Young couple, about to move into their new home, get a big surprise

by admin | Sep 2, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Builder tacked on $30,533 in cost increases. Case shows importance of reviewing clauses in proposed purchase agreements, writes Bob Aaron. An itemized list provided to the buyers detailed higher charges for subfloors, masonry, rooftop deck, parapet and lumber. Sayers...

Is that house where it should be? Are you sure it’s on the correct lot?

by admin | Aug 19, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

What happens when homes get built in the wrong place? Two cases show the perils of not doing your homework, writes Bob Aaron. I’ve always found it fascinating to see what happens when a builder builds a house on land it doesn’t own. The latest example of this dilemma...

What happens when homeowners disconnect their houses from systems designed to stop flooding?

by admin | Aug 5, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Case suggests certain items of city infrastructure, such as backyard catch basins, can be the property of the homeowner to do with as they please. A decision of the Ontario Superior Court last month has allowed 4,000 Vaughan homeowners to disconnect their homes from...

An emoji can’t serve as a signature on a home sale, can it?

by admin | Jul 22, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Anyone these days can generate an emoji, but without ample evidence to confirm the source, its use is neither efficient, nor reliable, says Bob Aaron. Is it possible to buy or sell real estate by attaching an electronic emoji to an agreement? The question arises in...

Builders trying to squeeze huge extra charges from innocent purchasers may be out of luck

by admin | Jul 8, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Agreement at centre of case required buyers pay for extra increases in construction costs as sworn to on behalf of builder. The judge wasn’t having it. It has become an unpleasant fact of life in new home construction that some builders have implemented creative...

Property owner learns a hard lesson on insurance against water damage

by admin | Jun 24, 2023 | 2023 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Cover for water damage deemed not in place despite daily visits to vacant property. Talk to your broker about any change in risks, says Bob Aaron. A homeowner in Hamilton learned the hard way that there are huge differences between insurance policies, and that the...