Half Duplex | Money
Getting a Mortgage on a Half Duplex
For most buyers this is an ordinary residential mortgage. There are a few places where a half duplex raises a question a detached purchase would not.
The short answer
A half duplex is financed as a normal residential property and the usual down payment and insurance rules apply. Where questions arise it is generally about the strata: a very small strata with no depreciation report and a thin reserve is something some lenders look at more closely.
| Rate | 25 years | 30 years |
|---|---|---|
| 4.00% | $7,030 | $6,355 |
| 4.50% | $7,397 | $6,738 |
| 5.00% | $7,773 | $7,132 |
| 5.50% | $8,157 | $7,536 |
| 6.00% | $8,550 | $7,949 |
Mortgage only. Strata fee, property tax, and insurance are extra; the monthly cost page adds them up. The Bank of Canada posted five-year rate was 6.09% on 2026-09-02, which is higher than the discounted rate most buyers are offered, which is why this is a grid rather than one number.
The rules that apply to any home
Minimum down payment is a share of the price, mortgage default insurance applies below twenty percent down, and insurance is unavailable at or above a purchase price of one and a half million dollars, where twenty percent becomes the floor.
None of that is specific to half duplexes. The cost pages work the numbers, and the grid below shows what the payment looks like across a range of rates rather than pretending to know the rate you will be offered.
Where a half duplex is different
Two-owner stratas are small, and small stratas often have no depreciation report and a modest reserve. Some lenders take more interest in that than they would in a large well-run strata.
Where a suite is involved, how much rental income counts toward qualifying varies by lender and by whether the suite is legal. That is a broker conversation on the specific property rather than a general rule.
What to line up early
Get a pre-approval before you shop, and tell the broker you are looking at half duplexes so anything unusual surfaces early rather than during a subject period.
- → A pre-approval that reflects the property type you are actually buying
- → Clarity on what rental income, if any, a lender will count
- → The strata documents ready, since a lender may want to see them
- → Confirmation of whether the property is strata or freehold, which changes the file
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Common questions
Is it harder to get a mortgage on a half duplex?
Generally no. It is financed as a normal residential property. Where questions come up it is usually about a very small strata with no depreciation report and a thin reserve, which some lenders scrutinise more closely than a large professionally managed one.
Will a lender count the rent from a suite?
Often a portion, and it varies by lender and by whether the suite is legal. Get this confirmed on the specific property before relying on it, because a suite that helps you qualify with one lender may not with another.
What rate should I use to plan?
Your own quoted rate, which is why this page shows a grid rather than a single figure. The Bank of Canada publishes a posted rate that is materially higher than what most buyers are actually offered, so planning from it would overstate the payment.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
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- CMHC, mortgage loan insurance for consumers
Insurance is unavailable at a purchase price of $1.5M or more, where 20% down is required.
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- CMHC, mortgage loan insurance premiums
2.80% at 80.01 to 85% LTV, 3.10% to 90%, 4.00% to 95%.
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- Bank of Canada, Canadian interest rates
Posted 5-year conventional mortgage rate and the policy interest rate.
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See the half duplexes on the market
Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, parking, and distance to a station.