Comment pouvons-nous vous aider?

Sealed Tender: You submit a written bid in a sealed envelope with a deposit. All bids are opened at the same time, and the highest eligible bidder wins. This is the most common method in Ontario.

Public Auction: A live event (in-person or online) where bidders compete openly. The auctioneer starts at the minimum price and bidders raise until one remains. Common in Alberta and British Columbia.

Deposit requirements vary by municipality but typically range from 20% of your bid amount (in Ontario) to a fixed fee. The deposit is usually required to be:

• Certified cheque or bank draft
• Money order
• Cash (rarely accepted now)

Deposits from losing bidders are usually returned within a few days of the sale or immediately after the tender opening.

After winning a tax sale bid, you typically have 14 days (in Ontario) to pay the remaining balance plus any applicable Land Transfer Tax and HST. Failure to complete the purchase within this strict timeframe will result in the forfeiture of your deposit and the property may be offered to the second-highest bidder or re-listed.

Generally, no. Tax sale properties are sold "as is, where is". Purchasers do not have the right to enter the property for inspection effectively making it a blind buy. You can view the property from the public street, but entering the land is considered trespassing.