It’s a common held belief that if you’ve made your mortgage payments on time throughout the entirety of your mortgage term, that your lender is somehow obligated to renew your mortgage. This is simply not the case. The truth is, a lender is never under any obligation to renew your mortgage. The initial mortgage contract was drawn up for a defined time. Therefore, when that term comes to an end, the lender has every right to call the loan.

Are lenders obligated to renew your mortgage?

Now, granted, most lenders are happy to renew your mortgage if you have made all your payments on time. However, there are several factors that can come into play that could prevent this from happening. If the lender becomes aware that you have recently gone through a divorce, a bankruptcy, or a job loss, they might be hesitant to renew your mortgage. Although more frequently seen in commercial mortgages, banks will often decide not to renew a mortgage if they don’t like the economic climate or certain geographical area.

How do I protect myself?

So how do you protect yourself? Well, the first plan of action is to speak with your mortgage professional about your options. You should start the conversation least 90-120 days before your term is set to expire. This will ensure you have enough time to look at all your options. It might make sense to switch to another lender, or it might make sense to stay put. It starts by dealing with an independent mortgage professional (as opposed to directly with the lender). Therefore, you have someone working for you, on your team, instead of someone working for the lender, trying to make money for the lender.

The best plan of action is to be prepared, and to have a plan in place. If you would like to talk about your financial situation, please contact me anytime, I would love to work with you.

Customer Service Numbers:

CMHC: 1-800-668-2642
Genworth: 1-800-511-8888
Canada Guaranty: 1-866-414-9109

ATB: 1-800-332-8383
B2B: 1-800-263-8349
BMO: 1-877-895-3278
Bridgewater: 1-866-243-4301
CIBC: 1-800-465-2422
CMLS: 1-888-995-2657
Optimum: 1-866-441-3775
Equitable: 1-888-334-3313
Connect First: 403-736-4000
Chinook Financial: 403-934-3358
First Calgary Financial: 403-736-4000
First National: 1-888-488-0794
Haventree: 1-855-272-0051
Home Trust: 1-855-270-3630
HSBC: 1-888-310-4722
ICICI: 1-888-424-2422
Manulife: 1-877-765-2265
MCAP: 1-800-265-2624
Merix: 1-877-637-4911
Marathon: 1-855-503-6060
RBC: 1-866-809-5800
RFA: 1-877-416-7873
RMG: 1-866-809-5800
Scotiabank: 1-800-472-6842
Servus: 1-877-378-8728
Street Capital: 1-866-683-8090
TD: 1-866-222-3456