GTA Living

How to Check Your Ontario Driving Record & Demerit Points

In Ontario, you check your demerit points and driving history by ordering a driver record from ServiceOntario (often called a driver's abstract). The most common one is the 3-year driver record: ordered online, the uncertified version costs $12 CAD and is emailed to you as a PDF instantly, and it li

Ontario Estate Administration Tax Explained: What It Really Costs to Pass On a Home After Death

The Estate Administration Tax (EAT), commonly called a probate fee, is a tax Ontario charges when the court formally authorizes someone to administer a deceased person's estate. According to the Government of Ontario (ontario.ca), no tax is owed on the first $50,000 of the estate's value, and $15 is

I Paid My Contractor in Full — So How Can There Be a Lien on My Home? An Ontario Construction Act Survival Guide for Homeowners

A construction lien is a statutory security right under Ontario's Construction Act (formerly the Construction Lien Act) that lets anyone who supplied labour or materials to improve your property — your general contractor, a subcontractor, a worker, even a material supplier — register an unpaid claim

Why Ontario’s Matrimonial Home Is Treated Differently: What Every Couple Must Know Before Selling, Mortgaging, or Separating

A matrimonial home is the property a married couple ordinarily occupied as their family residence at the time of separation. Under section 18 of Ontario's Family Law Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. F.3), what makes a home "matrimonial" is actual occupation as the family residence—not whose name is on title, wh

Buying a Rural Ontario Home on a Private Well and Septic: Water Testing, Septic Inspection, and the Offer Conditions You Need

Two things matter most: testing the well water and getting a professional septic inspection. Unlike a city home on municipal water and sewer, a country property handles its own water supply and its own wastewater — the well delivers your drinking water and the septic system treats your sewage. Both

The House You Love Is in a Flood Zone or by a River — Can You Still Buy It?

Yes, you can — but before you do, you need to nail down two things: whether the land sits in a floodplain, and whether it falls within a Conservation Authority's regulated area under the Conservation Authorities Act. Ontario has 36 conservation authorities that, under Section 28 of the Act, regulate

Unpermitted Renovations Can Get Your Insurance Claim Denied — A Hidden Cost for Ontario Buyers and Sellers

In Ontario, renovations done without a building permit or not to code can lead an insurer to deny a fire or water claim. Old knob-and-tube wiring can even cause insurers to refuse coverage or require replacement first (typically $5,000–$10,000+). Here's the insurance risk of unpermitted work and how to handle it when buying or selling.

Heat Pump vs Gas Furnace: How to Choose a Heating System for Your Ontario Home

Heat pump or gas furnace for your Ontario home? Cold-climate heat pumps run down to about -25C but lose efficiency below -15C. Enbridge's Home Renovation Savings program (launched Jan 28, 2025, replacing HER+) pays gas-heated homes $500/ton up to $2,000. Here are the trade-offs and the practical hybrid answer.