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Findle Learn · Buying
Pre-Construction Deposit Schedules in Ontario
When the money is due, who holds it, and how to plan for it — before you sign.
By Findle Global Editorial Team · Reviewer: pending qualified review · Checked Nov 5–6, 2026
The short answer
A deposit schedule is the staged payment plan in your Agreement of Purchase and Sale: instead of one lump sum, you pay the deposit in instalments over the construction period — typically totalling 15–20% of the purchase price, though the exact total and timing are set by each builder. Deposits are part of your down payment, not an extra cost on top of it — but they are also not the full cash you will need. Closing costs, taxes and adjustments are due separately at final closing.
What a deposit schedule is — and what it isn't
When you buy pre-construction, you sign the Agreement of Purchase and Sale (APS) long before the home exists. The deposit schedule in that agreement sets out how much you pay, when each instalment is due, and who the cheques are payable to. The amounts are fixed in the contract: missing an instalment is a breach of the agreement, not a payment you can move at will.
Two things the schedule is not. First, it is not the full cash needed to buy the home — your mortgage covers the balance at final closing, and closing costs (land transfer tax, legal fees, development charges and other adjustments) are paid separately, in cash, at closing. Second, it is not a savings plan you design yourself: the builder sets the milestones, and the schedule differs from project to project.
Deposits are generally held in trust by the builder's lawyer, and Tarion — the administrator of Ontario's new-home warranty — backstops deposit protection up to $60,000 for a freehold home priced at $600,000 or less, and 10% of the price up to a maximum of $100,000 above that; for a condominium unit the limit is $20,000. Confirm the current registration requirements with Tarion before relying on these limits. Source: Condominium Act, 1998 (deposit trust rules)
How a staged schedule works
Most Ontario builders stage deposits over 150–210 days from signing, in five to seven instalments. The first is due with the offer; the rest fall at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days, depending on the project. A real example, from Lakeview Homes' November 3, 2026 price lists for North Gate Trails in Ajax:
| Home type | Total deposit | How it is staged |
|---|---|---|
| Back-to-back towns | $70,000 | 7 × $10,000, signing to 180 days |
| Dual-frontage & street towns | $80,000 | 5 × $10,000 + 2 × $15,000, to 180 days |
| 30' detached | $100,000 | $10K + $15K + $15K + $20K × 3, to 150 days |
| 37' detached | $120,000 | $10K + $20K × 3 + $25K × 2, to 150 days |
Cheques are payable to Estates of Northgate Inc. The same project caps closing costs at $7,000 + HST for back-to-back towns, $8,000 + HST for other towns, and $8,500 + HST for detached homes — a cap on closing costs, not a reduction of the deposit. See North Gate Trails on Findle
Standard vs accelerated: the UpTown Woodbridge example
Some builders offer a faster schedule in exchange for an incentive. At Fieldgate Homes' UpTown Woodbridge (price list October 28, 2026), the standard deposit is staged to 180 days: $80,000 for back-to-back towns, $90,000 for 20' rear-lane towns, $110,000 for 26' singles, $120,000 for 32' singles, $150,000 for 38' singles and $170,000 for 42' singles, payable to Teston Homes Limited.
The accelerated option compresses the 32' singles deposit to 60 days — $20,000 at signing, $55,000 at 30 days and $55,000 at 60 days, for a $130,000 total instead of $120,000 — and earns a $5,000 Decor Centre credit. Putting a further $50,000 down within 60 days earns another $5,000 credit. The trade is real: you pay $10,000 more, four months earlier, for $5,000 of decor credit. Whether that is worth it depends on what the cash would otherwise earn and whether you can afford the compressed timeline — it is not free money.
Worked example: planning the cash for a North Gate Trails 37' detached
Take the 37' detached at North Gate Trails, priced from $999,990 net of HST (November 3, 2026 price list). The deposit is $120,000: $10,000 at signing, then $20,000 at each of three milestones and $25,000 at each of two more, all within 150 days. That is $120,000 out of your account in the first five months — before construction is anywhere near finished, and roughly two years before the tentative closings starting October 2027.
The cash plan does not stop at $120,000. At final closing you will also need land transfer tax (on a $999,990 purchase, $16,474.80 under Ontario's graduated brackets — see our closing-costs guide for the calculation), legal fees, and any amounts not covered by the builder's $8,500 + HST closing-cost cap. Your mortgage does not fund until title transfers, so every one of those dollars must be in your account on closing day.
Map each instalment to a calendar date the day you sign, keep the money in an account you can draw on without penalty, and do not assume a later instalment can be deferred — the APS sets the dates, and your lawyer should confirm what happens if one is missed.
The cooling-off window — and what happens after it
For a new condominium bought from a developer, Ontario law gives you a 10-day rescission right: you can cancel for any reason within 10 calendar days of receiving the signed agreement, the disclosure statement and the Condominium Buyer's Guide — whichever arrives last — and your deposit must be returned. Source: Condominium Act, 1998, s. 73
There is no equivalent statutory cooling-off period for a new freehold home. The Homeowner Protection Act, 2024 legislated one, but it has not been proclaimed in force. Use the 10 days on a condo purchase to have a lawyer review the agreement — and treat a freehold deposit as firm from the day you sign.
Limitations — what this guide does not cover
- Deposit structures vary by project and change without notice. The figures above are from builder price lists dated October–November 2026 and may already have changed — always confirm against the price list attached to your own agreement.
- Assignment terms — whether you can transfer your agreement to another buyer before closing, and on what fees — were unpublished for most of the projects we verified, including North Gate Trails and UpTown Woodbridge. Do not assume an assignment is possible.
- This guide is general information, not legal, mortgage or tax advice. Whether you qualify for a mortgage at closing is tested at the higher of your contract rate plus 2% or 5.25%, and insured mortgages generally require gross debt service at or below 39% and total debt service at or below 44%. Source: CMHC — calculating GDS/TDS
- Rates move: the Bank of Canada raised its policy rate to 2.50% on October 28, 2026 (prime 4.70%), with the next decision scheduled for December 9, 2026. Source: Bank of Canada, Oct 28, 2026
Projects used in this guide
- North Gate Trails — Lakeview Homes, Ajax. Staged deposits $70,000–$120,000; tentative closings from October 2027.
- UpTown Woodbridge — Fieldgate Homes, Vaughan. Standard deposits $80,000–$170,000; 60-day accelerated option with decor credits.
- OG Urban Towns — Brightstone, Mississauga. 10% deposit within 180 days (per the builder's October 30, 2026 broker email).
- Derry Lane — Ballymore Homes, Mississauga. Towns 5 × $20,000; semis and detached 5 × $25,000.
Your next step
Take the deposit schedule from the price list of the project you are considering and map every instalment to a calendar date with the amounts beside it. Our deposit tool does exactly that:
Build your deposit schedule →Then read the companion guide: Pre-Construction Closing Costs in Ontario