Step 1 — Pre-approval (not pre-qualification)
A real pre-approval means a lender has reviewed your full income and credit, confirmed the maximum mortgage you qualify for under the federal stress test, and held a rate for you for 90–120 days. A 'pre-qualification' is a calculator estimate and protects nothing.
For BC buyers in competitive markets like Vancouver, Burnaby, and South Surrey, we always issue a real pre-approval before our clients write offers — including a stress-tested maximum, a hold-rate, and a list of property types the lender will and won't fund.
Step 2 — Live application after an accepted offer
Once your subject-to-financing offer is accepted, we submit a live application to the best-fit lender for your specific deal. Lender choice depends on property type (condo, detached, leasehold, strata, acreage), income shape (T4, self-employed, foreign, rental), and down-payment source.
Underwriting on a clean file in BC typically returns a commitment in 24–72 hours. Anything more complex (rental properties, multiple incomes, self-employed, strata with depreciation-report issues) takes longer.
Step 3 — Conditions
Every approval comes with conditions to satisfy. The standard BC list looks like this:
- →Identification (government photo ID)
- →Income confirmation (pay stubs, T4s, NOAs, T1 Generals for self-employed)
- →Down-payment confirmation (90-day bank statements plus gift letter if applicable)
- →Property documents (MLS listing, accepted contract, Property Disclosure Statement, strata documents)
- →Appraisal — ordered by the lender, paid by you in many cases
- →Confirmation of home insurance binder before funding
Step 4 — Appraisal and BC-specific issues
Most insured deals don't require an appraisal because CMHC/Sagen/Canada Guaranty value the property through their own automated tools. Uninsured deals — almost everything over $1M, which means most of Greater Vancouver — do require one.
BC-specific delays we see weekly: depreciation reports flagging large strata special-levies, leasehold properties (UBC, some First Nations lands), oil-tank issues on older East Van homes, post-tension cable concerns on certain Burnaby/New West buildings, well-and-septic on Squamish/Maple Ridge/Mission acreage. Each one needs a specific lender response — we handle them inside the file rather than letting them blow up subject-removal.
Step 5 — Subject-removal, lawyer, and funding
Once conditions are satisfied, the lender issues final approval and instructs your lawyer or notary. You sign mortgage documents 1–3 days before completion. On completion day, the lender wires funds to your lawyer, who pays the seller, registers the new title with your name and the mortgage charge, and gives you the keys.
Total timeline on a typical BC purchase: 14–30 days from accepted offer to keys. We've closed clean files in as little as 7 business days when the calendar required it.
FAQ
How long does mortgage approval take in BC?+
A clean file with a major lender typically gets a commitment within 24–72 hours of application. The full process from accepted offer to keys is usually 14–30 days.
Does a BC mortgage approval expire?+
Yes — pre-approvals hold for 90–120 days. A live commitment on an actual purchase is good through the completion date you specify.
What disqualifies a BC mortgage approval?+
Most common causes: failed appraisal, undisclosed debt that shows on the credit report, change of employment between approval and funding, or property issues (oil tank, leak, special levy) that come up in subject-removal.