Real Estate Litigation Articles

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Insurance claims against Ontario real estate lawyers cost their insurance company an average of $20.7 million a year, according to a fact sheet published last week by LawPRO, the Law Society’s insurance company.  LawPRO provides mandatory errors...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Under provincial law, the bottom of any navigable lakes or rivers typically belong to the Ontario Crown, and no docks or boathouses with foundations sitting on the bottom of a lake can be built without permission of the Minister of Natural...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca TVs, gym equipment and a piano were among the items left in the house (and later found to be missing) by the owner’s estate. The vast majority of real estate agents are honest, competent and caring individuals. Occasionally, however, one of them...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Panel determines that repairs are responsibility of Tarion A squeaky wooden floor was at the centre of a recent decision by the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal that overruled the province’s Tarion Warranty Corporation on the matter. In July,...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca “On closing” a tricky phrase when trying to ensure equipment is sound Tracy Lynn Robinson and her husband bought a house in Milton last year. The purchase agreement contained a warranty that the appliances and fixtures (including the furnace)...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca If you plan to fight a condominium corporation, says Bob Aaron, be prepared for a ‘very risky and expensive undertaking.’ A dog’s size can work against it, and its owners, after a recent court case agreed a condominium’s can ban pets weighing...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Is there a legal obligation for a seller to disclose pre-closing flood damage to the buyer? A court case over disclosure of basement flooding between a seller and buyer could make it to the Supreme Court of Canada. Does the seller of a house...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Be smart and ensure address changes are complete – especially on government forms A Tax Court of Canada decision last month can help buyers of new homes and condos ensure they qualify for the HST new home rebate. The court’s finding is also a...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Need for written contracts dated back to a 1677 English law Next week marks a sea change in Ontario real property law when it becomes legal to electronically sign agreements of purchase and sale, as well as deeds and mortgages creating or...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Real estate agents and builders don’t always tell you about the thousands of dollars in hidden fees Two areas involving builder agreements of purchase and sale that cry out for action by the new homes provincial watchdog are disclosure of...