Downsizing in York and Durham
York Region and Durham Region lie north and east of Toronto. Together they offer condominium living beside subway and GO stations, older village centres and towns on Lake Ontario. This page compares the main cities and points you to the full guides.
What York and Durham regions are like for downsizers
York Region has nine municipalities: Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Whitchurch-Stouffville. Durham Region has eight: Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby. The two regions sit side by side along Toronto's northern and eastern edge, and many people move between them for family or health care.
Housing for people moving smaller includes condominium apartments near transit, townhouses and bungalows. Some land lease and life lease communities exist further east in Durham, and the 55+ communities page lists what has been confirmed. Messages from this site go to agents on the operating team at eXp Realty. Read the downsizing guide if you are early in your planning.
Choose a city: Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan or Whitby
- Downsizing in Markham: Unionville, Markham Stouffville Hospital and GO Stouffville line stations.
- Downsizing in Richmond Hill: Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, long-term care on the same site and Mill Pond Park.
- Downsizing in Vaughan: the Line 1 subway terminal at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.
- Downsizing in Whitby: the Lakeshore East GO line, Lynde Shores Conservation Area and Lakeridge Health.
The first three share York Region's services and conservation authority area, so they are easy to compare. Whitby sits in Durham Region with its own transit, waste and tax rules.
Condos, townhouses and life lease homes in York and Durham
Condominium ownership comes with monthly fees, a reserve fund and rules set by the condominium corporation, so read the status certificate before you make an offer. Buying a condo in Ontario explains what it contains, and condo, townhouse or house compares the main choices. Life lease and land lease homes work differently from freehold ownership, and our life lease and land lease guide lists the questions to ask a sponsor. Whichever type you consider, ask for fees and rules in writing and have a lawyer licensed in Ontario review the documents.
If you are leaving a long-held family home, sorting the contents is often the slowest part. See clearing out your home and moving day and the resources page for movers, appraisers and donation options.
Getting around York and Durham without driving
York Region Transit and its Viva rapid transit service connect Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora and Newmarket and link to GO Transit and the TTC subway. The Line 1 subway extension to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre opened on December 17, 2017. In Durham, Durham Region Transit runs local buses and the Lakeshore East GO line serves Whitby. GO's Stouffville, Richmond Hill and Barrie lines serve York. Use the trip planners at yrt.ca, durhamregiontransit.com and gotransit.com because routes and schedules change. Train service is heaviest at rush hour, so check midday and weekend trips. Our guide to getting around Ontario after 65 covers what to do if you stop driving.
Hospitals in York and Durham
Oak Valley Health runs Markham Stouffville Hospital at 381 Church Street in Markham, and Uxbridge Hospital at 4 Campbell Drive. Mackenzie Health runs Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital at 10 Trench Street and Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital at 3200 Major Mackenzie Drive West. Lakeridge Health operates emergency departments at Ajax Pickering, Bowmanville, Oshawa and Port Perry, and a specialty hospital in Whitby without an emergency department. Other hospitals serve the north of York Region and further east, but they are not described here. Home and community care and long-term care placement go through Ontario Health atHome. See aging in place or moving if care access is a deciding factor.
Flood and storm risk in York and Durham
Rivers and creeks cross both regions, and the Lake Ontario shoreline runs along Durham's south edge. Flood mapping is done by conservation authorities. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has a flood plain map viewer, and Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority has regulated area mapping. Other authorities cover other parts of both regions, so ask which one applies to an address. Overland flood and sewer backup are separate from standard home insurance, as explained in our flood and storm insurance guide.
Local government and tax notes for York and Durham
Property tax in both regions is billed by your municipality and includes the regional share. Seniors programs differ by city. Markham and Vaughan point to a York Region property tax deferral program, Richmond Hill offers a Senior Tax Grant, Vaughan has an Elderly Home-owners Tax Assistance Program, and Whitby offers a rebate for owners who receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The city pages give details and links. Provincial programs such as the Ontario Senior Homeowners' Property Tax Grant are claimed on your income tax return, and the costs and money page explains the rules.
Sellers pay no land transfer tax anywhere in Ontario. Buyers do, and only Toronto adds a municipal tax. The land transfer tax guide has the rates, and estimating net proceeds shows what a sale leaves you.
All municipalities in York and Durham
Durham
- Ajax
- Brock
- Clarington
- Oshawa
- Pickering
- Scugog
- Uxbridge
- Whitby Full guide
York
- Aurora
- East Gwillimbury
- Georgina
- King
- Markham Full guide
- Newmarket
- Richmond Hill Full guide
- Vaughan Full guide
- Whitchurch-Stouffville
When you have a short list, contact us to an agent on the eXp Realty team.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between York Region and Durham Region?
They are two separate upper-tier municipalities north-east of Toronto. York Region includes Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, and Durham Region includes Whitby, Oshawa and Pickering. Each runs its own waste, roads, transit and some seniors services, so rules differ across the boundary.
Which GO train lines serve York and Durham?
GO Transit's Lakeshore East line serves Whitby, and the Stouffville, Richmond Hill and Barrie lines serve York Region. Check gotransit.com for current stations and times.
Do I pay land transfer tax if I sell in York or Durham?
No. The buyer pays Ontario land transfer tax, and only Toronto adds a municipal one. See the land transfer tax guide.
Who maps flood risk here?
Conservation authorities do, including the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority. Which one applies depends on the address.
The other regions
- TorontoThe City of Toronto: condos, townhouses, TTC, GO and two land transfer taxes.
- Peel and HaltonMississauga, Brampton and Caledon in Peel; Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills in Halton.
- Hamilton and NiagaraThe City of Hamilton and the twelve municipalities of Niagara Region.
- Waterloo and WellingtonKitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and the towns of Wellington County.
- London and SouthwestLondon, Stratford, St. Thomas, Sarnia and the counties around them.
- Windsor and EssexWindsor, the Essex County shoreline towns and Chatham-Kent.
- Simcoe and MuskokaBarrie, Collingwood, Orillia, Bracebridge and the lake country around them.
- Grey, Bruce and HuronOwen Sound, Kincardine, Goderich and the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron shorelines.
- Kawarthas and NorthumberlandPeterborough, Cobourg, Port Hope, Lindsay and the lakes between.
- Ottawa and Eastern OntarioThe capital, its suburbs and the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River towns.
- Kingston and QuinteKingston, Belleville and Prince Edward County on eastern Lake Ontario.
- Northern OntarioSudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and the districts around them.
Questions about downsizing in Ontario?
Write to us and a licensed agent on our team at eXp Realty can reply. Ontario Downsizing is operated by licensed agents affiliated with eXp Realty and is not a brokerage.