Why a judge ruled these home buyers were justified in walking away from an accepted offer

by admin | Oct 20, 2025 | 2025 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

A case decided in the Superior Court of Justice last year contains an important lesson to buyers and sellers: if one party to a contract changes its terms during the negotiations, even slightly, it’s not the same offer anymore. Until both parties sign the exact same...

‘Squatters’ win fight against Toronto, with a Supreme Court ruling that changes everything

by admin | Oct 6, 2025 | 2025 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

The finale to a case which has gone through three levels of courts has wide implications for every law across the country. The Supreme Court of Canada last month ruled that judges do not have the power to create a new law just because they think it would be a good...

The house he agreed to buy burned down before closing. Here’s why the court sided with the seller when things got ugly

by admin | Sep 22, 2025 | 2025 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

What happens if the home you agreed to buy goes up in flames before closing? That was the question before the Ontario Superior Court earlier this year. Here’s what happened: In May last year, Grant McDonald agreed to buy a century home on a two-acre lot in Tillsonburg...

iPro Realty scandal shines a light on real estate watchdog RECO — its CEO and entire board must go

by admin | Sep 8, 2025 | 2025 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

The iPro crisis that has consumed the real estate industry in Ontario recently sets a bad example for future discipline cases against agents who may be charged with misappropriation or misuse of deposit funds. The precedent-setting decision of the Real Estate Council...

Don Mills condo corporation’s use of falsified document against owner was a ‘shocking abuse of trust’

by admin | Aug 25, 2025 | 2025 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

A decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last November sends a strong warning to condominium corporations that it will not tolerate any abuse of power or oppressive conduct over its members. The case involves Leigh and Harvin Gonzales who were looking for a...