Closing Costs When Buying a Home in Yukon: No Land Transfer Tax, But Here's What You Do Pay

The single biggest closing cost surprise for buyers moving from southern Canada to Whitehorse is the one that doesn't exist. There is no land transfer tax in the Yukon. Not a reduced rate, not a rebate for first-time buyers — there simply is no provincial or territorial land transfer tax, and the City of Whitehorse does not impose a municipal deed transfer tax either. On a $550,000 row house, a buyer in Ontario would face roughly $9,500 in provincial LTT and another $9,500 in Toronto municipal LTT. In Whitehorse, that line item is zero.

That is a significant financial advantage, but it can create a false sense of how cheap closing is. The closing costs that do exist in Yukon still add up, and first-time buyers who assume "no LTT = cheap closing" sometimes arrive at their lawyer's office underprepared.

What You Actually Pay at Closing in Yukon

Land Titles Registration Fees

The Yukon Land Titles Office charges two types of fees: one for registering the property transfer and one for registering the mortgage.

Property transfer fees: For homes valued between $500,000 and $2,999,999, the base fee is $350. For properties between $100,000 and $499,999, the base fee is $150.

In addition to the base transfer fee, there is an Assurance Fund Fee — a small charge that funds the Torrens title insurance mechanism. This fee is calculated only on the increase in declared value since the last registered transfer, not on the full purchase price. The calculation is $20 for the first $10,000 of increased value, plus $10 for every additional $10,000.

Example: You buy a row house for $550,000. The previous registered sale was $480,000. The declared increase is $70,000. Your Assurance Fund Fee = $20 + ($60 × $10) = $20 + $60 = $80. Total property transfer fees = $350 + $80 = $430.

Mortgage registration fees: The fee to register your mortgage depends on the principal amount. For mortgages between $100,000 and $499,999, the fee is $100. For mortgages between $500,000 and $999,999, the fee is $200.

For most first-time buyers, total Land Titles fees will be well under $700. This stands in stark contrast to the thousands (or tens of thousands) that buyers in BC, Ontario, or Manitoba pay in transfer taxes.

Legal Fees

Engaging a real estate lawyer in Whitehorse is mandatory for any transaction involving a mortgage. Your lawyer handles reviewing the Contract of Purchase and Sale, ordering title and property tax certificates, receiving and preparing mortgage documents from your lender, and managing the secure disbursement of trust funds at closing.

Real estate legal fees in Whitehorse typically run $1,400 to $1,750 for a standard purchase. If you're simultaneously refinancing or discharging an existing mortgage, expect closer to $1,000 to $1,500 for that component.

The closing timeline in Whitehorse is typically 30 to 45 days, which gives your lawyer adequate time to work through mortgage instructions from the bank and complete the title registration. Because final mortgage approval decisions for major chartered banks are often made in centralized offices in southern Canada, building in sufficient time for the financing subject period is important.

Home Inspection

A professional home inspection in Whitehorse costs approximately $500 to $800. The industry is unregulated in the Yukon — no mandatory territorial licensing exists — so you should specifically hire an inspector with national certification (InterNACHI or equivalent) and demonstrated experience with northern construction: thermal envelopes, heating systems, permafrost foundations, and PWF (Permanent Wood Foundation) structures.

If the home was built before 2000, budgeting for an energy assessment ($50 subsidized) on top of the standard inspection is strongly advisable.

CMHC Mortgage Insurance Premium

If your down payment is less than 20% of the purchase price, your mortgage will be CMHC-insured and you'll pay a mortgage default insurance premium. The premium is added to your mortgage principal (you don't pay it as cash at closing), but it's worth understanding:

• 5% down payment: 4.0% premium on the insured amount
• 10% down payment: 3.1% premium
• 15% down payment: 2.8% premium

On a $550,000 home with 5% down ($27,500), the insured mortgage is $522,500 and the premium is $20,900 — added to your mortgage balance, not due at closing.

Title Insurance (Optional)

While the Yukon's Torrens system provides a high degree of title security through the Assurance Fund, some lenders still require or recommend supplementary title insurance to cover risks not addressed by the government registry — things like survey encroachments, zoning violations, or fraud. Title insurance for a typical Whitehorse purchase runs $200 to $400.

Full Closing Cost Estimate: $550,000 Row House

Your cash at closing would be your down payment (minimum $27,500 at 5%) plus these closing costs — approximately $30,580 out of pocket for a $550,000 purchase, assuming you use the Yukoner First Home Program to cover half your down payment.

The Yukoner First Home Program and Closing Cost Planning

If you're using the Yukoner First Home Program — the Yukon Housing Corporation's down payment assistance loan — the program requires that you have enough of your own funds to cover at least 50% of the minimum down payment plus 100% of closing costs. This means your closing cost estimate directly affects your YHC program eligibility. Budget conservatively, not optimistically.

Using a Local Real Estate Lawyer in Whitehorse

The Yukon real estate market has specific legal characteristics that make local legal counsel valuable beyond the purely technical closing mechanics. A local Whitehorse lawyer will understand First Nations settlement land considerations, the implications of Commissioner's Land, the three-year building commitment attached to government lot lottery purchases, and the nuances of northern property law that a lawyer based in Vancouver or Calgary may not be familiar with. If you're purchasing a resale home in the standard fee-simple market, the process is straightforward — but having a lawyer who has seen hundreds of Whitehorse closings reduces the risk of delays from unanticipated complications.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of every phase of buying your first home in Yukon — including the full financial model and checklists — see the Yukon First-Time Home Buyer Guide.

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