Real Estate Litigation Articles

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca ‘Zombie’ deeds have sparked a tricky legal debate. If a homeowner signs a deed to a house or other parcel of land during his or her lifetime, can it be registered after death to avoid the government’s 1.5 per cent probate fee? Many real estate...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca With houses built so close together, permits to access neighbours’ space are too onerous. With so many Toronto homes built within a few feet — or even inches — of each other, it can be a problem when an owner needs access to their neighbour’s...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca There is no timetable for many key consumer protection amendments to the former condo act. With parts of the new Condominium Act coming into force on Nov. 1, prominent Toronto condominium lawyer Audrey Loeb has expressed concern over the...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Ontario consumers will have to wait until 2020 for more regulations governing home and condo deposits. The Ontario government acted with speed in imposing a new non-resident tax on real estate purchases. But when it comes to protecting consumer...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Questions are being raised about whether landlords will be able to restrict cannabis in residential units. When marijuana becomes legal next summer, landlords, tenants and condominium owners can expect an increase in disputes related to both...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca This case is a lesson for real estate agents. A decision from the Ontario Superior Court in July highlights the obligation of real estate agents to review home inspections with their clients. Suzanne Powell and her mother Joyce Powell wanted to...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A 2015 study showed that of 1.2 million freehold residential properties in the Greater Toronto Area, almost half of them have significant boundary issues, most of which would not be covered by title insurance. Is a property survey important? Is...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Land actually belonged to City of Toronto despite tax bill and assessment that listed it as the homeowners The most important thing a real estate lawyer must do for his purchaser clients is to confirm the exact dimensions, and location, of the...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Expensive proceedings are not always the answer in solving disputes. A recent case involving a Toronto co-ownership building illustrates why expensive court proceedings are not always the solution to disputes between owners and their buildings’...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Condo owners paid $21,000 special assessment fees and sale closed; then entire condominium complex burned down. What happens if a real estate purchase and sale agreement does not cover an event that neither the buyer nor seller contemplated when...