developments Selling Muskoka Site Approved For 60 Waterfront Units
1711 Delmonte/Realtor.ca, RAM Developments

A massive lakefront development site owned by RAM Developments recently hit the market for $10,995,000, over a year after gaining approvals for a sprawling resort-like redevelopment on Gravenhurst's Sparrow Lake. The development would have transformed the shoreline with 60 three-storey luxury townhome cottages and 20,000 sq. ft of top-of-the-line amenities.

Located at 1711 Delmonte Road on the northeast shore of Muskoka's most southern lake, the property is a 90-minute drive from the city and connected to the Trent-Severn Waterway. Spanning nearly 54 acres and touting around 1,700 feet of west-facing shoreline, it's one of the largest properties for sale on the lake.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Self-Defeating": With DCs Out Of Control, Homeowners Are Paying The Price
Shutterstock

British statesman Winston Churchill once said, “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”

In many ways, that characterizes what we are doing with development charges (DCs) on new housing. Municipalities are unilaterally imposing the levies on new development to foot the bill for capital costs of infrastructure like roads, water, sewage and power services to support growth.

Keep ReadingShow less
70% Of Ontario Municipalities Fell Short Of Their Housing Targets In 2024
Shutterstock

This past June, the Ontario government kicked off the second round of its three-year, $1.2-billion Building Faster Fund program, announcing over $67 million in funding for the City of Toronto. This was followed by seven other announcements through July to early August, with Kingston, Haldimand County, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Greater Sudbury, North Bay, and Georgina all receiving funding for their housing starts achievements.

Despite the Province’s recognition, Toronto, Haldimand County, and Georgina all did not meet their full targets last year — and according to Ontario’s newly-updated housing supply tracker, they’re part of the vast majority. Updated on Monday, the tracker shows that 35 out of Ontario’s 50 largest municipalities fell short of their 2024 targets, with some achieving as little as 11%. It’s pretty grim.

Keep ReadingShow less
Claire’s Canadian Arm Under Creditor Protection With $8M In Net Losses This Year
Shutterstock

Getting your ears pierced at the mall is something of a tween rite of passage, and it’s an experience uniquely associated with Claire’s — but perhaps not for much longer. According to a series of court filings from earlier this month, Claire’s Stores Canada Corp. has applied for creditor’s protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), citing roughly $8 million (CAD) in net losses in the year-to-date period ending on June 30, 2025.

The global accessories brand operates 120 retail store locations across Canada, and has 703 active employees in Canada, including 133 full-time workers and 570 part-time workers. While the stores will stay open during the restructuring, it’s not been uncommon over the past few years for embattled retailers to have their CCAA proceedings culminate in liquidation — Hudson’s Bay Company and Nordstrom to name a few examples.

Keep ReadingShow less
25-Storey Condo From Dez Capital Proposed Steps From Eglinton Crosstown LRT
550 Eglinton/Studio JCI

Dez Capital Corporation has filed a proposal for a new mixed-use condo development set for Mount Pleasant East. The tower would reach 25 storeys and deliver 256 residential units with retail at grade.

Plans filed in late-July support Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendment applications to transform the 17,964-sq.-ft site — currently occupied by three low-rise commercial buildings and a two-storey residential building — into a high-rise development that would bring much-needed housing within close proximity to higher-order transit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Larco Nixes Hotel From Dominion Public Building Proposal On Front, Up To 49 Storeys Planned
Rendering of 1 Front Street/architects—Alliance

Larco Investments is pushing forward with plans to intensify the historic Dominion Public Building on Front Street West with two high-rise towers, according to a revised application submitted to the City of Toronto in mid-June. The existing building is iconic in its own right, spans the block between Bay and Yonge streets, and has occupied that prime stretch of the downtown core since around 1935.

According to the resubmission, Larco continues to plan 45- and 49-storey buildings atop the building at 1 Front — the built-form was allowed by the Ontario Land Tribunal in August 2022 — however, now it’s seeking less non-residential gross floor area (GFA) in favour of more residential GFA. More notable still, Larco is seeking a land use amendment to nix the previously proposed hotel component slated for floors 11 to 33 of the 49-storey tower.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Townline Founder and CEO Rick Ilich.

Townline Founder and CEO Rick Ilich. / Townline

In late-July, when a group of Vancouver developers published an open letter to the Government of Canada asking them to reconsider the foreign buyer ban, a match was lit that reignited the debate around the divisive issue of foreign investment in Vancouver real estate.

It's clear that many who have been affected by the housing crisis place some (or maybe even all) of the blame on foreign buyers, who they believe flooded the Vancouver real estate market and drove up prices.

Keep ReadingShow less