Real Estate Litigation Articles

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A recent B.C. court decision, which ruled in favour of a buyer who reneged on a home purchase after discovering it had been the site of a murder, serves as a warning against signing any non-required agreements. Is a purchaser entitled to back...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Judge ruled there was no oppressive conduct on parents’ part that would justify the daughter’s position that she did not want to sell the house. It’s not uncommon for relatives to add their names onto the title of a house to help the real owner...

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...