Buying

Well Water & Septic Tests Before You Close on Rural Property in Ontario

Two things drive the diligence: well water testing (both quality and quantity) and a septic system inspection. Quality means checking for bacterial contamination — E. coli and total coliforms — which Ontario's local public health units test for free. Quantity means confirming the well actually yield

Knob-and-Tube Wiring in Older Toronto Homes: A Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide

Knob-and-tube (K&T) is an early wiring method that runs conductors through ceramic "knobs" and "tubes," relying on open air to dissipate heat. According to the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA, 2021), it was used in homes built from the early 1900s to the 1940s and is no longer installed. It is not

Do You Need a Property Survey to Buy a Home in Ontario? Surveys (RPRs) vs. Title Insurance, Explained

For most resale purchases, no. In Ontario today, the large majority of buyers close on title insurance, which covers the fact that there is no up-to-date survey, and both lenders and lawyers accept that. Title insurance protects that you legally get what you physically see on the land as of closing,

Encroachment on an Ontario Property: What Buyers and Sellers Must Do When a Fence, Deck, Shed, or Driveway Crosses the Line

An encroachment is a physical thing belonging to one owner — a fence, deck, shed, driveway, eave, or retaining wall — that sits wholly or partly on the neighbouring lot, crossing the boundary line. It can be your structure over the neighbour's line, or theirs over yours. In Ontario, encroachments ar

Multiple Representation Under TRESA: What It Means When One Agent Sits on Both Sides

Multiple representation is when one brokerage, or one designated representative, represents more than one client with competing interests in the same trade — most commonly a single agent acting for both the seller and the buyer. According to RECO, multiple representation is not illegal, but it is ti

Joint Tenancy vs. Tenancy in Common in Ontario: How Co-Owners Should Hold Title

The decisive difference is the right of survivorship. Under joint tenancy, when one owner dies their interest passes automatically to the surviving owner(s) - outside the will and outside the estate. Under tenancy in common, each owner holds a distinct, quantifiable share that passes through their e

Buying a Leasehold / Land-Lease Home in Ontario: You Own the House, Not the Land — Where It’s Cheaper and Where It Bites

In plain terms: a land-lease property is one where you own the home itself (the house or unit) but only "rent" the land it sits on. You pay a monthly land-lease fee to the landowner — a community operator, a university, an Indigenous land authority — and the home is yours while the

Chattels vs. Fixtures in an Ontario Home Purchase: What Stays, What Goes, and How to Write the APS

Two questions decide it: first, is the item actually attached to the home, and second, is it written into the contract? According to the standard Ontario Agreement of Purchase and Sale (the OREA Form 100), fixtures — things attached to and forming part of the property, like built-in cabinetry, light