Last month, the mortgage industry panicked when OSFI announced new rules that seemed to ban using personal income to qualify for investment property mortgages, but the interpretation was completely wrong. The actual change is about how banks classify risk and capital requirements for investor mortgages, not underwriting rules, meaning you can still use your income to qualify. What most people missed is that OSFI delayed implementing these rules for three years since 2022, which allowed banks to continue writing investor mortgages with minimal restrictions during a critical market period. When the new capital requirements finally kick in during Q2 2026, investor mortgages will likely cost more and become harder to qualify for, while first-time homebuyers may actually benefit from better terms.

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