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Frequently asked questions

Last updated: May 29, 2023

Got a question about Perch? You’re in the right place. Or if you’re looking to learn more about mortgages in general, head on over to our blog.

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The basics

The basics

Perch is an award-winning tech company that helps you build wealth through real estate. We’re Canada’s most intuitive homeownership platform.


Perch makes the process of buying a home simpler and easier, and helps you save money on your mortgage. Once a homeowner, we enable you to build wealth by maximizing your home equity. (In other words, we help your money make more money. Pretty sweet, right?)

Perch offers free, easy to use tools and calculators to provide you with personalized financial insights. We’ve paired this with a modern platform to guide you through each step of the homeownership journey. In addition, Perch offers:
  • Pre-approvals in as little as 20 minutes and mortgage approvals in less than 48 hours
  • Dedicated 1:1 support with a Perch mortgage advisor, 7 days a week
  • Automated alerts to help you stay on track while getting a mortgage
  • Monthly property valuation estimates so you can see what your home is worth
  • Notifications when there’s an opportunity to save money on your mortgage
On average, we save users $1,500 per year on their mortgage, compared to going with a bank. How much lower are our mortgage rates? Go ahead, see for yourself.

Nope. It’s totally free to use our tools and calculators, to open an account, or to speak with one of our mortgage advisors.

Perch makes money through mortgage commissions. If you choose to get a mortgage with us, as opposed to going through your bank or another mortgage broker, the lender pays us a commission. We only get paid if we successfully close your deal. Note: We don’t accept fees from lenders in exchange for preferential treatment. We only offer mortgages from regulated, trusted Canadian financial institutions. It’s always free to sign up for a Perch account or to use tools and calculators provided by Perch.

Perch is open to any Canadian resident who is looking to buy a home in the future or already owns a home. Perch is available to all provinces and territories, including Quebec.

Yes. Perch is a digital mortgage brokerage that’s fully licensed and regulated.

Perch is a privately owned company and was founded in 2018 by Alex Leduc.

We only offer mortgages from regulated, trusted Canadian financial institutions. Perch has access to mortgages from banks, credit unions, B lenders and private lenders.


Here are some of the mortgage lenders we work with:

B2B BankICICIRFA
CMLS FinancialLendwiseRMG Mortgages
Canadian Western BankManulifeScotiabank
DUCAMarathon MortgageStrive Financial
Equitable BankMCAPTD Bank
First NationalMERIX Financial
XMC Mortgage Corporation
Home TrustRadius Financial 

We don’t accept payment in exchange for preferential lender treatment. This means we only recommend a mortgage if we think it’s the right fit based on your financial goals.

Shop and compare the best mortgage rates from multiple lenders. We offer fixed and variable mortgages ranging from 1-year to 10-year terms. The most popular are the 5-year fixed and 5-year variable mortgages.


We only offer mortgages from regulated, trusted Canadian financial institutions. Perch has access to mortgages from banks, credit unions, B lenders and private lenders.

Unfortunately not. We offer mortgages for residential properties only.

Perch was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. We’ve been featured in major news outlets, including the Toronto Star, Financial Post, CityNews and BetaKit. We’re also a proud member of the Canadian Lenders Association, MaRS and Communitech.


Perch is part of the REACH accelerator, operated by Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors.


Your personal information is protected with AES-256, block-level storage encryption.

Yes. Perch is available to Quebec residents, however our website is in English only. Should you require assistance in French, please contact us at support@myperch.io.

You can view our latest job openings here, and follow us on LinkedIn for any updates.

Getting started with Perch: Buyers

Perch offers:

  • Free tools and calculators to provide you with personalized insights during the buying process
  • Pre-approvals in as little as 20 minutes and mortgage approvals in less than 48 hours
  • Dedicated 1:1 support with a Perch mortgage advisor, 7 days a week
  • Automated alerts to help you stay on track while getting a mortgage

When signing up, we ask for your email address, which is used to validate your account. You do not need to provide any contact information to use our tools and calculators or to view our mortgage rates.


We only ask for the information needed to submit a mortgage application, which may include documents such as bank statements, pay stubs, tax forms and your credit report. We’ll also ask for a copy of your government-issued photo ID. Without providing this information, we can’t proceed with a pre-approval or submit your mortgage application to the lender.

The information is only used to complete a pre-approval or submit your mortgage application to the lender. Perch does not share any information with other companies without your consent.


Your personal information is protected with AES-256, block-level storage encryption.

Using Perch may affect your credit score if you choose to get a pre-approval or submit a mortgage application with us. A hard credit check or hard pull is required as part of the process.


Keep in mind that credit checks make up a small part of your overall credit score. Credit checks done within a 14- to 45-day period while you shop around for a mortgage are counted as a single pull by Equifax.


Using Perch tools and calculators or to view your property value estimates will not impact your credit file in any way. We will only complete a credit check with your consent.

Yes, you can use Perch with up to 4 other co-applicants. Sign up for a Perch account, and after you start a Home Buying Plan you’ll be prompted to invite your co-applicants to join Perch so you can collaborate together.

If you’re not yet working with a realtor, we can help you find one. Based on your profile criteria, such as your location and target property type, we’ll match you with one of our pre-screened Perch realtors. From there, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with that realtor and decide if there’s a good fit.

Yes, you can. Sign up for a Perch account, and after you start a Home Buying Plan you’ll be prompted to invite your realtor to join Perch so you can collaborate together.

While you’re shopping around for the right property, both you and your realtor can each add potential listings to Perch. You’ll be able to see whether the property falls within your budget, and what your maximum safe to bid amount is.

Thanks for thinking of us, we love getting referrals! (Almost as much as we love seeing 5-star reviews on Google, hint hint.)

To refer a friend, log in to your Perch account and click on ‘Refer a friend’ to get started. You can earn up to $500 for each friend who gets a mortgage with us.

Getting started with Perch: Homeowners

Here’s a quick rundown of what you can do with Perch as a homeowner:

  • Track your home value with monthly property estimates
  • View your mortgage balance and see how much home equity you can access
  • Get alerts when there’s an opportunity to save money by switching lenders
  • Free tools and calculators

To estimate the current value, we take the average growth rates in your area, of your property type, and overlay that growth rate with your most recent purchase price or formal property appraisal. This is done monthly, so you can easily track your returns over time.

We update your property value estimate on the 20th day of every month.

Thanks for thinking of us, we love getting referrals! (Almost as much as we love seeing 5-star reviews on Google, hint hint.)

To refer a friend, log in to your Perch account and click on ‘Refer a friend’ to get started. You can earn up to $500 for each friend who gets a mortgage with us.