If you are accessing information on your computer through a website (CRA account information, online banking, etc) please read the first section below for best practices.

If you have paper documents (mailed bank statements, property tax notices, etc), you’ll need to convert them to digital files using a scanner device or your smartphone/tablet.  See the second section below.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Always send ALL PAGES of a document, even if they don’t seem to have any important information.

Missing pages will cause delays in processing your application, as we will have to request that you re-send the missing pages or resend the entire document before sending it into the lender for official review.

If you are accessing information on your computer (online banking, CRA account, etc), the preferred option (if available) is to use the website system’s “Save to PDF” or “Download PDF” function to save the digital file.

Most online banking systems allow you to download your official monthly statements as PDFs. This method ensures the document looks official, is formatted properly and shows your full name, address and account details.

However, some websites (like the CRA My Account) only offer an option to Print documents. For these situations, you can use a “Print to PDF” method to capture these documents to PDF without needing to print the paper pages and then scan them back in.

Newer computers – Print to PDF using pre-installed software

Since about 2015, both Apple and PC (Windows) computers have come with a special “printer” installed called Print to PDF.  So when you are printing any document that you want to send digitally, simply change your printer from the regular option to the Print to PDF option in your Print dialog box and press OK.

Print Dialog Box showing Print to PDF printer option

Instead of activating a paper printer device, the computer will ask you where you want to save the PDF document. Pick a location where you’ll be able to easily find it and press OK.

Repeat this process for all documents that you need to save as PDFs,

To send the PDFs to us, the best option is to use the Client Portal by opening the Mortgage Documents Request email you received from your broker and clicking the “Upload Documents” button . This method offers the highest level of security to protect your personal information.

However, if needed you can send documents to us attached to an email or use our direct File Upload portal (just ask us for the access password).

Older Computers – install Print to PDF software

If your computer does not have a “Print to PDF” option already installed, you can download free software to do this.  Our recommendation is to use Cute PDF:

https://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Once downloaded and installed, you will have a new CutePDF Writer printer option to choose in the printer dropdown.  From this point, the process is the same as the “Newer Computers” process described above. Proceed to print all your documents using the CutePDF Writer printer option, saving them to a file folder, and then send them to us through our File Upload portal or as email attachments.

I have Paper Documents to Convert to Digital Files

There are several options to create PDFS from paper documents.

I have a Scanner device

If you have a scanner device at home (a dedicated flat bed scanner or maybe a multi-function printer/scanner) and are familiar with using it, please use that to scan your documents to PDF file format.

Tips:

  • If the paper document is printed on both sides of the page, be sure your scanner is set up for double-sided scanning.
  • Resolution – set your scanner to 300 dpi or higher
  • Color or Greyscale?
    If color is not essential to the document or specifically requested, use Greyscale mode. Color scanning will create very large digital files. We typically only need a color scan for ID verification.

Once you have the PDFs saved on your computer, open the Mortgage Documents Request email from your broker, press the “Upload Documents” button, and drag/drop the PDF files to the matching conditions.

I have a Smartphone or Tablet

If you don’t have a scanner at home, you can use your smartphone or tablet camera to ‘scan’ paper documents and send them to us. 

On your smartphone or tablet, open the Mortgage Documents Request email from your broker and press the “Upload Documents” button, then follow these instructions to take photos of each page with your camera and have them uploaded to us as a PDF.

Tips:

  1. Make sure your camera is set to the highest resolution setting (largest file size).
  2. Turn ON your camera flash.
  3. Lay the page flat on a table or counter with good lighting.
  4. Hold your camera about 24″ (2 feet) directly above the document, ensuring all 4 corners are clearly visible in the photo.
    *DO NOT CUT OFF ANY PART OF THE PAGE
  5. Make sure your phone and hand do not cast a shadow onto the document.  If this happens, move your phone slightly closer to you so it isn’t casting a shadow on the page, then slightly adjust your angle to capture the full page.