Construction checklist
Construction mortgage document checklist
A draw mortgage funds in stages, and the lender wants the whole build on paper before the first one: the permit, the plans and specifications, an itemised budget, the signed builder contract and proof your client owns the lot. This is the list Startly sends your client to complete on their phone.
- Documents
- 15, 13 required
- Applies to
- Construction, salaried, main applicant
- Version
- Startly’s checklist of Nov 1, 2026
The checklist
15 documents in four groups
The lot, the permit, the plans, the budget and the builder contract, with proof of down payment and employment income.
Every document is required unless it says optional. Each upload is checked to be readable and the right document, plus the checks listed under it. Descriptions are shown to your client as written.
Startly’s built-in checklist. Your brokerage can tailor it; your version stays private.
Identity and banking
3 documents, all required
- 1
Government-issued photo ID
Driver's licence or passport, front and back.
Checked for name, front and back, not expired.
- 2
Credit check consent
Signed consent form from your broker. Do not upload your SIN card.
Checked for name, signature and date.
- 3
90 days of bank statements
All pages, for every account you use.
Checked for name, every page, 90 days covered. Figures read and cited to the page.
The build
8 documents, 6 required
- 4
Proof you own the lot, or its purchase agreement
The deed or transfer, or the signed purchase agreement if you are buying the lot.
Checked for name, every page.
- 5
Building permit
Issued by your municipality. The first draw waits for it.
Checked for every page.
- 6
Plans and specifications
The drawings and the specification sheet your builder quoted from.
Checked for every page.
- 7
Construction budget
Itemised cost breakdown with a timeline. Lenders look for a contingency of 10 to 15 percent.
Checked for every page.
- 8
Builder contract
Signed fixed-price contract with its stage and payment schedule, or your contractors' quotes if you are building it yourself.
Checked for every page, signature and date.
- 9
Proof of down payment
Statements showing the funds. A lot you own outright counts as equity.
Checked for name, every page. Figures read and cited to the page.
- 10
Course of construction insurance,Optional
Builder's risk insurance for the build. Needed before the first draw, not to apply.
Checked for name.
- 11
Tarion enrolment or owner-builder letter,Optional
Your builder's Tarion enrolment for the home, or the letter of confirmation if you are the builder.
Employment income
2 documents, all required
- 12
Employment letter
On letterhead, dated within 30 days: position, start date, salary or hourly rate.
Checked for name, letterhead and details, dated within 30 days, signature and date. Figures read and cited to the page.
- 13
Two most recent pay stubs
Checked for name. Figures read and cited to the page.
Employment income history
2 documents, all required
- 14
T4 slips, last 2 years
Checked for name, both years. Figures read and cited to the page.
- 15
Notices of Assessment, last 2 years
From CRA My Account. Confirms no taxes owing.
Checked for name, both years. Figures read and cited to the page.
Why these documents
What the lender is looking for
The lender advances the money as the house goes up, after an inspection at each stage, so it underwrites the plan, the builder and the budget as much as the borrower.
- Building permit
- Nothing is advanced before the municipality issues it. A build that starts without one stalls at the first draw.
- Plans and specifications
- The appraiser values the finished home from the drawings and the specification sheet, and the inspector checks each stage against them.
- Construction budget
- Sets the loan. Lenders do not advance past the approved figure, so they look for a contingency of 10 to 15 percent in it.
- Builder contract
- A fixed price with a stage and payment schedule the lender can line up with its draws. A self-builder sends the contractors’ quotes instead.
- Proof you own the lot, or its purchase agreement
- The lot is the first security. Owned outright, it counts as equity; still to be bought, the lender needs its purchase agreement.
- Tarion enrolment or owner-builder letter
- Optional. Ontario’s new-home warranty: the builder’s Tarion enrolment, or the owner-builder letter of confirmation when your client directs the trades.
How Startly reads them
Send one link. Startly checks every page.
Step 1
Send one link
Open an Application for a construction mortgage. Startly picks this checklist; tailor it, then send your client their link by email or text.
Step 2
Your client sends them
They enter a code we email them, with no account to create, and photograph or upload each item. Reminders follow, by default on days 2, 5 and 9, until everything is in.
Step 3
Startly checks each upload
Readable, the right document, every page, a signed contract, a letter dated within 30 days. When something is missing, your client is asked for it, not told what we found.
Step 4
You review and decide
Startly reads the employment figures and cites each to its page. Findings show what doesn’t add up; you dismiss each with a reason, accept each document, then download the package.
Questions
Common questions
What documents do I need for a construction mortgage in Ontario?
The building permit, the plans and specifications, an itemised construction budget with a timeline, the signed builder contract or your contractors’ quotes, the deed to the lot or its purchase agreement, proof of the down payment, course of construction insurance before the first draw, and the usual identity, credit and income documents. The lender orders an appraisal of the lot and of the home as it will be when complete.
How does a construction mortgage draw schedule work?
The lender sets it at approval, typically four draws at foundation, lock-up, drywall and completion, each released after an inspection your client pays for. The schedule is the lender’s, so it is not on this checklist; the budget and the builder’s payment schedule are what it is built from.
Can my client get a construction mortgage as an owner-builder?
Some lenders allow it, with contractors’ quotes in place of a builder contract and the owner-builder letter of confirmation from Tarion in place of an enrolment. Expect questions about your client’s building experience, and a resume of it for some lenders.
Does my client need an account?
No. Each applicant has their own link and signs in with a one-time code sent to their email.
Early access
Collect a construction file without the chase.
Sign in with your work email to join the waitlist. We let brokerages in a few at a time and email you when your account is ready. Early-access brokerages get their first 3 months free.