Pre-approval on maternity or parental leave in British Columbia.

Some lenders use EI income only; others use full pre-leave income with a return-to-work letter. The choice of lender changes qualification by tens of thousands.

British Columbia adds its own layer. Lower Mainland and Victoria carry premium pricing and tighter lender appetite on leasehold and strata files. Wildfire/flood disclosures now affect insurance binders in the Interior. That matters here because underwriters are already scrutinizing the income side of a pre-approval on maternity or parental leave file — a property or program complication local to British Columbia can push a marginal file over the edge.

Property Transfer Tax: 1% on first $200K, 2% to $2M, 3% above, 5% above $3M on residential.

Programs to check eligibility for in British Columbia:

• First-Time Home Buyers' Program (PTT exemption up to $500K)
• Newly Built Home Exemption
• FHSA

• Return-to-work letter from employer specifying date, role, and salary
• Pre-leave employment letter and paystubs
• Current EI statement

British Columbia nuance: Self-employed BC borrowers should expect to provide T1 Generals plus business bank statements going back 12 months.

• Strata depreciation reports and contingency reserves are underwriter-grade documents in BC.
• Speculation and Vacancy Tax applies to certain owners — disclose residency status upfront.
• Foreign Buyer ban interacts with BC's additional property transfer tax.

Underwriter view of this scenario: A lender that uses pre-leave salary with a return-to-work confirmation will qualify the file at the full income; one that uses EI alone will not.

• Secure a written return-to-work confirmation early
• Apply with a lender whose policy uses pre-leave salary on documented returns

• Open-ended leave with no return date.
• Resigning from the pre-leave role and starting somewhere new on return.