The second question everyone asks
How you’ll pay for your tiny home — in order, in plain language.
Financing follows certification. Because third-party certification is written into every KYRAX build contract, lenders have something real to lend against. Here’s what that looks like where you are.
Path A — Modular (A277)
A mortgage, because it's a house
Choose an A277 modular model — on a permanent foundation it’s real property.
Confirm your site and foundation plan — the zoning lookup starts this.
Apply through your lender using government-backed mortgage insurance designed specifically for factory-built homes (CMHC Prefab Plus). Down payments start at 5%, and funds are released in stages as your project progresses.
Your KYRAX documentation package — certification record, drawings, engineering letters — goes with the application.
Path B — On wheels (Z240)
RV-style and chattel lending
Built to Z240 and certified before delivery, the unit is insurable and lendable as more than a DIY trailer.
Chattel and RV-style loans — shorter terms and higher rates than a mortgage, but faster approval. Canada’s housing agency also insures loans on movable factory-built homes; we’ll point your lender to the program.
Financing pre-check — answer in 48 hours.
Tell us your land status, rough down payment, and timeline. We’ll tell you which path fits and connect you with a lender who has financed certified factory-built homes before. No credit pull, no obligation.
Start the pre-check →
Path C — On your own property (laneway / garden suite)
Your house helps pay for it
If you own a home, the equity in it is usually the financing. Lenders can refinance up to 90% of your property’s value after the new suite is added — meaning the project itself increases what you can borrow.
Funds are released in stages as construction progresses — which maps exactly onto our milestone payment schedule.
Approval happens before we start building. We won’t let you sign until the financing plan and the build plan agree.
- Planning a laneway home? Start with the laneway guide →
Path D — Paying cash
Skip this page
About one in four tiny home buyers pays outright. If that’s you, your protection isn’t a lender — it’s our payment schedule: five milestones, each released only after you’ve seen photo-verified progress, with the final 5% held until your walkthrough. Book a consultation and bring your questions.
Prefer the single-market read? Financing in Canada · Financing in the USA
Have a specific question? See the financing FAQ
What the numbers can look like
Illustrations only — not an offer, not a quote, not a promise of approval. Rates are examples; your lender sets actual terms (OAC). Canadian mortgage rates compound differently than shown; treat these as ballpark.
| Scenario | Structure | Approx. monthly |
|---|---|---|
| $119,900 home on your own land, mortgage path | 20% down · 25-year amortization · 5.5% example rate | ≈ $589/mo |
| Same home on wheels, chattel/RV-style path | 20% down · 15-year term · 8.5% example rate | ≈ $945/mo |
| $250,000 laneway project via refinance | 30-year amortization · 5.5% example rate | ≈ $1,420/mo — compare against your neighbourhood’s rental rates |
Yes, the on-wheels path costs more per month. We’d rather you know that on this page than at the bank.
How financing fits our build schedule
Here’s something most builders won’t tell you: our payment schedule collects most of the price in milestones during the factory build, while many lenders release the largest advance at delivery. Those two timelines have to be reconciled — and we do it before you sign, not after.
In practice: your down payment typically covers the early milestones, and your lender’s advance clears the balance at delivery and installation. On refinance-based projects, staged advances line up with our milestones directly. At your consultation we map your financing to the schedule line by line. If the two don’t fit, we’ll tell you plainly and we won’t take your deposit.
What lenders will ask for
Certification record for your unit · Signed build quote · Land or pad status · Your KYRAX documentation package — assembled for you, not by you
What we won’t do
Publish rates we can’t verify · Promise approval — that’s your lender’s call · Let you sign before financing and placement both make sense
Financing questions
Can you get a mortgage on a tiny home in Canada?
Yes, if it's a certified factory-built home permanently set on a foundation on land you own — at that point it's real property, and government-backed mortgage insurance for factory-built homes applies. Homes on wheels use chattel or RV-style loans instead.
What credit score do I need?
Government-backed programs for factory-built homes generally look for a minimum score around 600, though each lender sets its own bar. A larger down payment can offset a thinner file. We'll tell you honestly at the pre-check if the numbers look tight.
Can rental income from a laneway home help me qualify?
Increasingly, yes — lenders and insurers on both sides of the border have moved toward counting suite rental income in qualification. The rules are new and lender-specific; this is exactly what the consultation walks through.
Do you offer in-house financing?
No — and be careful with anyone who says yes. We do something better: a documentation package lenders actually accept, a pre-check with an answer in 48 hours, and a payment schedule your lender can verify with photos.
Financing pre-check — answer in 48 hours.
Tell us your land status, rough down payment, and timeline. We’ll tell you which path fits and connect you with a lender who has financed certified factory-built homes before. No credit pull, no obligation.
Start the pre-check →Get the financing guide
The full walkthrough — mortgage steps for factory-built homes, refinance path, chattel options — in one PDF.
Bring your numbers to the call. We’ll tell you honestly if they work.
Book a consultation