Real Estate Law Blog
Real Estate Closing Process Ontario: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ontario real estate closing from signed APS to registration: purchase steps, sale steps, closing costs, and where files stall.
Real Estate Legal Fees: A Full Breakdown
Ontario real estate legal fees start at $2,299 to buy and $1,999 to sell, all-inclusive. How the legal bill differs from closing costs, and how to compare two quotes.
Virtual Real Estate Closing: Signing Remotely in 2026
A virtual closing in Ontario is the client-side work on video: ID, signing, commissioning. Teraview registration was already electronic. Same legal result as sitting in the office.
Condo Special Assessments in Ontario: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know
In Ontario, a condo special assessment is an extra common-expense levy — often one-time or in installments — that buyers should catch in the status certificate before waiving conditions.
Same-Day Purchase and Sale in Ontario: Chain Closings Without the Panic
In Ontario, a same-day purchase and sale means sale proceeds must clear through lawyers’ trust accounts in time to fund your buy — a chain where one late wire can stress every linked deal.
Bridge Financing in Ontario: Buying Before Your Sale Closes
Ontario bridge financing is a short-term loan against equity in your current home so you can close a purchase before sale proceeds arrive — usually only when both deals are firm and your lender approves.
Fire or Damage Before Closing in Ontario: Equitable Conversion and Who Bears the Risk
When an Ontario home is damaged by fire or casualty after a firm APS and before closing, the standard insurance clause — not bare equitable conversion — usually decides who bears the risk and what the buyer can elect.
First-Time Buyer Closing Costs in Ontario (Beyond LTT and Legal Fees)
Ontario first-time buyers still need cash beyond land transfer tax and the lawyer’s fee: title insurance, high-ratio mortgage insurance, adjustments, condo extras, and lender items that show up before keys.
Collateral Charge vs Conventional Mortgage in Ontario
In Ontario, a standard (conventional) charge usually matches the loan amount; a collateral charge can be registered higher and may secure more than one loan with the same lender.
Transferring Title to Family in Ontario: Gift, Trust, and LTT on the Mortgage
Ontario family title transfers turn on gift versus trust versus true co-ownership; assumed mortgage debt usually creates land transfer tax consideration.
Bank of Mom and Dad in Ontario: Gift, Guarantor, or Co-Owner?
Ontario parents can help with a home purchase by gift, guarantee, or co-ownership; each changes lender documents, liability, title, tax and rebate analysis.
Condo Exclusive-Use Areas in Ontario: Balcony, Parking, and Doorbells
In Ontario, a condo balcony, parking spot, or locker is often exclusive-use common element—not part of your unit—and alterations like doorbells need board approval under section 98.
Selling a Tenanted Home in Ontario: Vacant Possession, N12, and Cash-for-Keys
Listing an Ontario rental does not end the tenancy. Vacant possession on closing needs a valid N12 path, an N11 agreement, or a buyer who takes the tenant.
Section 116 Clearance Certificate for Non-Resident Sellers in Ontario
If a non-resident sells Ontario real property without a CRA section 116 certificate, the buyer is entitled to hold back 25% or 50% of the price, depending on the type of property.
Real Estate Conditions Explained: Financing, Home Inspection, Status Certificate, and Sale of Property
On an Ontario APS, financing, inspection, status certificate, and sale-of-property conditions only protect you until the deadline. Miss the written notice and a condition-precedent deal usually dies.
Chattels vs Fixtures in Ontario (and Rental Hot-Water Tanks)
Fixtures stay, chattels leave, unless the Ontario agreement says otherwise. A rental hot-water tank looks attached and is often owned by someone else. Write it on the form.
Toronto Vacant Home Tax on a Purchase or Sale
Miss Toronto's occupancy declaration and the City treats the house as vacant. The 3% tax is a lien. On a sale, the buyer can inherit it.
First-Time Land Transfer Tax Rebates in Ontario
Ontario's first-time refund is up to $4,000. Toronto adds up to $4,475. A spouse who owned while you were together, or a parent on title as a real owner, can cut or kill it.
Real Estate Deposits in Ontario
An Ontario resale deposit is security for the deal, not a cooling-off period. Miss it and you can still be on the hook. Walk from a firm agreement and the seller can keep it, and sometimes more.
Seller Disclosure in Ontario: Latent vs Patent Defects
Ontario sellers must disclose known latent defects that make a home dangerous or unfit to live in. They do not have to volunteer stigma, and they cannot hide a problem or lie if asked.
New Housing HST Rebates: Everything You Need to Know
Ontario has five new-housing HST rebate programs: three in force, two still proposed. Do not treat a proposed rebate as cash in the price.
Removing Conditions on an Agreement of Purchase and Sale
In Ontario, a conditional APS becomes firm by Notice of Fulfillment, Waiver, or Amendment—three forms with different signature rules and deadlines.
Condition Precedent vs Condition Subsequent
Condition precedent vs condition subsequent in an Ontario Agreement of Purchase and Sale: action vs inaction, and why a buyer’s financing clause is usually a precedent.
Closing Costs When Selling a Home in Ontario
Ontario sellers still pay closing costs after commission: legal fees from $1,999 + HST, mortgage discharge, adjustments, and sometimes capital gains.
Pre‑Construction Condo Closing: Legal Considerations
A pre-construction condo in Ontario has two closings. Occupancy gives you the keys without title. Final closing is when you own it, the mortgage funds, and land transfer tax is paid.
Survivorship Applications: Ontario Guide
How a survivorship application works in Ontario when joint tenants own the property: who can apply, what the lawyer needs, and why tenants in common cannot use it.
How to Choose a Real Estate Lawyer: Ontario Guide
In Ontario, pick a real estate lawyer who closes residential files full-time — specialization, responsiveness, and a clear all-inclusive fee matter more than the lowest quote.
Real Estate Closing Process Ontario: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ontario real estate closing from signed APS to registration: purchase steps, sale steps, closing costs, and where files stall.
Title Insurance Ontario: A Complete Guide
Title insurance on an Ontario purchase: owner vs lender, what the policy covers, what it does not, and why your lawyer orders it at closing.
Title Transfers in Ontario: A Complete Guide
Adding or removing a name on title in Ontario: spouse, parent or child, a third party, and why a transfer without a sale is a different job than a closing.
Condo Maintenance Fees: A Full Breakdown
Ontario condo maintenance fees are common expenses: a monthly share of the building, set by the declaration, plus the reserve. Low fees can mean a thin reserve.
When to Hire a Real Estate Lawyer
In Ontario you need a real estate lawyer to register a transfer or mortgage — hire one before you sign the agreement, not on closing morning.
Interim Occupancy Closings in Ontario: What Buyers Need to Know
Interim occupancy on an Ontario pre-construction condo: you get the keys before title, you pay occupancy fees that are not a deposit, and final closing is when you actually own it.