Buyers hit with big bills for surprise adjustments

by admin | Nov 7, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca As many as 244 purchasers received a nasty surprise at the end of September when they got hit with thousands of dollars in “fictitious” charges on final closing of their new condominium units. The development in question is a 244-unit...

Rules on terminating a deal all over the map

by admin | Oct 31, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Can a buyer refuse to close the purchase of a new home if there are deficiencies in construction, forgotten or incomplete items, or unauthorized changes to the design, layout or materials? That question was the subject of a paper presented to a...

Honesty won’t resolve disclosure form issues

by admin | Oct 24, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The Great SPIS Myth It’s time to reveal The Great SPIS Myth the prevailing fiction about the Seller Property Information Statement (SPIS), a disclosure form published by the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). Although its use is...

Ontario a step closer to mandatory energy audits

by admin | Oct 17, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca With the proclamation of the Green Energy Act, 2009, Ontario has moved one step closer to requiring mandatory energy audits on the sale of residential properties. Section 3 of the new legislation is the only part of the law that has not yet...

Privacy at home focus of much court debate

by admin | Oct 10, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Just how much privacy can a person expect in the comfort of his or her own home, free from any government intrusion? That was the question considered in August by a three-judge panel of the Alberta Court of Appeal. The case involved the home of...

Devil is in the details

by admin | Oct 3, 2009 | 2009 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Terry is a 23-year-old public servant, having recently graduated with a bachelor of commerce degree. He is ready to buy his first home, and came to my office last month to review a 33-page offer prepared by the builder of the condominium tower...