# Building a Garden Suite in Burlington | ReverseMortgageBurlington.ca > Burlington garden suite rules, permits and timing, and how homeowners 55 and older can pay to build one from their home. Free estimate, no sales pressure. URL: https://reversemortgageburlington.ca/garden-suite-burlington/ Reverse mortgages in Burlington # Building a Garden Suite in Burlington: The Rules and the Money A garden suite in Burlington is a small separate home in your backyard. The City treats it as a detached additional residential unit (ARU) in an accessory building. On most urban lots with a house, one is allowed without rezoning, up to 80 square metres. A reverse mortgage can pay to build it once every owner is 55 or older. [Get my free estimate](https://reversemortgagebroker.ca/estimate/?utm_source=reversemortgageburlington&utm_medium=satellite&utm_campaign=garden-suite-burlington) [Try the Burlington calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-burlington/) No cost · No credit check · No sales pressure Last updated October 15, 2026 - No required monthly mortgage payments - Open to Burlington owners 55 and over - Your home stays in your name - Tax-free money - A lawyer of your own reviews it first - Never owe more than the home's value when the mortgage comes due (taxes, insurance and upkeep kept up) [ReverseMortgageBurlington.ca](/) sets out what Burlington homeowners 55 and older need to know before they build a garden suite. A garden suite in Burlington is a small, separate home in the backyard, for example for a parent, an adult child or a caregiver. What most people call a garden suite, the City treats as a detached additional residential unit (ARU) in an accessory building. The City allows one on most urban lots, and a reverse mortgage can pay to build it with no required monthly mortgage payments. ## What happens when you first ask You begin with the free estimate form. It asks three things: the age of the youngest owner, roughly what the home is worth, and any balance still owed. Your credit is not affected by asking for an estimate. Next, the four lenders are weighed against each other, and the best deal for your house comes by email. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada for your home. Family members can be copied on every email, which helps when a son or daughter will live in the suite. Three-way phone calls are easy to set up too. Mention the garden suite plan in your first message, along with who will live in each home. That way the plan is part of how the lenders are compared from the beginning. Nothing is signed early on. The estimate and that email are the first two of seven steps, and you can stop whenever you like. The one in-person meeting is with your own lawyer, shortly before closing. ## What Burlington allows in a backyard In the City’s rules, a garden suite falls under additional residential units (ARUs): it is the kind that sits in a separate building in the yard. The rules below come from the City’s ARU pages ([City of Burlington](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/additional-residential-units.aspx)). ### How many units and how big An urban residential lot with one detached house, semi-detached house or townhouse can have up to three additional units, with no rezoning needed. Only one of the three can be in a separate building in the yard. That building can have up to 80 square metres of floor space, which is about 861 square feet. An existing garage or other accessory building can be converted. ### Parking and lot coverage The main home needs two parking spaces. The first additional unit needs none, and the second and third need one space each. Tandem parking, with one car behind another, is allowed. Buildings on the lot can cover up to 45% of it, or more if the zone already allows more. ### Where a garden suite is not allowed Additional units are not allowed on properties served by a private well, cistern or septic system. Most of rural Burlington is in that group, so a garden suite is usually not possible there. The page on [rural north Burlington](/service-areas/rural-north-burlington/) covers reverse mortgages on country properties. ## Permits, timing and fees The registered owner has to make the application ([City of Burlington](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/steps-to-build-an-additional-residential-unit.aspx)). ### The steps with the City The process starts with a Pre-Building Approval application, which leads to a Zoning Clearance Certificate. The City says that takes about two weeks for interior work and three to four weeks when there is exterior work ([City of Burlington Zoning FAQ](https://www.burlington.ca/en/planning-and-development/resources/Zoning-Clearance-Certificates/Zoning-FAQ-for-ARU.pdf)). A garden suite is exterior work. The building permit comes next. The City’s target is to review a complete application within 10 business days. A permit expires if the work hasn’t started within six months, so line up your builder and your money before applying. ### Confirm fees with the City The City has said zoning and building permit fees for these units are waived, but its incentive page says waivers ran until December 31, 2025. Ask the City what applies in 2026 before you set a budget. Education development charges, which go to the school boards, may apply to a detached unit and are not waived. The City’s ARU Incentive Program, which offered forgivable loans for affordable rental units, closed on October 1, 2025 ([City of Burlington](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/additional-residential-unit-incentive-program.aspx)). ### An illustrative example: a $1,190,000 Burlington bungalow Take an illustrative couple whose younger spouse is 65. Their detached bungalow on an urban lot appraises at $1,190,000, the September 2026 median sale price for a detached Burlington home ([Cornerstone/ITSO, September 2026](https://cdn.agentbook.com/accounts/ZjLJD68FI0/assets/documents/September%202026%20Burlington%20Monthly%20Indicators.pdf?timestamp=1791230513932)). At 65, a borrower can get up to about 50.5% of the home’s value. On $1,190,000, that ceiling is about $602,000. They owe nothing on the home, so nothing is subtracted and the full $602,000 is available. Their builder’s quote is $200,000 in this example, a figure used only to show the math. They take $200,000 and leave about $402,000 untouched. Interest is charged only on the $200,000. You can run your own numbers in the [Burlington reverse mortgage calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-burlington/). ### What the lender needs to know Tell Richard about the planned suite when you apply. The appraisal values your home as it stands on the day of the visit. A suite built later is not part of that first value. If the suite is meant to give a son or daughter a place nearby, the page on [giving a living inheritance in Burlington](/living-inheritance-burlington/) covers that side. If it is meant for a caregiver, the page on [paying for home care in Burlington](/paying-for-home-care-burlington/) may help. ## What it costs and how it is repaid Advertised five-year fixed rates from the lenders ranged from 6.23% to 6.94% when checked on September 17, 2026. These rates apply across Ontario, including Burlington. Before any building starts, the mortgage itself costs around $2,000 to $3,500 to arrange: an appraisal, a lender set-up fee, and $800 to $1,200 or so for your own lawyer. Richard’s service costs you nothing, because the lender pays the brokerage after funding. The guide to [reverse mortgage cost in Burlington](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-burlington/) shows every item. No monthly mortgage payment is required. Your property taxes, home insurance and upkeep remain yours. The balance climbs as interest is added to it. A suite can add to what the property is worth, and general price growth often makes up some or all of the interest too. On average, Canadian borrowers keep about half their equity. Repayment waits until you sell, until the last borrower moves out permanently, or until the last borrower’s death. Keep the taxes, insurance and upkeep current and the debt is capped at what the home is worth on the open market at the time the mortgage becomes due. It’s typically called the no negative equity guarantee, and all four lenders offer it. Early repayment is allowed at any time. In the early years a charge usually applies, either a percentage of the amount repaid or a few months’ interest, and it falls over time. Some lenders allow up to 10% of the balance each year with no charge. ## What Richard does for you on this - Estimates how much your home could provide toward the build - Compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada for your property - All four lenders weighed, and the best deal for your home sent by email - Copies your family on every email, which helps when they will live there - Explains who can live where while the mortgage is in place - Explains taking one amount now or drawing more later - Tells the lender about the planned suite at the start - Keeps track of the appraisal and each step through to closing ## Burlington guides on this topic - [What does a reverse mortgage cost in Burlington?](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-burlington/) - [What are Burlington home prices in 2026?](/guide/burlington-home-prices/) - [Burlington Property Tax for Seniors: What Helps in 2026](/guide/burlington-property-tax-seniors/) ## Sources Figures checked October 15, 2026. 1. [City of Burlington, Additional residential units](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/additional-residential-units.aspx) 2. [City of Burlington, Steps to build an additional residential unit](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/steps-to-build-an-additional-residential-unit.aspx) 3. [City of Burlington, Additional residential unit incentive program](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/additional-residential-unit-incentive-program.aspx) 4. [City of Burlington, Zoning FAQ for additional residential units (revised February 2025)](https://www.burlington.ca/en/planning-and-development/resources/Zoning-Clearance-Certificates/Zoning-FAQ-for-ARU.pdf) 5. [Cornerstone Association of REALTORS / ITSO, Burlington Monthly Indicators, September 2026](https://cdn.agentbook.com/accounts/ZjLJD68FI0/assets/documents/September%202026%20Burlington%20Monthly%20Indicators.pdf?timestamp=1791230513932) ## Seven steps, from a first question to money in your bank account Every step happens by email or phone. You can walk away at any point, and nothing gets signed before your own lawyer has taken you through the paperwork. 1. 1 Free estimate Answer a few questions on the free estimate form. It takes about 90 seconds, and your credit isn't checked for an estimate. 2. 2 Every lender compared On your behalf, Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada. In his first email you see how much you could get and which lenders suit your home, and he asks what amount you have in mind. You don't have to take the maximum. 3. 3 Quick application Next comes a short form and a few documents. Nobody checks your credit until you've confirmed you want to go ahead, and only the lender you pick receives your application. 4. 4 Approval Within a day or two, the lender usually sends its mortgage commitment letter. 5. 5 Appraisal An appraiser visits to value your home, booked by the lender or the broker depending on the lender. 6. 6 Independent legal advice Before signing, you sit down with a lawyer of your own, acting for nobody else, who explains the mortgage. 7. 7 Closing On closing day the lender sends the money to the lawyer or title company handling it. Your current mortgage, any other debts on the home and the closing costs are paid first, and the money that's left goes into your bank account. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I build a garden suite on a rural Burlington property?** No, not on a property served by a private well, cistern or septic system. Burlington's additional residential unit rules don't allow them there, which rules out most of rural Burlington ([City of Burlington](https://www.burlington.ca/en/building-and-renovating/additional-residential-units.aspx)). **What permit fees apply to a garden suite in Burlington?** Check with the City before you budget. Burlington's pages have described waived zoning and building permit fees, but one page says the waiver ran until December 31, 2025. Education development charges for school boards may also apply to a detached unit. **What if a family member will live in the main house while I live in the garden suite?** Tell Richard about that plan at the very start. A reverse mortgage must be on the home you live in, and lenders look at who lives where as part of their review. **Do I have to take all the money at once to build?** No. You can take one amount at closing and leave the rest untouched. Some lenders also allow later draws, at their rate at that time and sometimes with a small fee for each one. **Is there a charge for having a broker look at all the lenders?** No. The broker's help costs you nothing, because the lender you pick pays the brokerage after the mortgage funds. Working through a broker also reaches things a homeowner phoning lenders alone cannot. Of the four Canadian reverse mortgage lenders, one takes applications from brokers only, and a second reserves its largest amounts for broker clients. The rate can sometimes be lower than the advertised rate, or the set-up fee reduced. On your behalf, Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada. Because he arranges home equity lines of credit and refinances as well, his recommendation goes to whichever option gives you the best overall value, reverse mortgage or not. ## Other ways Burlington homeowners use a reverse mortgage [ Helping family now Give your children or grandchildren help now, such as a down payment, from your Burlington home's value while you keep living there. ](/living-inheritance-burlington/)[ Changing your home so you can stay How Burlington homeowners 55 and older pay for walk-in showers, stair lifts and ramps from their home's value, with no monthly mortgage payments. ](/accessible-home-renovations-burlington/)[ Paying for help at home Pay for private home care in Burlington from your home's value, with no required monthly mortgage payments. ](/paying-for-home-care-burlington/) --- Free reverse mortgage estimate (no sales pressure): https://reversemortgagebroker.ca/estimate/ Operated by Dominion Lending Centres Homestead Financial, a mortgage brokerage licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, brokerage licence #11711. Independently Owned and Operated. ReverseMortgageBurlington.ca is a website of Dominion Lending Centres Homestead Financial, not a separate brokerage. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, licence M16000896.