Commercial property: say what exactly you’re looking for

Commercial property in Canada: rent, fees and what to specify

Updated 3 November 2026

Commercial property in Canada has no single price, because rent and sale figures depend on city, size and lease terms, and the sources we found give no reliable range for those. The business licence is a separate cost you can plan for: Vancouver's one-time application fee is CA$77 and Burnaby's inter-municipal licence is CA$300, according to municipal fee schedules, November 2026. For current offers, describe the space in a request on BlaBlaPrice.

Quotes are per property or per lease, and the figure depends on:

• the city, for example Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary or Ottawa;
• additional rent (TMI) and administrative fees on top of the base rent;
• scheduled rent increases and who pays for HVAC replacement;
• tenant improvements and move-out costs at the end of the lease.

Licences and fees to budget for

Each municipality sets its own licence. Vancouver asks for a one-time CA$77 application fee plus an annual fee that depends on the business type, while Burnaby's inter-municipal licence is CA$300 and is not pro-rated. View Royal's annual fee for a large commercial business is CA$200. Ontario's government guidance covers commercial lease agreements, how a tenancy can end and where to get help with a dispute, so read those rules before you sign.

Lease costs beyond the rent

The rent is only part of the bill. Check additional rent (TMI), administrative fees, rent increases, HVAC replacement, tenant improvements and move-out costs before you sign. Ask the landlord to list each cost in writing with an amount, so the total you compare is the real one.

Season and timing

Winter runs from December to February, so a lease signed in November can mean fit-out work and the move falling in the coldest months. Agree move-in and works dates in the lease. Building costs are high as well: a Canadian commercial real estate report for fall 2026 gives retail construction in Calgary at CA$600 to CA$700 per square foot, so new space is expensive before rent is even set.

What to write in your request

Say what the space is for, such as a retail shop, an office, a warehouse, a coworking desk, a salon chair or hourly use of a hall or studio. Give the city, the size in square feet (the usual unit in Canadian commercial reports), whether you want to rent or buy, the lease length you need and your monthly budget in CA$. Mention any fit-out you must do before you can open.

Describe the space in your own words in a chat on BlaBlaPrice, with a photo if you have one. The AI reads the request, asks for missing details and looks through sellers' websites in Canada, then shows the prices and businesses it found. Sellers registered on BlaBlaPrice reply in the chat with price and terms, and your contacts stay hidden. Compare offices to rent and coworking spaces too.