Laval in official numbers
Laval is the 1st municipality in the Laval region by population, with 459,650 residents across 267.0 km². Provincially it ranks 3rd.
A large city concentrates every case: first purchase, plex, condo, refinancing. What they share is that the lender decides on your numbers, not your postal code. The rest is won in how the file is built.
Everything runs remotely: the call, video, documents online, final signature at your notary’s. I have no premises in Laval and don’t need any to build your file. The guides describe the full sequence if you’d rather read first.
Every figure in this section is drawn from MAMH open data, municipal directory. Nothing is estimated; the reading date sits at the foot of the page.
The same services apply to the neighbouring areas: Québec, Gatineau and Montréal.
Transfer duty in Laval
In Laval, the transfer duty, the “welcome tax”, is calculated in brackets on the higher of the price paid and the standardized municipal assessment. With Quebec’s base schedule for 2026 (0.5% up to $62,900, 1% up to $315,000, 1.5% above), a $350,000 purchase comes to about $3,360 and a $500,000 purchase to about $5,610. Laval may have adopted higher brackets above $500,000: check its schedule before setting your reserve.
The bill arrives by mail weeks or months after closing. It does not go through the notary and cannot be financed in the mortgage: keep the amount in your reserve after the purchase. For your price, use the purchase costs tool.
What happens between your call and the signature
Whether the property is in Laval or elsewhere, the order does not change: we talk, I build the file the way an analyst will read it, I present it to several lenders, you choose, and I follow the conditions through to the notary. A pre-approval is not an approval: the lender still reviews the property. The full process, with timing, is on the How it works page.
What I ask you for, and why
What I ask for fits in three blocks: your proof of income, your asset statements over three months, and your list of debts. A debt discovered mid-analysis forces a reassessment; better to hand everything over up front, the credit bureau will show it anyway. The item-by-item detail is in the guide Prepare a purchase file.
The questions that keep coming back
Are there fewer lenders available outside the major centres? Some lenders apply different policies by location, on maximum value or property type. That doesn’t mean fewer options: it means aiming at the right ones.
What does it cost me? On a standard residential file, the lender compensates me. If fees were ever payable by you, it happens on some private financing files, I tell you in writing before we go any further.
Do I need 20% down? No. Below 20%, the loan must be insured and a premium is added to the amount borrowed. The minimum threshold depends on the purchase price and must be confirmed for your situation.
Is there a local branch I can walk into? Not in Laval : I work remotely across Quebec, and the file moves by phone, video and secure document exchange. Start from the contact page.
Is a pre-approval an approval? No. It’s an indication of capacity with a rate held for a limited window. The lender still has to approve the property itself.
Why do advertised rates vary so much? Because a posted rate is an advertisement, not an offer. The real number is set against your file, and two lenders can quote two prices for the same person.