What do you do when your condo development has been destroyed by fire?

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

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Decision to rebuild, or not, is up to the construction lender, not the builder. Dozens of purchasers in a Mississauga condominium project are awaiting news of further developments after the project was destroyed by fire earlier this month. But...

Court rejects elderly father’s bid to remove son from property title

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

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Adding family as joint owners is easy to do, difficult and expensive to undo When a parent registers title to a home in joint names with a child, and the family relationship later breaks down, the results can be unhappy — and expensive — for all...

Homeowner tears strip (of land) off neighbour.

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

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A dispute between next-door neighbours over a two-foot-wide strip of land illustrates the property-law principle of adverse possession. Gillean Gibb and Liliana Maria Pereira are next-door neighbours on Grosvenor St., in London, Ont. A narrow...

Homeowners should always get neighbours’ permission before taking down boundary trees

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

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Pay heed to the judge’s ruling in this relevant case before removing a tree that grows on multiple properties Can a person be convicted of illegally removing a property-line tree when the City has issued a permit authorizing it? That was the...

Who pays when you slip and fall on someone else’s property?

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

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A court ruled there is no statutory or common-law duty on property owners to clear snow and ice from public sidewalks. Winter in Toronto can bring the early morning sounds of neighbours’ shovels on driveways and sidewalks, and snowplows on...

Property buyers should be aware of real estate lawyers’ legal standards

by admin | Jan 6, 2018 | 2018 Toronto Star Property Law Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Know what to expect from your lawyer and you can avoid troublesome legal claims A fact sheet published last month by LawPRO — the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company — provides an interesting insight into the practice standards expected of...