SPIS forms are ticking time bombs

by admin | Jan 22, 2011 | 2011 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Real estate boards and agents across the country continue to promote the use of the Seller Property Information Statement (SPIS), despite the fact that the disclosure form has resulted in an avalanche of litigation resulting from its widespread...

Supreme Court rules hydro usage not protected by Charter rights

by admin | Jan 8, 2011 | 2011 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The Supreme Court of Canada has written the final chapter in a case which raises important issues about the protection of our privacy rights, which are safeguarded by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The figure at the centre of the case is...

Credit union seeks compensation due to ‘Oklahoma’ fraud

by admin | Dec 24, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca What could be one of the largest real estate frauds in Ontario history is now playing itself out in a complex court case started by the liquidators of the Croatian (Toronto) Credit Union Limited. The lawsuit seeks recovery of $6.5 million in...

Court of appeal ruling ‘absolutely correct’

by admin | Dec 11, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The Ontario Court of Appeal has reversed a lower court decision that ruled that all of the unit owners of a new condominium project did not have to purchase the resident manager’s unit from the developer. The case involved the Lexington on the...

Videos help people with their legal needs

by admin | Nov 27, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca People typically do more research when they buy a colour TV than when they buy a home. That statement, by Toronto real estate lawyer Joel Kadish, comes from a new six-minute video recently launched by the Law Society of Upper Canada as part of a...

Disclosure form is a danger to buyers and sellers

by admin | Nov 13, 2010 | 2010 Toronto Star Columns, Toronto Star Property Law Columns

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Over the years, I have repeatedly criticized the Seller Property Information Statement (SPIS), a form published by the Ontario Real Estate Association. Use of the form is a controversial issue in the real estate community. Some listing agents...