Newfoundland and Labrador does not charge a land transfer tax. Instead, when you buy a home in the province you pay registration fees to the Registry of Deeds — one fee to register the deed, and a separate fee on the same scale to register the mortgage. On a $300,000 home with a $250,000 mortgage, those two fees come to about $2,396 combined.
How the Registration Fee Is Calculated
The fee is set by the Registration of Deeds Act, 2009 and its regulations, and it works on a sliding scale tied to the purchase price for the deed and the loan amount for the mortgage. You pay a flat $100 for the first $500 of value, then $0.40 for every additional $100 or fraction of $100.1Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Registry of Deeds Fee Schedule The same formula runs twice, once on the deed and once on the mortgage, and the two are calculated independently.
A few worked examples show how it lands in practice:
- $200,000 home with a $180,000 mortgage: deed fee $898, mortgage fee $818, total $1,716.
- $300,000 home with a $250,000 mortgage: deed fee $1,298, mortgage fee $1,098, total $2,396.
- $500,000 home with a $400,000 mortgage: deed fee $2,098, mortgage fee $1,698, total $3,796.
If you want to run your own numbers, the province offers a fee calculator through its Companies and Deeds Online (CADO) system.2Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Registering a Deed Document Note one gap that catches buyers off guard: Newfoundland and Labrador does not offer a first-time homebuyer rebate or exemption on these fees. Provinces with formal land transfer taxes sometimes waive the cost for new buyers; this province does not.
Reduced Fees for Spousal and Nominal Transfers
Not every transfer pays the full sliding-scale amount. When property changes hands between spouses or former spouses under a separation agreement or court order, the transfer may qualify for a nominal flat fee. The same applies to deeds where the stated consideration is minimal, such as a $1.00 transfer. To claim the reduced fee you need to give the Registrar supporting documentation, such as a copy of the separation agreement or court order, so the office can confirm the transaction meets the criteria.
Why You Have to Register
An unregistered deed is technically valid between the buyer and the seller, so it is fair to ask why the fee is unavoidable. The reason is priority. Under Section 37 of the Registration of Deeds Act, 2009, an unregistered interest loses priority to a later buyer or lender who registers first.3House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador. Registration of Deeds Act, 2009 If you bought a property, never registered, and the seller then sold the same property to someone who did, you would lose. That is why real estate lawyers in the province register immediately after closing, and why the fee is a fixed part of every purchase.
HST on Newly Built Homes
Registration fees are not the only tax cost tied to a purchase. If you buy a newly constructed or substantially renovated home, Newfoundland and Labrador’s 15% Harmonized Sales Tax applies to the purchase price.4Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Harmonized Sales Tax That is 5% federal GST plus a 10% provincial component. On a $400,000 new build, HST comes to $60,000 before any rebate. Resale homes are generally exempt.
The federal GST/HST New Housing Rebate lets you recover part of the federal GST. The rebate equals 36% of the GST component, up to $6,300, for homes with a fair market value of $350,000 or less. A partial rebate is available between $350,000 and $450,000, and it phases out entirely above $450,000.5Government of Canada. GST/HST New Housing Rebate The claim must be filed within two years of closing. Builders sometimes credit the rebate at closing, but responsibility for filing sits with you.
Other Costs to Budget For at Closing
The registration fees and any HST sit alongside a handful of other closing costs that regularly surprise buyers:
- Legal fees for the title search, closing documents, and registration itself. Rates vary by firm.
- Title insurance. Not mandatory in the province, but most lenders require it. It is a one-time premium.
- Home inspection, typically $150 to $300 for a standard residential property.
- Property insurance, which the lender will require in place before releasing mortgage funds.
- Adjustments for prepaid property taxes or heating oil left in the tank, prorated to the closing date.
First-time buyers can also draw on the federal Home Buyers’ Plan, which allows a tax-free withdrawal of up to $60,000 from your RRSPs toward a qualifying home purchase, repaid over 15 years.6Government of Canada. How to Participate in the Home Buyers’ Plan It does not reduce the registration fee, but it can help cover it and the rest of your closing costs.