MLI Select points, leverage & premium
Score your 5+ unit rental project on CMHC's point system, then see what the score actually buys: maximum insured loan at the 1.10× debt-coverage floor, the amortization ceiling for your tier, and the insurance premium after the discount — with the binding constraint named, not hidden.
The project
NOI = income after vacancy and operating costs, before debt service — build it in the cap rate & NOI calculator if you need to. Insured pricing typically lands 100–175 bps inside conventional; enter the rate you expect.
Score the project — CMHC's point system
Every tier also requires 100% visitable units and barrier-free common areas (CSA B651). Affordable rents are capped at the legislated guideline or CPI for the life of the commitment. Student housing scores on energy and accessibility only.
Amortization
Your tier sets the ceiling: 50 pts → 40 years, 70 pts → 45, 100 pts → 50. Every 5 years beyond 25 adds a 0.25% premium surcharge — longer amortization buys more loan but costs more premium; the trade-off is priced in below.
The file, sized
- The only calculator that runs CMHC's full MLI Select chain: points → tier → leverage cap → 1.10× DCR sizing → premium after the tier discount, and names which constraint actually binds
- Both point tables built in — existing buildings and new construction score differently, and the calculator switches tables when you switch project type
- Premium priced the way CMHC prices it: LTV-banded base, +0.25% per 5 years of amortization past 25, then the 10/20/30% tier discount on the whole thing
- Figures verified against CMHC's published criteria and multi-unit fee schedule — not a broker-blog approximation
Get your project scored before you apply
This calculator sizes the envelope. We score the actual file — rents against median renter income for your CMA, the energy pathway that fits your building, and the commitment runway — before CMHC sees it. Free, no obligation.
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Recently funded — real files like this
Anonymized case studies from our desk. Names removed, numbers real.
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- ✓ Funded · Commercial / Alternative-to-ABanks Declined. Private Lenders Charged 10%+. We Cut His Rate in Half.Cut the borrower's interest rate in half, moved from double-digit private mortgage costs to an alternative commercial mortgage, paid down principal, improved his credit and cash flow, and positioned him for a prime-lender refinance within two years — one broker, one custom plan, from private exit to prime placement.Read the file →
How the MLI Select calculator works
It mirrors CMHC's published methodology. Your commitments earn points — affordability (50/70/100, plus 30 for a 20-year term), energy efficiency (20/35/50) and accessibility (20/30). The tier your total lands in sets the leverage cap and amortization ceiling. The loan is then sized twice — once against that cap, once against the 1.10× debt-coverage floor at your rate and amortization — and the smaller number wins. That's the loan CMHC's framework supports.
The premium, priced honestly
The insurance premium is banded by loan-to-value and rises 0.25% for every 5 years of amortization past 25 — then your tier discount (10/20/30%) applies to the whole thing. A 100-point file at 95% leverage over 50 years carries a materially different premium than a 50-point file at 80% over 40. The calculator prices both, so the leverage-versus-premium trade-off is a number, not a guess. Premiums can be added to the insured loan.
What it deliberately doesn't do
It covers standard rental housing — the 1.20× shelter-model and 1.40× non-residential coverage floors, second-mortgage and effective-gross-income surcharges, and the premium credit for refinancing an existing CMHC-insured loan are file-specific, and we price those by hand. Debt service uses monthly compounding, the common commercial quoting convention; CMHC or your lender may qualify at a floor rate above contract.
Figures verified against CMHC's published MLI Select criteria and multi-unit fee schedule — last reviewed July 2026. Also see: Cap rate & NOI → · Commercial payment → · Multi-family mortgages →
MLI Select questions, answered
What is CMHC MLI Select?+
CMHC's flagship multi-unit insurance product for 5+ unit rental housing, launched March 2022. Projects earn points for affordability, energy-efficiency and accessibility commitments; the point total (50 / 70 / 100 tiers) unlocks up to 95% leverage, amortization up to 50 years, premium discounts and — at 100 points — limited-recourse borrowing.
How do MLI Select points work?+
Three categories add together. Affordability: 50, 70 or 100 points depending on how many units you commit at rents ≤30% of median renter income (thresholds differ for existing buildings vs new construction), plus 30 bonus points for a 20-year commitment. Energy: 20, 35 or 50 points for efficiency gains. Accessibility: 20 or 30 points. You need at least 50 points to qualify.
What does each tier unlock?+
On existing properties: 50 points gets up to 85% loan-to-value and 40-year amortization; 70 points raises that to 95% and 45 years; 100 points allows 50-year amortization and limited-recourse. New construction gets up to 95% loan-to-cost at every tier, with the same 40/45/50-year amortization ladder. All tiers use CMHC's 1.10× debt-coverage floor for standard rental housing.
How is the MLI Select premium calculated?+
The base premium is banded by loan-to-value (for example 4.35% at 80% LTV, 6.15% above 90% on purchase or refinance; construction draws price slightly higher), plus a 0.25% surcharge for every 5 years of amortization beyond 25. Your tier then discounts the whole amount: 10% off at 50 points, 20% at 70, 30% at 100. The premium can be added to the insured loan.
Which usually limits the loan — LTV or DSCR?+
On most stabilized files it's the 1.10× debt-coverage floor, not the headline 95%. The calculator shows both caps and tells you which one binds. Longer amortization raises the DSCR-supported loan — which is exactly why the 45- and 50-year tiers matter.
How long does an MLI Select approval take?+
Plan on a 6–9 month commitment runway for existing buildings and 9–12 months for construction files — CMHC's queue drives the timeline. We run documentation, appraisal and environmental in parallel to compress it, and score the project before it's submitted so there are no surprises.
Every calculator here is built on published Canadian government rules and lender methodology, and was last reviewed for accuracy in July 2026. Rates and thresholds change — we confirm the current numbers for your file before you rely on them.