# How Much Can a 70-Year-Old Borrow? Toronto Reverse Mortgage > At 70, a reverse mortgage can provide up to about 53% of a Toronto home's value. See amounts by area at September 2026 prices. Free estimate, no sales pressure. URL: https://torontoreversemortgage.ca/guide/how-much-can-a-70-year-old-borrow-toronto/ Learn # How much can a 70-year-old borrow with a reverse mortgage in Toronto? At 70, the most a reverse mortgage can provide is set as a percentage of your home's value. Here is what that percentage comes to on average-priced houses and condos in each part of Toronto, at September 2026 prices. Updated October 31, 2026 · 6 minute read · Published by Dominion Lending Centres Homestead Financial The short answer A 70-year-old can borrow up to about 53% of a Toronto home's value with a reverse mortgage: about $547,000 on $1,034,320, the City of Toronto's average sale price in September 2026. The market's top tier reaches up to 60% for borrowers 70 and older, but it charges a higher rate on the whole balance. [See what your own Toronto home could provide](/estimate/): a free estimate, no sales pressure. On this page 1. [What percentage of a Toronto home’s value can you borrow at 70?](#what-percentage-of-a-toronto-homes-value-can-you-borrow-at-70) 2. [How much is that on an average home in each part of Toronto?](#how-much-is-that-on-an-average-home-in-each-part-of-toronto) 3. [How does the amount change between 65, 70 and 75?](#how-does-the-amount-change-between-65-70-and-75) 4. [What happens if you still owe money on the home?](#what-happens-if-you-still-owe-money-on-the-home) 5. [Should you take the full amount you qualify for?](#should-you-take-the-full-amount-you-qualify-for) 6. [What makes a lender offer less on a Toronto home?](#what-makes-a-lender-offer-less-on-a-toronto-home) [TorontoReverseMortgage.ca](/) explains how much a 70-year-old can borrow with a reverse mortgage on a Toronto home, using September 2026 prices for each of Toronto’s six former cities. Most homeowners at 70 want a dollar figure, not a percentage. The challenge is not usually the percentage, which lenders set by age. It is the home’s value: September 2026 averages went from $441,637 for a York condo apartment to $2,355,763 for an Old Toronto detached house. This page gives the percentage at 70, the amounts area by area, and what changes the figure: a younger spouse, money owing, and the building. ## What percentage of a Toronto home’s value can you borrow at 70? At 70, you can borrow up to about 53% of your Toronto home’s value. The [Toronto reverse mortgage calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-toronto/) uses 52.85%, an estimate at the generous end of what lenders offer. The market’s top tier reaches up to 60% for borrowers 70 and older, at a higher rate on the whole balance. ### The top tier: more money, a higher rate On $1,034,320, the City of Toronto’s average sale price in September 2026, 60% comes to about $621,000. The top tier adds about $74,000 over the 52.85% figure of about $547,000. The higher rate applies to every dollar borrowed, not only the extra $70,000. Anyone who doesn’t need the extra money pays less interest at the standard rate. ## How much is that on an average home in each part of Toronto? At 52.85%, the amounts go from about $233,000 on an average-priced York condo apartment to about $1,245,000 on an average-priced Old Toronto detached house. The table uses September 2026 average prices from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), grouped by the districts in each of Toronto’s six former cities. | Former city | Detached average | 52.85% of it | Condo apartment average | 52.85% of it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Scarborough | $987,592 | $522,000 | $464,853 | $246,000 | | North York | $1,823,683 | $964,000 | $555,771 | $294,000 | | Etobicoke | $1,523,088 | $805,000 | $581,800 | $307,000 | | Old Toronto | $2,355,763 | $1,245,000 | $739,027 | $391,000 | | East York | $1,275,021 | $674,000 | $452,250 | $239,000 | | York | $910,968 | $481,000 | $441,637 | $233,000 | Amounts are rounded to the nearest $1,000 and are estimates, not approvals ([TRREB Market Watch, September 2026](https://trreb.ca/wp-content/files/market-stats/market-watch/mw2609.pdf)). Each lender applies its own limits and appraisal. Averages move with whichever homes sold that month, so your home can be worth more or less. The East York and York figures are approximate, because TRREB’s districts don’t follow the old city lines exactly and their condo averages come from under 20 sales each. The [Toronto area pages](/service-areas/) go further. ## How does the amount change between 65, 70 and 75? The amount rises with age, and faster after 70. On a $1,034,320 Toronto home, a 65-year-old could borrow about $523,000 (50.55%), a 70-year-old about $547,000 (52.85%) and a 75-year-old about $597,000 (57.75%). The step from 70 to 75 is about $50,000, more than twice the step of about $24,000 from 65 to 70. ### When a couple owns the home Lenders count a couple’s ages in different ways: some use the younger spouse’s age, and others a combined or average age. The choice of method alone can change the amount by tens of thousands of dollars on the same home. For example, an illustrative 70-year-old married to a 66-year-old would be treated as 66 at a lender that uses the younger age: 51.01%, or about $528,000 on the same $1,034,320 home instead of about $547,000. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada, including how each counts a couple’s ages, and emails you the best deal for your home and your ages. ## What happens if you still owe money on the home? Anything owing on the home is paid off first, out of the same money. The amount you qualify for at 70 is not extra money on top of a mortgage: it takes the old mortgage’s place, and the rest lands in the bank account to use as you please. For example, an illustrative 70-year-old with the same $1,034,320 home still owes $140,000 on a mortgage and a home equity line of credit (HELOC): - Most the reverse mortgage could provide: about $547,000 - Mortgage and HELOC paid off at closing: minus $140,000 - Left for you: about $407,000 Anything registered against the home, and any debts in collections, must be cleared at closing; smaller debts can sometimes stay. The balance owing has to fit inside the amount you qualify for. After closing there are no required monthly mortgage payments, though property taxes, home insurance and upkeep are still yours. [Paying off a Toronto mortgage with a reverse mortgage](/reverse-mortgage-to-pay-off-mortgage-toronto/) explains the payoff. ## Should you take the full amount you qualify for? No. You never have to take the maximum, and interest is charged only on the money you actually take. An approved amount you leave untouched costs nothing, and you can take more later, although some lenders charge a small fee or a different rate for each later amount. For example, taking $150,000 of an approved $547,000 means interest builds on $150,000 only. At 6.23%, the lowest five-year fixed rate the lenders advertised on October 31, 2026, it grows to about $203,900 in five years, with interest added twice a year. Starting at the maximum can also leave fewer choices when the term ends, because the balance may grow past what other lenders accept. Interest adds to the balance, but home price growth often offsets some or all of it: on average, Canadian borrowers keep about half their equity. [What a reverse mortgage costs in Toronto](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-toronto/) covers rates and fees. ## What makes a lender offer less on a Toronto home? Three things can lower what a lender offers: the building, the home’s condition and the location. The final amount also adjusts to your home’s appraised value, not to an area average or an online estimate, so it can come in higher or lower than a first estimate. - **The building.** For a condo, lenders review the building and its condo corporation: rules that allow the mortgage, sound finances, reasonable fees and good repair. The same condo can get different answers from different lenders. - **Ownership type.** Leasehold condos (the land isn’t owned) and co-ops (you own shares, not a unit) don’t qualify with any lender. More on [reverse mortgages for Toronto condos](/reverse-mortgage-condo-toronto/). - **Condition.** Condition is part of the approval. A booked repair can sometimes be built into the mortgage, with money held back until it’s done. - **Location.** Every lender covers the City of Toronto, and city homes get the top of each lender’s range. Amounts drop in small towns and rural areas. ## The bottom line At 70, you can borrow up to about 53% of your Toronto home's value, which at September 2026 average prices comes to about $233,000 on a York condo and about $1,245,000 on an Old Toronto detached house. Anything you owe is paid off first, and you never have to take the full amount. The [Toronto reverse mortgage calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-toronto/) shows the figure for your own age, area and home type. [Get a free estimate for your Toronto home](/estimate/). It's free, and there's no sales pressure. ## Questions people also ask **Is there an upper age limit for a reverse mortgage in Toronto?** No. Homeowners in their 80s and 90s qualify, and they qualify for the most. The percentage rises with the age of the youngest borrower, and the calculator uses the top tier of 60% from age 78. **Can a 70-year-old get a reverse mortgage on a Toronto condo?** Yes. All four Canadian lenders accept condos, provided the unit is in your name and the building passes the lender's review. At 70, the calculator uses 52.85% of the unit's value: about **$338,000** on $640,248, the City of Toronto's average condo apartment price in September 2026. Leasehold condos and co-ops don't qualify. **Does reverse mortgage money affect OAS or GIS at 70?** No. The money is a loan, not income, so it isn't taxed and doesn't reduce Old Age Security (OAS) or the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Interest earned on money kept in a savings account does count as income, the following year. [ Related service Toronto reverse mortgage help How a reverse mortgage works for a Toronto home, what it costs, and why a broker who compares all four lenders costs you nothing. Read more → ](/) ## More guides for Toronto homeowners - [How much does a reverse mortgage cost in Toronto?](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-toronto/) - [What are the alternatives to a reverse mortgage in Toronto?](/guide/alternatives-to-reverse-mortgage-toronto/) - [What does downsizing in Toronto really cost?](/guide/downsizing-in-toronto-cost/) - [What does independent legal advice for a reverse mortgage cost in Toronto?](/guide/independent-legal-advice-reverse-mortgage-toronto/) [Email this page to a family member](mailto:?subject=How%20much%20can%20a%2070-year-old%20borrow%20with%20a%20reverse%20mortgage%20in%20Toronto%3F&body=I%20thought%20you'd%20want%20to%20read%20this%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Ftorontoreversemortgage.ca%2Fguide%2Fhow-much-can-a-70-year-old-borrow-toronto%2F) · or print it with your browser's Print button ## Sources Figures checked October 31, 2026. 1. [Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB): Market Watch, September 2026 (published October 6, 2026)](https://trreb.ca/wp-content/files/market-stats/market-watch/mw2609.pdf) 2. [Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: Reverse mortgages](https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/mortgages/reverse-mortgages.html) --- Free reverse mortgage estimate (no sales pressure): https://torontoreversemortgage.ca/estimate/ Operated by Dominion Lending Centres Homestead Financial, a mortgage brokerage licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, brokerage licence #11711. Independently Owned and Operated. TorontoReverseMortgage.ca is a website of Dominion Lending Centres Homestead Financial, not a separate brokerage. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, licence M16000896.