Joint Venture
Understand joint ventures in Canadian real estate — what they are, how they work, and why they’re used in development.
July 29, 2025
What is a Joint Venture?
A joint venture in real estate is a partnership between two or more parties to develop, own, or operate a property or project, sharing risks, costs, and returns.
Why Joint Ventures Matter in Real Estate
In Canadian real estate, joint ventures allow entities to pool resources, access larger projects, and leverage complementary expertise.
Key features:
- Defined by contract
- Shared decision-making and profits
- Flexible structure (corporate, partnership, trust)
Joint ventures are common in large-scale development, commercial investment, and redevelopment projects.
Example of a Joint Venture in Action
The developer and pension fund formed a joint venture to build a mixed-use community on 50 acres of urban land.
Key Takeaways
- Partnership for real estate projects
- Shares risks, costs, and profits
- Used for large or complex deals
- Defined by detailed agreement
- Leverages strengths of partners
September residential sales, not seasonally adjusted; the annual comparison uses CREA’s revised figures. Chart: 
Annual changes in the unadjusted national MLS® HPI and average sale price. The average is affected by the mix of transactions. Chart: 
Seasonally adjusted residential months of inventory by province. Local property types can differ substantially. Chart: 
Ontario and B.C. are the two provinces with forecast annual average-price declines in 2026. Chart: 
Annual average transaction prices in Canadian dollars. Forecast values are not December price targets. Chart: 
Five-year changes in seasonally adjusted composite MLS® HPI benchmarks, September 2021 to September 2026. Chart: 
