How to qualify for the first-time home buyers’ tax credit (HBTC)

To qualify for the HBTC, first, you have to be first time home buyer. That means you did not lived in another home owned by you or your spouse or common-law partner in the year of purchase or in any of the four preceding years.

Second, the home you acquired must be a qualifying home. It means the home has to be a housing unit located in Canada including existing homes and those being constructed. Single home, semi-detached homes, townhouses, mobile homes, condominium units, and apartments in duplexes, fourplexes, or apartment buildings all qualify. It has to be occupied as a principal place of residence no later than one year after it is acquired.

Person with disability

If you are a person with a disability or are buying a house for a related person with a disability, you don’t need to be a first-time home buyer. But the home must provide a more accessible dwelling or an environment better suited to the personal needs and care of the person with disability.