Clearing the smoke on condo no-smoking rules before cannabis legalization

by admin | Sep 28, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca There is no right enshrined Canadian law that allows smoking either cannabis or tobacco in a rental property With the legalization of marijuana next month, landlords, tenants and condominium owners may still be uncertain about their rights to...

Make an offer, but beware — in an uncertain market, property law can hurt you

by admin | Sep 14, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca An Ontario Superior Court ruling this year urged property buyers against overextending their finances in the wake of a failed deal. “When the residential real estate market is a rising market, most people — perhaps with the exception of...

Cottage purchasers need to know land boundaries of lakefront property

by admin | Aug 31, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Fluctuating lake levels put the principle of accretion to the test in a recent court case “Buy land,” wrote Mark Twain. “They’re not making it anymore.” But he wasn’t quite correct. The famous author probably didn’t know...

Do the homeowners or photographers own the rights to photos of the property?

by admin | Aug 17, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca While staging is a very beneficial part of real estate sales process, buyers and sellers should always clarify what use will be made of the photos. When the sellers of a home hire a stager to help market and sell it, who owns the rights to the...

Banning incentives for real estate lawyers in property deals doesn’t serve public

by admin | Aug 3, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A Law Society of Ontario working group is investigating practices involving the payment of fees and the offer of benefits by title insurers to real estate lawyers. If a lawyer receives an incentive from a title insurance company for arranging a...

This retired judge defended homeowners from abusive insurance companies

by admin | Jul 20, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Justice John I. Laskin wrote that Pilot Insurance’s abusive conduct justified a punitive award to Whiten. When Justice John I. Laskin retired from the Ontario Court of Appeal earlier this year, he left a legacy of many brilliant decisions. To...