Co-Buying Agreement Checklist 2026: What to Sign Before You Buy Together.
Buying a home with friends, family, or a partner in 2026? Ownership shares, exit rules, payment splits, and dispute clauses every Canadian co-buying agreement needs.
Co-buying — purchasing with friends, siblings, or a partner — keeps growing as prices outpace single incomes. The purchase is the easy part; the co-ownership agreement is what protects everyone. Our full walkthrough lives at Co-Buying a Home in Canada.
The checklist
- Title structure: tenants in common (unequal shares allowed, each share passes by will) vs joint tenancy (equal shares, right of survivorship). See Tenants in Common in our Home Buying Glossary.
- Money in: down-payment contributions, who holds the deposit, gift-letter paper trails.
- Money monthly: mortgage, property tax, insurance, utilities, condo fees — split by share or by use?
- Repairs and upgrades: approval threshold (e.g. unanimous above $2,000) and how improvements adjust shares.
- Exit rules: buyout valuation method (appraisal average?), notice period, and what triggers a forced sale.
- Death and breakup: life-insurance cross-coverage, will updates, and first-refusal rights.
Stack your savings too
Each qualifying co-buyer may hold their own FHSA — two $40,000 lifetime rooms beat one. How the accounts combine is covered in Co-Buying + FHSA + HBP Stacking 2026.
Get independent advice
Every buyer needs their own lawyer reviewing the agreement — one lawyer for the deal, separate advice per buyer. Lenders also underwrite each borrower’s debts and credit separately, so compare notes with How Much Down Payment 2026 before you offer.