RECO decision heralds new rules about basement apartments

by admin | Jul 10, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A discipline decision by the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) earlier this year has established what may be a new disclosure standard for real estate agents dealing with basement apartments and land surveys. Back in 2006, Richmond Hill real...

Case dismissed against sellers of house with hidden defects

by admin | Jun 26, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Back in April, 2006, Walter and Shelley Cotton signed an agreement to buy their dream home in Brantford. After closing, the house turned out to be the worst nightmare they could have imagined, requiring them to spend more than $85,000 to bring it up to building code....

Asbestos little-understood issue in real estate industry

by admin | Jun 12, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Emma and Henry (not their real names) live in a modest three-bedroom detached home near Bathurst and Lawrence. A few weeks ago, their laundry room experienced a minor sewage backup caused by a cracked sewage pipe under the front lawn. After the...

Monopoly of land registration system inappropriate

by admin | May 29, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Is the Ontario government about to auction off exclusive access to our land registration system to the highest bidder? Is it in the public interest to have a private monopoly control our land registration system? These are two of the questions...

Attached religious object likely should have stayed with house

by admin | May 15, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Is a religious object attached to the outside of a house or condominium a fixture, which remains with the home on a sale, or a chattel, which can be removed by a departing owner? That was the issue raised recently by a colleague, Gary...

Land survey most important document in real estate transaction

by admin | May 1, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

The sad tale of the Glenlake Ave. driveway featured in the Star late last month has focussed public attention on the difference between the Land Registry and the Land Titles systems of property ownership. It has underscored yet again the fact that the single most...