BUYING COSTS · ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Closing Costs When Buying a Home in St. John’s, NL (2026)
Newfoundland and Labrador has no land transfer tax. Instead, buyers pay Registry of Deeds fees on both the deed and the mortgage: $100 plus $0.40 per $100 above $500 for each. Add legal fees, title insurance, an inspection, a possible survey and tax adjustments, and most St. John’s buyers should budget roughly 1.5–2% of the price in total closing costs.
Last updated: October 31, 2026 · By Jay Schwartz, REALTOR® · Royal LePage Vision Realty
For buyers in St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Paradise and Conception Bay South, including people moving from other provinces. Every dollar figure is an estimate except the statutory registration formula.
No land transfer tax · Registration fees by formula · Clear advice before big decisions
EXAMPLE: $436,750 RESALE HOME
≈ $5,320–$8,370
Estimated cash closing costs with 5% down
Deed fee $1,845.20 · Mortgage fee $1,824.40
Excludes the $21,837.50 down payment and closing-day adjustments. See the worked example below.
Why I care about closing costs
MY STORY
Before I was a REALTOR®, I bought a home of my own, and the closing costs caught me completely off guard: roughly $8,000 I didn’t expect. Nobody warned me. I ended up shuffling money around at the last minute, and it was extremely stressful. That experience is a big part of what got me into this business. I want the people I work with to know what’s coming, so they aren’t hit with expensive surprises they could have known about and prepared for. That’s why I wrote this guide.
— Jay Schwartz, REALTOR®
The short version: what you’ll pay at closing
Closing costs are the cash you pay on or before closing day, on top of your down payment. Your down payment is separate: it goes toward the price of the home, while closing costs pay for registering, insuring and inspecting it. For the full buying process from first showing to keys, see Jay’s home-buying guide.
Range sources: registration fees are calculated from the Registry of Deeds Schedule of Fees; legal, title, inspection and survey ranges are estimates from Royal LePage Turner Realty’s local resources.
Every dollar figure on this page is an estimate except the statutory registration formula. Confirm exact amounts with your lawyer, lender and insurer.
Is there a land transfer tax in Newfoundland and Labrador?
No. Newfoundland and Labrador does not charge a land transfer tax. Under the Services Charges Act (as amended in 2013), buyers pay Registry of Deeds registration fees instead: one on the deed and one on the mortgage.
This surprises many people moving here. If you’re coming from Ontario, British Columbia or Nova Scotia, you may have budgeted for a provincial or municipal land transfer tax. Those taxes don’t apply in NL, so your closing budget here is usually smaller than you expect. Planning a move? Start with Jay’s guide to moving to St. John’s.
Registry of Deeds fees (deed and mortgage)
How the fee is calculated
The fee is $100 if the value is $500 or less. Above that, you pay $100 plus $0.40 for each additional $100 or part of $100. Any part of $100 rounds up to a full step. The mortgage registration fee uses the same formula and is capped at $5,000. Sources: Registry of Deeds Schedule of Fees and CADO.
Why you pay it twice
You register two documents. The deed is charged on the value of the property. The mortgage is charged on the amount it secures. If you pay cash and have no mortgage, you pay only the deed fee.
Fee table: $300k to $500k with an 80% mortgage
Calculated from the statutory formula in the Schedule of Fees. Check your own numbers with the province’s official online fee calculator.
Mortgage default insurance (CMHC, Sagen, Canada Guaranty)
If your down payment is less than 20%, your lender will require mortgage default insurance from CMHC, Sagen or Canada Guaranty. The minimum down payment is 5% up to $500,000, 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the portion above it up to $1.5 million, and 20% at $1.5 million or more (FCAC). For how down payments and approvals work, read the first-time buyer mortgage guide.
CMHC’s homeowner premiums are 4.00% of the loan at 90.01–95% loan-to-value, 3.10% at 85.01–90% and 2.80% at 80.01–85%. Add 0.20% for amortizations over 25 years. The premium can be added to your mortgage, so it usually isn’t cash out of pocket (CMHC premium information).
Here’s the Newfoundland and Labrador point: there’s no provincial sales tax on the premium. NL’s 15% retail sales tax on insurance exempts residential mortgage default insurance (NL Department of Finance), and CMHC lists only Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan as taxing it. So you have no cash due on the premium at closing.
Because the premium is added to the loan, the mortgage registration fee is based on the insured amount (loan plus premium).
Legal fees and disbursements
In NL, your real estate lawyer handles the legal side of closing: the title search, registering the deed and mortgage, preparing the statement of adjustments and handling the funds between you, your lender and the seller.
Budget about $1,000–$1,600 for legal fees and disbursements. This is an estimate; ask for a written quote before you sign so you know what’s included. Source for typical local costs: Royal LePage Turner Realty local resources.
Title insurance
Title insurance protects you and your lender against certain problems with the property’s title, such as errors in the public record, liens or survey issues. Your lender may require it, and it’s often arranged by your lawyer as part of closing. It costs about $250–$500 (source). In St. John’s, the seller often pays for title insurance, but not always, so check your purchase agreement.
Survey or Real Property Report
Lenders and lawyers often want a current survey or Real Property Report (RPR) showing where the house, fences and outbuildings sit on the lot. A new one is usually needed when the existing survey is old or when a shed, fence, deck or addition has been built since.
Who pays is negotiable in the offer: buyer, seller or split. Ask early whether the seller’s survey is still current. In NL, only a registered Newfoundland and Labrador land surveyor can prepare one. An RPR costs about $600, and a survey plus RPR together is around $2,000 (source).
Home inspection (and extra checks for older St. John’s homes)
A general home inspection costs about $400–$600 plus HST (source).
On older St. John’s homes, it can be worth adding an electrician’s or plumber’s visit, and checking any oil tank’s age and condition. A full inspection checklist page is coming soon.
Closing-day adjustments
Property tax
In 2026 the City of St. John’s residential rate is 9.1 mills (with water and sewer), plus a $700 water tax per unit (City of St. John’s tax rates). If the seller has prepaid the year’s tax, you reimburse them for the share that covers the days after closing. As an illustration only: a home assessed at $436,750 would pay about $3,974 a year in municipal tax, plus the $700 water tax. Assessed value isn’t the same as the sale price.
Rates differ across the metro. Mount Pearl charges 7.7 mills residential and $625 per unit for water and wastewater (City of Mount Pearl). Paradise’s residential rate is about 0.74% of assessed value and Conception Bay South’s is about 0.76%; confirm the current rate with the town or your lawyer. See the Paradise and Conception Bay South area guides.
Compare neighbourhoods: St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Conception Bay South or all areas.
Heating oil left in the tank
If the home heats with oil, the agreement may require you to pay the seller for oil left in the tank. Ask your lawyer to confirm the oil tank’s registration status (the HOST check) before closing, as tanks can also affect your insurance.
Home insurance
Your lender will need proof of home insurance before closing, so get quotes as soon as your offer is accepted. NL has permanently removed the 15% retail sales tax on personal property insurance, which includes home insurance (NL Budget 2025 highlights; Canadian Underwriter). An oil tank, especially an older one, can affect your premium or whether an insurer will cover the home.
Buying a new build? HST and rebates
Resale homes are exempt from HST. New builds carry 15% HST in NL: 5% federal plus 10% provincial (CRA RC4028).
The GST/HST New Housing Rebate can return part of the federal portion (CRA RC4028).
The First-Time Home Buyers’ (FTHB) GST/HST rebate is worth up to $50,000 (100% of the federal part) on new homes up to $1 million, phased out by $1.5 million, for agreements signed from March 20, 2025 to the end of 2030 (CRA GST/HST Memo 19-3-10).
Newfoundland and Labrador offers no rebate on the 10% provincial part of the HST.
Selling? On the seller side, HST is charged on your realtor’s services (the commission), even on a resale home.
Ask the builder whether the price includes HST and whether it is shown net of the rebate. Eligibility depends on your situation, so check with CRA and your lawyer.
Other move-in costs people forget
Moving costs, which vary with distance and volume, so get a few quotes
Utility hookups, including Newfoundland Power
A locksmith to change the locks
The first oil fill, if the home heats with oil
Condo fees and a status certificate, if you’re buying a condo
Buying a home with a rental unit? Financing works differently, so read the two-apartment homes guide.
First-time buyer help in NL
NL Housing’s First-time Homebuyers Program offers a grant of 50% of legal closing costs up to $1,500, plus a repayable down payment loan of up to 5%, for homes priced up to $350,000 in the St. John’s census metropolitan area (NLHC). Check eligibility with NLHC directly.
Federal tools can help with the down payment: the First Home Savings Account (FHSA) and the RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan.
Worked example: closing on a $436,750 St. John’s home
This example uses $436,750, the May–October 2026 metro median sold price in Jay’s St. John’s market report. Assumptions: an owner-occupied resale home (no HST), a 25-year amortization, the 5% minimum down payment, the CMHC premium added to the loan, and a mortgage registration fee charged on the insured amount. This is an estimate.
That’s about 1.2% to 1.9% of the price before adjustments. With 20% down instead ($87,350 down, a $349,400 mortgage and no CMHC premium), the mortgage registration fee drops to $100 + 3,489 × $0.40 = $1,495.60. Fee sources: Schedule of Fees, CMHC.
Closing Cost Questions
Straightforward answers to common questions. Select a question to open or close its answer.
No. Buyers pay Registry of Deeds registration fees on the deed and the mortgage instead.
$100 for the first $500 of value, plus $0.40 for each additional $100 or part of $100. The mortgage fee uses the same formula on the amount borrowed and is capped at $5,000.
Roughly $5,300–$8,400 in cash on top of the down payment, depending on legal fees, title insurance and whether a new survey is needed. This is an estimate; see the worked example on this page.
No. NL exempts residential mortgage default insurance from its retail sales tax, and the premium is usually added to your mortgage.
Not on a resale home. New builds carry 15% HST. Federal rebates can return some or all of the 5% federal part. NL offers no rebate on the 10% provincial part. Confirm with your lawyer.
It’s negotiated in the offer: buyer, seller or split. Ask early whether the existing survey is still current.
You reimburse the seller for property tax they’ve prepaid past the closing date, and sometimes for heating oil left in the tank.
NLHC’s First-time Homebuyers Program offers a grant of 50% of legal closing costs up to $1,500, plus a repayable down payment loan, for homes up to $350,000 in the St. John’s area. Check eligibility with NLHC.
Talk It Through Before You Make an Offer
Closing costs shouldn’t be a surprise on the last week of your purchase.
If you’re planning a move in the St. John’s metro, I’m happy to walk through a realistic budget for the homes you’re looking at, before you write an offer.
Clear advice before big decisions.
About This Guide
Jay Schwartz, REALTOR® · Royal LePage Vision Realty Inc.
Last updated: October 31, 2026 · Reviewed every January (city mill rates) and whenever federal rebate rules change.
Sources, checked October 31, 2026:
The figures on this page are general estimates as of October 2026, provided for information only. They are not legal, tax or financial advice. Costs vary by property, lender, municipality and transaction, so confirm your numbers with your lawyer, lender and accountant. Jay Schwartz is a REALTOR® with Royal LePage Vision Realty Inc. Each office independently owned and operated.