Retirement home licence
A retirement home licence is the Ontario licence an operator needs to run a specific retirement home under the Retirement Homes Act, 2010, applied for through the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority. It cannot be transferred, so a buyer of a licensed home must apply for a new licence.
This entry covers Ontario only. There, the licence is what lets a retirement home operate, and a sale of the home does not carry it across to the buyer. Do not assume the Ontario rules apply in any other province; check that province’s own law and regulator.
What the Act and the regulator say
Section 33(1) of the Retirement Homes Act, 2010 says no person shall operate a retirement home unless licensed under the Act to operate that specific home. Section 45 says no person may transfer any interest in a licence, including a beneficial interest; s. 46 deals with security interests. The Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority says that where someone purchases a licensed home, or there is a change of controlling interest, the current licence terminates and a new application is needed.
What to check or ask
- Whether the deal is structured so the licence terminates, and who must apply.
- How the regulator’s application and any inspection fit the closing timeline.
- What happens to residents and staff in the gap; see buying a retirement residence.
Sources
This definition is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Government of OntarioGovernmentRetirement Homes Act, 2010, S.O. 2010, c. 11
- 02Retirement Homes Regulatory AuthorityRegulatorHow to Apply for a Licence
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