Digital cameras led to the demise of printed photos; digital music to the disruption of the CD industry. In Ontario, all real estate transactions are done through the electronic registration database, otherwise known as Teraview. Everything is done electronically:...
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A bit of Americana
I thought I would do a brief post today on the differences between a couple of American and Canadian terms. Let’s start with the big one: attorney. In the U.S., an attorney is a lawyer. In Canada, an attorney is an agent. Here, we call ourselves simply lawyers. You...
Start digging
A few months ago, I blogged about how far up and down you own on your property. Today, I thought I would focus in on one of those: mining rights. In Ontario, whether you own the subsurface rights to your property depends on a lot of things. First, when the Crown first...
Renting underground
I have a lot of clients who want to buy properties that have the possibility of renting out the basement for some extra income. There are several concerns that you should be aware of if you intend to do this. Is the apartment legal? In Barrie, very few basement...
Abandonment
A client called me not long ago to let me know that the sellers of the home she had bought had left some items behind. Her question: did she have to arrange for the new owner to retrieve them? The general rule on items in the house is that chattels go unless they have...
Choose wisely
Today, I thought I would blog about something that's been taking over my life a bit lately: the busy summer season and choosing your closing date. It is traditional for real estate to be busy in the summer; people frequently go house hunting in the spring once the...
Chattels and fixtures and lawyers, oh my!
We got an interesting call at the office a few weeks ago: my partner's client was told by the seller of his home that the furnace was going with them. When my partner called the seller's lawyer to ask for an explanation, he explained that the furnace was a chattel,...
Beware of falling glass
On June 21, Kathleen Wynne, the Ontario Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced changes to the Ontario Building Code that would take effect on July 1, 2012. There were a number of incidents in Toronto where glass fell from balconies, sometimes up to 30...
How to find a real estate lawyer
In Ontario, if you want to buy or sell a home, you are required to go through a lawyer as only licensed and insured real estate lawyers are entitled to register transfers of property. There is extra insurance required to practice real estate law in Ontario, and so not...
Getting your signing hand ready
My first contact with clients is generally over the phone, when they call to retain me. Usually in the course of that phone call, they will ask when they need to come in to sign. Generally, you will sign the paperwork with your lawyer one to three days prior to...