Rules People Who Go on 'Love It or List It' Have to Follow (2024)

A lot of people apply in hopes of receiving a free home renovation, but that's not exactly what they get. Be prepared to drop serious cash on the work done to the house. “The homeowners always pay for the renovation," an HGTV rep explained.

The minimum number you have to be willing to spend on things like renovation and design is $100,000. It used to be $50,000, and then it climbed to $75,000. The show has been on for over a decade!

While you're asked about the things you like and don't like, the design team makes the final choices. One former homeowner says that even though she didn't have much creative control, it was easy to trust them. "The white quartz counters were stunning, but Matt and I probably would have chosen a darker, more practical color," Marci Lew told Delish.

For the entirety of the shoot, you can't live in your home. This is quite common among most HGTV shows, because it allows production the space to complete the process more quickly and easily.

No matter if you're crashing at a friend's house or booking a hotel, the show doesn't pay for any temporary living arrangements.

If you find yourself in a situation out of your control—like a delay in production or a COVID-19 scare—the show will pay for you to temporarily stay elsewhere.

In order to appear on the show, production needs you to be available for up to seven weekdays, which are staggered over six to eight weeks.

The first time you see your new home will be on camera. Those teary reactions to the renovation reveals are very real.

Homeowners "are given the opportunity to purchase the furnishings and décor used for the staging," an HGTV rep confirmed. "What they don’t purchase is removed from the home.”

While you might not be as lucky with the furniture, the renovations are kept in place. Updates to the structure of the home, electrical alterations, and other big changes are all left for you to enjoy.

In 2022, the show announced it was returning to where they first started all the way back in 2008. Applicants from the Greater Toronto Area are now welcome!

Casting producers are specifically looking for people with plenty of personality. Any fun hobbies, unique quirks, or hilarious family members give you a better chance at being picked—so be sure to list them all in your application!

It's been rumored that to make good TV, producers will try to persuade you to side with either Hilary or David—and your partner to take the complete opposite stance. A Reddit user once claimed: "The network wanted my aunt and uncle to fight with each other over decisions. But they said, 'absolutely not, that's not who we are.'"

Hilary Farr and David Visentin are busy people, so it's understandable that they don't have much time to hang around on set. That being said, former homeowners have been thrilled to get a few moments with them. "They actually do love to rib each other! It was fun to witness that up close," Marci Lew told Delish.

"The network chose which one they thought was best," one Reddit user claimed after their aunt and uncle appeared on the show. "They are still in the house and they love it, but the show says they listed it."

Homeowners on Love It or List It are not paid to appear on camera. But you are getting some major home renovations, so there's that!

If you live on a street the producers are looking for, they might reach out and recruit you! "I saw an email on our neighborhood list-serv that a home renovation show was looking for households to feature. We finally found out it was Love It Or List It—which is actually a show we both knew of and enjoyed—when the casting department emailed back," Marci Lew revealed to Delish.

How long you've lived in your home, how old the house is, what you paid for it, and the appraisal amount are among the facts you need to share on your application.

You disclose everything about the structure's plumbing, electricity, air conditioning, and electrical before moving to the next round in the casting process. Be sure to tell the truth about whether you've already renovated something, its cost, and if you have any open permits.