Can You Sell a House With Aluminum Wiring in Ontario?
Yes, you can sell a house with aluminum wiring in Ontario. The wiring does not stop a sale, but it can make a buyer's home insurance harder to arrange, and that is where deals tend to snag.
Aluminum wiring turns up in houses built from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, when copper prices were high. The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) says the Ontario Electrical Safety Code still permits it and that the wire itself is safe when connected properly. Trouble tends to appear at switches and outlets that were made for copper, because those joints can loosen and overheat over the years.
Insurance is the practical hurdle. ESA reports that many insurers will not provide or renew coverage on these homes until the wiring has been inspected, repaired or replaced as needed, and the work has passed an ESA inspection. Since almost every lender expects home insurance before it funds a mortgage, a buyer who cannot get a policy may not be able to close. That is why the wiring can become a point of negotiation.
The fix is often narrower than a full rewire. ESA recommends hiring a Licensed Electrical Contractor to assess the house and swap original devices for ones marked for aluminum, or to attach short copper tails to the existing wires. The contractor then arranges an ESA inspection, and the homeowner receives a certificate to show the insurer. Some insurers go further and ask for copper replacement, so requirements differ from company to company.
Disclosure is the other question. RECO Bulletin 7.4 explains that a seller must disclose a latent defect, meaning a hidden problem that is dangerous or potentially dangerous, while problems a buyer or inspector can spot fall under buyer beware. RECO's guidance on material facts lists the type of wiring among the facts often treated as material. Whether a particular house meets the test is a legal question, and RECO suggests that sellers with doubts get a legal opinion. The wider rules are covered in our piece on seller disclosure obligations in Ontario.
Related reading: What Is Knob and Tube Wiring and Does It Matter When Buying a House in Toronto?, Can You Sell a House With Unpermitted Renovations in Ontario? and What Is a Pre-Listing Home Inspection in Ontario?.
