Duplex for sale by owner in Ontario, on the MLS® System
To sell a duplex by owner in Ontario and still reach every buyer, use a flat fee MLS® listing. A licensed brokerage, Robin Hood Realty Limited, Brokerage, posts your duplex, triplex or fourplex on the MLS® System and realtor.ca from $69.99 a month, or $249.99 until it sells, so you keep the listing agent's commission. Buyers and their agents contact you; you show it, with notice to your tenants, and sell it with your lawyer.
Updated October 23, 2026
How to sell your duplex yourself in 4 steps
Selling a duplex on your own takes four steps from your account. Once your ID, proof of ownership and signature are in, we enter the listing and email you the MLS® number when it's live.
- Start and pay. Choose Freehold for Sale when you start your listing, then Duplex, Triplex or Fourplex as the property type. Pick a plan: $69.99 a month (cancel any time), or Unlimited ($249.99, renews free until sold).
- Describe the building and the units. Rooms and sizes, parking, the price, and in the description each unit's size, rent and whether it's rented or vacant. Up to 40 photos.
- Sign the listing agreement online. We check the listing and enter it on the MLS® System; it's sent on to realtor.ca.
- Buyers contact you. You give your tenants written notice for each showing, review offers with your lawyer, and tell us when it's sold.
What you keep: a flat fee instead of a listing commission
A full-service listing agent is usually paid a percentage of the sale price, often 2–2.5% for their side, plus HST. On a multi-unit building that's a large sum, and much of the selling is numbers buyers read for themselves: the rents, the leases and the expenses. A flat fee listing gets your duplex the same MLS® exposure, and you do the showing and selling yourself.
Either way, you also offer a commission to a buyer's agent, paid only if that agent brings the buyer. It must be a set amount (never $0), and if a buyer comes to you with no agent there's nothing to pay. Run your own numbers in the commission calculator.
What the listing side of a commission would cost at common duplex prices, against our Unlimited plan:
| Sale price | Listing side at 2–2.5% + HST | Flat fee MLS® listing |
|---|---|---|
| $600,000 | $12,000–$15,000 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
| $800,000 | $16,000–$20,000 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
| $1,200,000 | $24,000–$30,000 + HST | $249.99 + HST, until sold |
Who buys a duplex, and what they ask for
Two kinds of buyer look at a duplex: investors, who want the rent from day one, and owner-occupiers, who'll live in one unit and rent the other. Both search realtor.ca, and many work with an agent who searches the MLS® System for them. Put the numbers in the listing, and have the papers ready for serious buyers:
- The rent for each unit, when it's due, and the date of the last rent increase
- The leases, and whether each tenant is on a fixed term or month to month
- Deposits held: the last month's rent deposit goes with the tenancy, and the interest owed
- Expenses: property tax, insurance, and which utilities each tenant pays (separate meters help)
- Whether each unit was first occupied after November 15, 2018: those units aren't under the rent increase guideline
- The units' legal status: permits, zoning and fire separation; buyers' lawyers and lenders ask
Selling with tenants in place
The leases don't end with the sale: the buyer becomes your tenants' landlord, and a tenancy can end only under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). Your tenants can't stop showings, but each one needs written notice at least 24 hours before entry, with the reason, the day and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (section 27). Group showings into a few set windows, and put "tenant occupied, 24 hours' notice" in the listing's showing instructions.
If the buyer wants to live in a unit, only you can serve the purchaser's N12, after the agreement of purchase and sale is signed, and only if the building has no more than three residential units (section 49). That works for a duplex or triplex, not a fourplex. You pay the tenant one month's rent, and the notice needs at least 60 days. Dates, forms and what changed on September 21, 2026: selling a house with tenants in Ontario and the N12 notice guide. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a real estate lawyer or a licensed paralegal before you serve a notice.
Sell it tenanted or vacant?
Tenanted suits an investor, who pays for the rent roll: the higher and more stable the rents, the more it's worth to them. Vacant, or with one unit empty, opens it up to buyers who'll move in, and lets them set new rents on the empty units. Say which one you're offering in the listing, so buyers' agents bring the right buyer.
If a tenant is willing to leave, an agreement to end the tenancy (the LTB's N11), sometimes with "cash for keys", is often quicker than an N12: see cash for keys in Ontario. Not sure whether to sell or keep renting? Try the rent vs sell calculator.
Is selling your duplex yourself right for you?
It suits owners who know their numbers, can answer buyers' questions about rents and leases, can arrange showings with their tenants, and will work through an offer with their lawyer.
It's a harder fit if your tenants are in a dispute with you, if the units' legal status is in question, or if you want someone else to manage every showing and negotiation; a full-service agent earns the commission then. Want to rent out a unit instead of selling? See list a rental on MLS®. So far we've put 13 duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on the MLS® System: a duplex sold in Barrie, and units leased in Kitchener and Ottawa.
Questions
Can I sell my duplex without a realtor in Ontario?
Yes. You can sell it privately, and with a flat fee listing a brokerage still puts it on the MLS® System and realtor.ca for you. You show it, negotiate and sign with your lawyer; a buyer's agent is paid the commission you offered only if they bring the buyer.
How much does it cost to list a duplex on MLS®?
With us, from $69.99 a month, or $249.99 for Unlimited, which renews free until it sells, plus 13% HST. You also offer a commission to a buyer's agent, paid only if one brings the buyer.
Do my tenants have to leave when I sell?
No. The leases carry on, and the buyer becomes the landlord. A tenancy ends only if the tenant agrees (an N11) or gives notice, or, after a purchaser's N12 in a building with three units or fewer, if the tenant moves out or the LTB orders it.
Can the buyer of a fourplex ask me to serve an N12?
No. The purchaser's N12 is only for a condo unit or a building with no more than three residential units. In a fourplex, units come empty only when tenants agree to leave or move out on their own.
Can I list a triplex or fourplex the same way?
Yes. Choose Triplex or Fourplex as the property type; the plans and steps are the same. Larger multi-residential buildings may suit a commercial listing instead: see sell commercial property without a realtor.
What if a tenant or someone I know buys it without an agent?
That's fine. Tell us it's sold from your account and we update the listing. With no buyer's agent involved, there's no commission to pay.
What's included
- Your property on the MLS® System as a Duplex, Triplex or Fourplex, through PropTx, which feeds TRREB and other Ontario boards
- Sent on to realtor.ca, where investors and home buyers filter by property type
- Your price, up to 40 photos, your description and the full property details
- Showing instructions for tenant-occupied units ("24 hours' notice required"), so buyers' agents plan for it
- Showing requests and offers sent straight to you
- Price, photo and detail changes until it sells, plus the sold update
Flat fee MLS® prices
| Plan | Price | 🎁 With code FREEUPGRADE |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Subscription | $69.99 / month | — |
| 2-month Listing | $99.99 | You get the 3-month Listing, free |
| 3-month Listing | $119.99 | You get the 6-month Listing, free |
| 6-month Listing | $149.99 | You get the 12-month Listing, free |
| 12-month Listing | $199.99 | — |
| Unlimited Listing | $249.99 | — |
Plus 13% HST. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.
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Put your duplex on the MLS® System
From $69.99 a month, or $249.99 for Unlimited, which renews free until sold, plus 13% HST. Choose Freehold for Sale on the first screen, and use FREEUPGRADE at checkout to get the next plan up free.