Mr. Goulet renovated his house and garage, almost doubling its size. He applied for the HST new housing rebate. He didn’t get it.
You are entitled to a new housing rebate if you “substantially renovate” your home. But the TCC said that to qualify as a “substantial renovation”, “The definition essentially requires that the existing house be gutted.” (Para. 15.) An addition, to qualify, must “incorporate [the] existing house to the point where the addition was essentially the new premises and the existing house was a minor aspect of the total.” (Para. 16.) “‘An addition that doubles square footage by adding a few rooms in any direction will not qualify for a rebate…'” even if “there were many changes made to the existing house.” (Paras. 13 and 15.)