Exclusions
Understand exclusions in Canadian real estate—how they affect what’s removed during a sale and how to ensure clarity in purchase agreements.
May 30, 2025
What are Exclusions?
Exclusions refer to items that are normally assumed to be part of a property sale but that the seller intends to remove before closing.
Why Do Exclusions Matter in Real Estate?
In Canadian real estate, exclusions must be listed in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale to clarify which fixtures or attached items the seller will not include in the sale.
Examples of exclusions include:
- Chandeliers or custom lighting
- Wall-mounted TVs or brackets
- Built-in sound systems or mirrors
Since fixtures are generally included by default, sellers should clearly list exclusions to avoid legal disputes. Buyers should review this section closely to ensure their expectations are met.
Understanding exclusions helps prevent misunderstandings about what is or is not staying with the home after closing.
Example of Exclusions in Action
The seller excluded the dining room chandelier in the offer. This prevented conflict when it was removed before possession.
Key Takeaways
- Items being removed despite being fixtures.
- Must be clearly written into the offer.
- Helps avoid post-sale surprises.
- Includes lighting, brackets, and custom items.
- Common source of buyer-seller disputes.
Related Terms
- Fixtures
- Inclusions
- Agreement of Purchase and Sale
- Walkthrough Inspection
- Closing Process
National average resale-price growth and housing-starts growth, smoothed over three months. The comparison illustrates the cycle; it does not establish how much a price change causes construction to change.
Trailing 12-month starts in centres of 50,000 or more remove the usual monthly seasonality. Ownership combines the homeowner and condominium categories; rental is shown separately.
Six-month averages of provincial starts, expressed at annual rates. The smoothing reduces the influence of individual apartment projects.
The same August benchmark compared with two different starting points. Three-month changes are not annualized.
Average sale prices show the difference in purchase costs across markets. They do not measure affordability relative to local incomes or construction costs.
Newfoundland and Labrador remains above its pre-pandemic sales pattern, but August activity was below last year. Historical lines retain their original release vintages.
Average and median describe different aspects of the same month’s transactions. Both are affected by the mix of homes sold.
Category averages compare different homes and locations; the gaps are not estimates of the cost to upgrade an otherwise identical property.
The five categories shown account for 5,000 of the board’s 5,057 sales. The remaining 57 transactions were in other housing categories.
Monthly observations are not seasonally adjusted. Active listings count properties available at month-end; they are not construction inventory.
Average and median prices share one dollar axis. These unadjusted transaction measures do not control for changes in the homes sold.
TRREB’s 416/905 categories compare the apartments sold in each area. The difference does not isolate a location premium for equivalent units.
5680 Oak Street in Vancouver and its surrounding context. (MCMP Architects)
Ground-level renderings of the tower proposed for 5680 Oak Street in Vancouver. (MCMP Architects)
