Open-book construction management for energy-efficient, purpose-built rentals — every trade contract in your name, nothing marked up, and the financing and tax incentives assembled for you.
Three forces have lined up behind the small purpose-built rental. Permission and financing are no longer the obstacle — the scarce part is finding an experienced office to build it right.
On a qualifying purpose-built rental of four or more units, the full 13% HST is rebated — 100% of the federal 5% (the federal PBRH rebate) and 100% of Ontario’s 8% portion — roughly $65,000 back on a $500,000 unit. Conditions: at least 90% long-term rental, construction begun after September 13, 2023 and before 2031, and substantially complete before 2036.
Ottawa’s new zoning by-law, approved by City Council in January 2026, permits up to four units as-of-right on a serviced urban or suburban lot and removes minimum parking requirements.
CMHC’s MLI Select reaches up to 95% of cost and 50-year amortization for energy-efficient rentals of five or more units (best terms at 100 points; minimum 1.10 debt-service coverage).
Ontario faces a shortfall of tens of thousands of workers by 2034 as experienced builders retire — capable management is the scarce part.
The same open-book agency model behind our estate work applies to income property. You hold each trade contract directly; the office holds none and takes no margin. A general contractor's markup — typically 12 to 18% — stays in your pocket, and every cost stays in plain view.
An illustrative six-unit Ottawa rental, conventional versus net-zero — insulated concrete, geothermal and solar. The efficient build needs less of your capital and earns more from the first year.
| Conventional | Net-zero · ICF·geo·solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Equity to start | $424,000 | $120,000 |
| Year-one cash flow | +$3,400 | +$17,400 |
| Cash-on-cash return | 0.8% | 14.5% |
| Financing test (DSCR) | 1.03 | 1.15 |
| Annual operating cost | Baseline | ~$26,000 lower |
Illustrative figures, Ottawa 2026 — not a quote. We prepare the real numbers for your lot in a fixed-fee feasibility study.
We are managing the construction of a 13,582-square-foot net-zero-ready residence on the Ottawa River — insulated-concrete structure, geothermal energy and on-site solar, engineered as one system, in construction through 2027. The same building science and the same open-book model we bring to income property.
Tell us about your site and we'll tell you whether it works — conventional versus net-zero, the financing and the returns. An initial conversation carries no obligation.
Begin the conversation