Real Estate Law
Builder and Developer Series Part 1: The Land Deal
Whether you are a builder or developer looking to purchase vacant land, a tear-down, or a building slated for fit-up or renovation, one of your first steps is going to be making a land deal with the vendor (seller). While...
Code of Ethics for New Home Builders and Vendors
The arrival of the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA), established under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 (NHCLA) has brought about many changes impacting new home builders and vendors in Ontario. Most recently, on July 1, 2021, regulations under...
Purchase and Sale of AIRbnb Properties Part 2
In Part 1 of our series on the purchase and sale of AIRbnb rental properties, we discussed different forms of taxation that may apply when buying or selling a short-term rental property. In Part 2, we will look at city...
Purchase and Sale of AIRbnb Properties Part 1
AIRbnb is a popular online marketplace for short-term rentals, homestays and vacation rentals primarily for tourism and short-term work/assignment purposes. The service is provided by a platform that is globally accessible on the Internet and via Mobile App. AIRbnb does...
Agreement of Purchase and Sale: Put it in writing.
You have decided to purchase or sell your home. The next step is to enter into an agreement of purchase and sale. It is important that the agreement be set out in writing, as per the Statue of Frauds. The...
Applying for Land Severance
In order to divide land that you own into smaller lots, official approval is required from the local municipality. Landowners must ensure that the land severance has no long-term negative impact on the community, otherwise, municipal services such as garbage...
Personal Real Estate Corporations
Thanks to new legislation by the government of Ontario and the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2020 (REBBA), a brokerage can now pay remuneration (i.e. commissions) owed to a salesperson (real estate agent) or broker for trading in real...
The Sellers Say They Won’t Close: Will the Courts Make Them?
Rising real estate prices create incentives for sellers to try to get the most out of their agreements. The hot markets in most of Ontario since the initial pandemic restrictions were loosened are no exception, and we have seen an...
Updated Repair and Warranty Deadlines for New Home Builders and Buyers
On July 6, 2020, Tarion announced the reinstatement of certain statutory timelines that had previously been suspended pursuant to Ontario’s Emergency Order. Builders and buyers should take note that the following rules will apply to builder repairs, warranty submission timelines,...
The Federal Home Equity Capital Gains Tax
As federal and provincial government deficits skyrocket due to COVID-19 support payouts such as the CERB, governments at all levels will be searching for new revenue sources in the not-so-distant future to try and balance budgets. One way to accomplish...
