Tell Igor what you are trying to accomplish
Start with the goal: buying, refinancing, renewing or understanding a previous decline.
Explain how you earn and anything about the application that concerns you.
Mortgages for Ontario business owners & self-employed borrowers
Your business is profitable. Your tax return may tell the bank a different story.
If you pay yourself through salary, dividends, commissions, or retain earnings inside your corporation, your taxable income may not show the full financial picture.
Igor reviews how your income is actually structured before you apply — so you can understand what a lender may consider, what could hold the file back, and what your best next step may be.
No credit check to start · Initial review at no cost · Nothing is submitted to a lender without your approval
Already declined? Start with the Bank Decline Diagnostic
Markham-based · Serving Ontario
Mortgage advice built around your unique situation
For business owners, self-employed borrowers and commission earners.
Affinity Mortgage Solutions Inc. · Brokerage #13093
Mortgage professional since 2010 (Scotiabank, CIBC, RBC)
Licensed by FSRA in OntarioMarkham, ON
Since 2010
Mortgage professional
Former Scotiabank, CIBC & RBC Mortgage Specialist
FSRA Mortgage Agent Level 1
Licence #M26000762
Serving Ontario
In person, office, phone or Zoom
Does this sound familiar?
You should not have to guess what a lender will make of your income.
You may be in the right place if:
Taxable income looks low
Your business earns well, but your personal taxable income looks low.
Salary and dividends
You pay yourself with a mix of salary and dividends.
Retained earnings
A meaningful portion of your earnings remains inside your corporation.
Variable income
Your income comes from commissions, contracts, or variable business revenue.
Declined by a bank
Your bank could not use all of your income — or declined the application.
Planning a home purchase
You want to understand your realistic mortgage options before shopping for a home.
Self-Employed Mortgage Readiness Review
Know where you stand before a lender sees the application.
The first goal is not to rush an application out the door. It is to understand the file. Igor reviews your situation to help identify:
What may strengthen your application
How your personal income, business income, assets, equity and supporting documents may fit together.
What may cause a lender concern
Potential documentation gaps, income issues, debt-service constraints or other roadblocks worth addressing before applying.
Which lender policies may fit
Different lenders assess self-employed income differently. The goal is to identify potential routes that better match the way you earn.
Whether it makes sense to apply now
Sometimes the right move is to proceed. Sometimes it is to fix something first and revisit the mortgage later.
The initial conversation does not require a credit check.If documents are needed for a more detailed assessment, Igor will explain what is required and why.
Start My Mortgage Readiness ReviewThe number on your tax return is only part of the story
Your mortgage file should reflect how your finances actually work.
Business owners often structure income differently from salaried employees. Depending on the lender, the assessment may involve more than one number on a personal tax return. Relevant information can include:
Factor 01
Salary and dividends
Understand how the income you pay yourself may be assessed.
Factor 02
Corporate financial statements
Review the business information that may help explain the broader financial picture.
Factor 03
Eligible add-backs and non-cash expenses
Some lender programs may treat certain business expenses differently when assessing income.
Factor 04
Retained earnings and business strength
Where applicable, the health and structure of the corporation may form part of the conversation.
Factor 05
Lender-specific policies
Not every lender interprets self-employed income the same way.
What can actually be used always depends on the lender’s criteria and the borrower’s individual circumstances.
Discuss My Income StructureChoose your situation
Start with the problem you are trying to solve.
I’m self-employed and planning to buy
Your business is healthy, but you are not sure what mortgage amount your reported income will support.
Get clearer on the documentation, potential lender routes and issues worth addressing before you start making offers.
My bank declined me
A decline gives you information.
The next step is to understand exactly why the lender said no — and whether the issue can be solved by restructuring the file, considering another suitable lender, or changing something before applying again.
I’m renewing or refinancing
Your current mortgage may no longer fit what you are trying to accomplish.
Review the available options, potential costs and trade-offs before simply accepting the first renewal or refinance option presented to you.
Before you start shopping
Fall in love with the house after you understand the numbers.
Buying becomes much less stressful when you know how your income may be assessed before you make an offer. Start early enough to understand:
- What documentation may be required
- Which parts of your file are strong
- What may require more explanation
- Whether there are issues worth addressing before you shop
Igor Perett
Mortgage Agent Level 1 · Licence #M26000762
Meet Igor Perett
Mortgage experience from inside the banks — and beyond them.
Igor began his mortgage career in 2010 as a Mortgage Specialist, working first with Scotiabank, then CIBC and later RBC.
That experience provided a first-hand view of how mortgage applications are assessed inside major financial institutions.
Today, as a licensed Mortgage Agent Level 1 with Affinity Mortgage Solutions Inc., Dominion Lending Centres, Igor works with clients across Ontario and can consider a broader range of available lender options within his licence scope.
His focus is straightforward:
- Understand how you actually earn.
- Understand what the lender needs to see.
- Then determine the most sensible path forward.
Mortgage Agent Level 1, Licence #M26000762
Affinity Mortgage Solutions Inc., Dominion Lending Centres, Brokerage #13093
Independently owned and operated
Serving clients across Ontario in person wherever suits you, at the office, by phone or on Zoom, in English and Russian.
Client story
When one lender says no, the reason matters.
A self-employed couple came to Igor after being turned down by the banks. Their goal was clear, but their income did not fit neatly within the lending criteria they had encountered. Instead of treating the initial decline as the end of the process, Igor reviewed the broader financial picture, including their business income and the equity they had built in other properties.
That review helped identify another way to structure the financing around their circumstances. The result was financing at a cost below what the clients had expected.
Client circumstances have been anonymized for privacy. Mortgage options, rates, fees and approval depend on individual circumstances and lender criteria. Past client outcomes do not guarantee future results.
How it works
A mortgage process with fewer surprises.
Identify the strengths and roadblocks
If a deeper review makes sense, Igor will explain which personal or corporate documents are useful and why.
The goal is to understand what supports the application and what could create difficulty.
Prepare the file deliberately
Relevant documents are organized to give the lender a clear and consistent picture of the circumstances.
You know what is being requested and why.
Review the available routes
Where appropriate, Igor can present the application to lenders whose policies may fit the circumstances.
You are kept informed about responses, available options, costs and trade-offs.
Nothing is submitted without your approval. Final approval always rests with the lender.
Start here
Find out how a lender may see your mortgage file.
You do not need to know which lender you need. You do not need to know which documents matter. And you do not need to agree to an application. Start by explaining how you earn, what you are trying to accomplish, and what concerns you about the mortgage. Igor can then tell you what should happen next.
Start My Mortgage Readiness ReviewNo credit check to start · Initial consultation at no cost · Nothing goes to a lender without your approval
Prefer to talk first? Call Igor: (647) 299-4088
What the first conversation includes:
- A discussion of your goal and income structure
- Initial identification of issues that may need closer review
- Guidance on the documents that may matter
- An explanation of the logical next step
FAQ
Questions business owners often ask before applying
Not necessarily.
How a lender assesses self-employed income depends on the lender, the mortgage program and the documentation available.
The purpose of the review is to understand the full situation and determine which income treatment and lender policies may be relevant — not to assume the result from one number on a tax return.
No.
The initial conversation is intended to understand your situation and determine what needs to be reviewed.
If a credit report becomes appropriate later, Igor will explain why before proceeding.
Requirements depend on the lender and your circumstances.
Documents commonly relevant to self-employed borrowers can include T1 Generals, Notices of Assessment, accountant-prepared corporate financial statements and incorporation or business records.
Igor will tell you which documents are relevant before asking you to collect them.
Lenders do not all have identical policies.
The important first step is understanding why the original lender declined the application.
Once that is clear, Igor can assess whether another suitable lender may view the circumstances differently — or whether something should change before you apply again.
Nothing. You never pay Igor, for the consultation or for arranging your mortgage.
Igor is paid by his brokerage, and the brokerage is paid by the lender when your mortgage funds.
On a standard purchase or refinance, the only other costs are the usual ones, such as an appraisal or your lawyer, and you pay those to them directly.
Yes, through our partners. When a file calls for a private mortgage, Igor works with licensed Mortgage Agent Level 2 and broker partners who specialize in private lending, so you still have a clear path forward.
Igor is licensed as a Mortgage Agent Level 1, so he connects you with the right partner and the private mortgage itself is arranged through them.
A private mortgage comes with its own lender and partner costs, and the partner explains them in writing before you decide.
Earlier is usually better.
If you plan to buy, beginning the conversation several months before you need financing can leave time to organize the file or address potential issues.
If you are approaching renewal, starting before maturity gives you more time to understand and compare your options.
Planning your numbers?
Estimate the payment. Then find out whether the income works.
A mortgage calculator can estimate payments based on the numbers you enter. It cannot tell you how a particular lender will assess your business income.
Use the calculators to explore scenarios. Then, if you want to understand how the income side of the equation may be viewed, start a Mortgage Readiness Review.
Popular calculators
Your mortgage should start with a clear picture — not an application you hope works.
If your income does not fit neatly into a salaried employee’s box, start by understanding how your mortgage file may actually be assessed.
No credit check to start · Initial review at no cost · Nothing submitted without your approval