Nanaimo Mortgage Broker

Can a Nanaimo mortgage be handled remotely?

Yes. A mortgage broker licence in BC is provincial (mine is #MB609900), not city by city.

The process was never built around meeting in person — the application is online, documents go by email or a secure upload link, and most paperwork can be e-signed remotely. The few documents that need a witness get signed with a local lawyer or notary near you, no trip required.

Plenty of clients finish the whole process without meeting in person. Nanaimo works the same way.

Nanaimo, specifically

Nanaimo counted 99,863 residents in the 2021 Census, up 10.3% — 9,359 people — from 2016. The City's 2025 State of the Economy report estimates 110,591 for 2024, and City Plan prepares for a high-growth scenario of 140,000 people by 2046. The City describes Nanaimo as built on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, with the northern area also shared with Snaw-Naw-As. There are several ways to the mainland: two BC Ferries terminals, Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver (1 hour 40 minutes on the schedule) and Duke Point to Tsawwassen; Hullo from the Nanaimo Port Authority terminal at 100 Port Way to Vancouver; helicopter and seaplane links to downtown Vancouver and Richmond; and an airport with direct flights to Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Victoria is 113 km to the south.

My mortgage and real estate licences both cover all of BC, so for a home in Nanaimo you can come to me for the mortgage and for buying or selling. Mortgage documents go digital, and most signing happens remotely.

Nanaimo specifics: the R5 zone, one suite per house, old mine workings and slopes, and suite utility charges

On June 17, 2024, Council adopted Nanaimo's small-scale multi-unit housing regulations. Lots previously zoned R1, R1a, R1b, R2 or R4 were pre-zoned to R5, Three and Four Unit Residential: lots under 280 square metres can have up to three dwelling units, and lots of 280 square metres or more up to four. Old City neighbourhood and corridor lots went to R14 or COR1 instead, and lots not connected to City utilities, lots of 4,050 square metres or more, lots with hazardous conditions such as the North Slope area, and lots in Transit-Oriented Areas were left out. The Transit-Oriented Areas are the land within 400 metres of the Woodgrove, Country Club and Vancouver Island University exchanges (Bylaw No. 7382, adopted June 17, 2024).

Only one suite is allowed per dwelling — if there is a suite in the basement, a carriage house is not allowed — and secondary suites, including carriage houses, cannot be stratified. Only a suite created under a building permit counts as legal. A suite also changes the utility bill: sewer and garbage are charged per dwelling unit, and while water use is shared across the property, the consumption tiers are adjusted for the number of units. The charges start once a unit is added by permit or discovered, even if it sits empty; owners whose home is their principal residence can apply each year for an exemption if the unit is not rented, is used by immediate family, or has been decommissioned.

Check whether a lot falls in one of Nanaimo's eight development permit areas. The hazard-related ones are Hazardous Slopes, Sea Level Rise, Abandoned Mine Workings Hazards, Wildfire Hazard and Steep Slope Development, and a property in one of them may need a development permit before a building permit or subdivision approval. Downtown, Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw No. 7384 exempts the municipal portion of property tax for ten years on new multi-family developments with at least ten self-contained units.

Short-term rentals need a $165 annual City licence and are limited to the operator's primary residence, secondary suite or carriage house, for stays under 30 consecutive days, with at most four adult guests and two guest bedrooms. Under Ministerial Order 203/2024 the Province set Nanaimo a target of 4,703 homes from 2024 to 2029, and a new Amenity Cost Charges Bylaw, No. 7440, adopted May 4, 2026, takes effect January 1, 2029. The City of Nanaimo and the District of Lantzville are both in the speculation and vacancy tax area, and the Regional District of Nanaimo is one of the areas where the foreign buyers' additional property transfer tax applies.

Common questions