Real Estate Tax Planning for Landlords, Investors and Realtors
Rental income, property sales, flips, pre-construction assignments, HST rebates and holding-company structures — Trim Tax makes sure real estate builds your wealth instead of your tax bill.
Real estate is where tax mistakes get expensive
Property transactions involve large numbers and detailed rules: the principal residence exemption and its designation requirements, the property-flipping rule that treats gains on residential properties held under 365 days as fully taxable business income, GST/HST on new and substantially renovated homes, assignment sales, the Underused Housing Tax, non-resident withholding, and the distinction between a repair (deductible now) and an improvement (capitalised).
A single missed designation or rebate can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Trim Tax's CPAs advise before you buy, sell or restructure — and prepare every return, election and rebate afterwards.
Landlords, flippers and realtors have different problems
A landlord needs a correct T776 each year, an adjusted cost base that captures every capitalised improvement, and a decision each year on whether to claim capital cost allowance. A flipper or pre-construction assignor needs to know before closing whether the gain will be a capital gain or business income and whether HST applies to the assignment.
A real estate agent needs a Personal Real Estate Corporation set up and maintained properly, commission income and marketing expenses reported correctly and HST on commissions reconciled. We serve all three, and investors moving between them, from a single practice.
Real estate tax services
- Rental income statements (T776) for individuals and rental schedules for corporate landlords
- Adjusted cost base tracking, renovation capitalisation and capital cost allowance strategy
- Capital gains calculations on sale, including selling costs, recapture and the current inclusion rate
- Principal residence exemption designations (T2091) and change-in-use elections (subsections 45(2) and 45(3))
- Property-flipping and assignment-sale analysis: capital gain versus business income, and the 365-day rule exceptions
- GST/HST on new builds, substantial renovations, self-supply and assignment sales; New Housing and New Residential Rental Property rebates
- Underused Housing Tax (UHT) returns for affected corporate, partnership, trust and non-resident owners
- Non-resident purchases and sales: Section 116 clearance certificates, NR4/NR6 and Section 216 returns
- Real estate holding company, family trust and joint-venture structuring
- Personal Real Estate Corporation (PREC) setup and annual filings for Ontario realtors
- Airbnb and short-term rental income, HST registration and municipal considerations
- Commercial property, mixed-use and land development accounting and HST
- Mortgage interest deductibility planning, including the Smith Manoeuvre and readvanceable mortgages
- Investment income planning across taxable and registered accounts: dividends, interest, capital gains and loss harvesting
Who we help
Landlords with one unit or a portfolio, in personal names or corporations
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House flippers, renovators and small builders
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Pre-construction buyers with assignment sales
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Real estate agents and brokers (PREC and brokerage accounting)
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Property management companies
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Non-residents owning, renting or selling Canadian property
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Joint-venture partners and private lenders
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Investors with stock, crypto and real estate portfolios
Book a consultationWhy choose Trim Tax for real estate tax
- CPAs who handle real estate transactions weekly: rebates, elections and designations are routine, not research projects.
- Advice before the deal — the capital-gain-versus-business-income question and the HST question are answered before you sign.
- Structuring grounded in numbers: we model personal versus corporate versus trust ownership against your actual goals.
- Non-resident capability for owners abroad, plus Canadian reporting (T776, T1135, foreign tax credits) for Canadians who own property outside Canada.
- PREC specialists for realtors, including compensation planning inside the corporation.
- Flat fees for rental returns, rebates and structuring engagements.
Frequently asked questions
Plan your next property move with a CPA.
Book a free real estate tax consultation — call 647 243-5076 or email info@trimtax.ca.
