How Old is My House?

Higgins home, built ca. 1860, Main Street North, Brampton.

Finding the age of an older Peel house can be a real challenge, but also rewarding. If your home was built in Peel before 1920, the Region of Peel Archives can help you find information about it. We have a number of local history books to help you understand how your community developed.

The House Detective Kit

Gather the following before you come to the Archives:

• Several clear colour photographs of the house from the street and side.
• A copy of your deed or tax bill showing the legal description of the house (different from the municipal address).
• A copy of the title search done at the time you acquired the property.
• Any information or clues to the possible age of the house given to you by neighbours, former residents, etc.
• Look for important family papers such as birth certificates, immigration papers, old photograph albums, etc.

At the Archives, you will work with land and property records to track the legal ownership of the land the house sits on. Mortgages and changes in property value are often the best clues to the age of a building. Building permits were not required until the second half of the 20th century and very few have survived. Maps and photographs may show your house, but often the best clues are in the design elements of the house itself. Our staff can examine photographs and provide direction.

For more information about old houses, visit:

• The Old House Web
• Old House Journal
• Oldhousechronicle.com