# Paying for Home Care in Burlington | ReverseMortgageBurlington.ca > What Ontario pays for at home, what it doesn't, and how a reverse mortgage can pay for private home care in Burlington. Free estimate, no sales pressure. URL: https://reversemortgageburlington.ca/paying-for-home-care-burlington/ Reverse mortgages in Burlington # Paying for home care in Burlington Home care in Burlington starts with Ontario Health atHome, which assesses your needs and arranges publicly funded care at no charge if you qualify. When you need more help than the public plan provides, a reverse mortgage can pay for private care from your home's value, with no required monthly mortgage payments, while you stay in your home. [Get my free estimate](https://reversemortgagebroker.ca/estimate/?utm_source=reversemortgageburlington&utm_medium=satellite&utm_campaign=paying-for-home-care-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](/) explains how Burlington homeowners pay for home care so they can stay in the house they know. Home care in Burlington comes from two places: the public system, which is free but limited, and private help, which the family pays for. The private part can be paid from your home’s value with a reverse mortgage, which has no required monthly mortgage payments. You keep paying the property taxes, the home insurance and the upkeep yourself. ## What happens when you first ask You start with the free estimate form. It asks a few plain questions: your age, your home’s rough value, anything you still owe on it, and what the money is for. Getting an estimate doesn’t affect your credit. Then each lender is looked at for your home, and the best deal comes to you by email. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada for you. Because Richard also arranges home equity lines of credit and refinances, the email recommends whichever option gives you the best overall value, reverse mortgage or not. Each email can also go to your adult children, and a three-way phone or video call takes little effort to arrange. Nothing is signed at this stage. The full process has seven steps, from the estimate to closing, and you can stop at any one of them. ## What Ontario pays for at home, and what it doesn’t Publicly funded home care in Ontario is arranged by Ontario Health atHome. A care coordinator assesses your needs, writes a care plan and sends nursing, therapy or personal support through its own staff or a contracted agency. If you qualify, the province pays for that care ([Ontario.ca, home and community care, updated May 5, 2026](https://www.ontario.ca/page/home-community-care)). The number of hours depends on your assessed needs and on what is available in your community. The same provincial page says you can also pay private companies for care. That private layer is the part a family pays for, and it is the part a reverse mortgage can cover. Ontario’s listings for Burlington long-term care homes point residents to the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant area of [Ontario Health atHome](https://ontariohealthathome.ca/). Call that office first. A public assessment costs nothing, and it shows how many hours of help the province will provide before you budget for the rest. ### Help Halton Region offers in Burlington Halton Region lists two Burlington supportive-living programs, at Wellington Terrace and Bonnie Place. They provide on-site personal care, meal support and light housekeeping to older adults in set neighbourhoods around those buildings, and Halton lists no fee for them ([Halton Region](https://www.halton.ca/for-residents/older-adults/assisted-living-and-supports-for-daily-living-prog)). Places are limited by the program’s rules, so ask early. ## How a reverse mortgage pays for private care A reverse mortgage turns part of your home’s value into money you can spend on care, while you keep living in the house. The amount depends on the youngest borrower’s age and the home’s value. The most you can borrow is about 50.5% of the value at 65, about 58% at 75, and about 60% at 78 and older. You choose how the money arrives. Monthly deposits suit a steady care schedule, such as a personal support worker three mornings a week. A lump sum suits a one-time cost, such as [making the bathroom safer](/accessible-home-renovations-burlington/). You can also use both. Interest is charged only on the money you take. An amount you leave untouched costs nothing. You don’t have to take the full amount you qualify for, and a smaller balance keeps more room for later years. Because the money is borrowed, it is not taxed, and your Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) are not reduced. Interest on money left sitting in a bank account is taxable income, so drawing it as care bills arrive is usually tidier. ### An illustrative example at Burlington’s benchmark price For example, picture a composite widow of 80 whose Burlington home is valued at $854,500, the city’s MLS Home Price Index benchmark for September 2026 ([Cornerstone Association of REALTORS](https://cornerstone.inc/articles/cornerstone-real-estate-market-update-september-2026)). At 80, the most she could borrow is about 60% of $854,500, so about $513,000. She still owes $30,000 on a home equity line of credit. That $30,000 is paid off first out of the mortgage money, so about $483,000 is left for her to use. She doesn’t take anywhere near $483,000. She takes $25,000 at closing for a stair lift and the first months of private care. Then $1,500 a month arrives by deposit to pay a personal support worker on top of the hours Ontario Health atHome provides. Her balance starts at $55,000 ($30,000 plus $25,000) and grows only as each $1,500 deposit is taken. Her son is copied on every email. ## If care needs grow When the last borrower moves into long-term care for good, the reverse mortgage becomes payable. The family then gets six months to a year, depending on the product, to sell the home or repay the balance. A temporary hospital or rehab stay doesn’t trigger anything. Neither does a dementia diagnosis, or one spouse moving into care while the other borrower stays home. Reverse mortgage money also doesn’t count as income for the income-tested reduction on a basic long-term care room. A house you own isn’t counted either ([Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care](https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-help-paying-long-term-care)). The guide to [long-term care in Burlington](/guide/long-term-care-burlington/) sets out the 2026 room rates and waiting lists, and the guide to [retirement home costs in Burlington](/guide/retirement-home-cost-burlington/) covers the private route. ## What it costs and how it is repaid Advertised five-year fixed rates ranged from 6.23% to 6.94% across the four lenders, checked September 17, 2026. Interest isn’t paid monthly. It is added to the balance and compounds twice a year. The one-time bill is usually $2,000 to $3,500. It pays for the appraisal, the lender’s set-up fee and your independent legal advice (roughly $800 to $1,200 in Ontario). Your only in-person meeting is that independent legal advice (ILA), a short visit to your lawyer’s office. There is no charge to you for the broker, since the lender pays the brokerage after the mortgage has funded. The loan stays in place for as long as a borrower lives in the home. It is paid back after a sale, after the last borrower’s permanent move out, or after the last borrower’s death. Even then, as long as you kept up the property taxes, insurance and upkeep, the debt can’t be larger than the home’s fair market value at the time the mortgage becomes due. It’s typically called the no negative equity guarantee, and all four lenders offer it. The balance rises as interest is added. Higher home prices over the same period often cover some of that or all of it, and borrowers in Canada hold on to about half their equity on average. The [Burlington reverse mortgage calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-burlington/) shows the most you could get at your age and how your home’s value, the loan and your equity could change over 15 years. Repaying early, in the first few years, usually costs a charge that shrinks over time. It is either a percentage of the amount repaid or a few months’ interest. Some lenders allow up to 10% a year to be repaid without a charge. The full list of fees is in the guide to [reverse mortgage costs in Burlington](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-burlington/). ## What Richard does for you on this - A free estimate of what your Burlington home could provide - Every reverse mortgage lender in Canada compared for your situation - Lines of credit and refinances weighed too, for the best overall value - All four lenders weighed, and the best deal for your home sent by email - Care money paid as monthly deposits, one lump sum or a mix - Family copied on every email, plus three-way calls when you want them - The application, appraisal and lender paperwork handled for you - A referral to an independent lawyer for your legal advice, if you need one ## Burlington guides on this topic - [Long-term care in Burlington: costs, waiting lists and your home](/guide/long-term-care-burlington/) - [How much does a retirement home cost in Burlington?](/guide/retirement-home-cost-burlington/) - [What does a reverse mortgage cost in Burlington?](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-burlington/) - [What are Burlington home prices in 2026?](/guide/burlington-home-prices/) ## Sources Figures checked October 15, 2026. 1. [Ontario.ca, Home and community care (updated May 5, 2026)](https://www.ontario.ca/page/home-community-care) 2. [Ontario Health atHome](https://ontariohealthathome.ca/) 3. [Halton Region, Assisted living and supports for daily living programs](https://www.halton.ca/for-residents/older-adults/assisted-living-and-supports-for-daily-living-prog) 4. [Cornerstone Association of REALTORS, market update September 2026 (released October 5, 2026)](https://cornerstone.inc/articles/cornerstone-real-estate-market-update-september-2026) 5. [Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care, Paying for long-term care (updated July 10, 2026)](https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-help-paying-long-term-care) ## 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 **Does Ontario pay for home care in Burlington?** Yes. If you qualify, Ontario Health atHome assesses your needs and arranges publicly funded nursing, therapy and personal support at no charge. The hours depend on your assessed needs and on what is available in your community, and extra private help can be paid for on top. **Can a reverse mortgage pay for care month by month?** Yes. Lenders typically ask you to take a first amount of roughly $20,000 to $25,000 at closing, and scheduled monthly deposits can follow. Interest is charged only on the money you actually take, so an unused amount costs nothing. **Will reverse mortgage money reduce my OAS or GIS?** No. Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement look at income, and borrowed money is not income, so these payments stay the same and no tax is due. Savings interest is different: interest earned on unspent money counts, which is one reason to take money as you need it rather than all at once. **What happens to the reverse mortgage after a move into long-term care?** If you are the last borrower and the move is permanent, the loan comes due. Depending on the product, the family then has six months to a year to sell or pay it off. A temporary hospital stay changes nothing, and neither does a move into care while your spouse, also a borrower, stays home. More detail is in [long-term care in Burlington](/guide/long-term-care-burlington/). **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 [ 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/)[ Building a garden suite Burlington's rules for a backyard garden suite, the permit steps, and how a reverse mortgage can pay to build one. ](/garden-suite-burlington/)[ 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/) --- 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.