Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 16, 2003 Buyers had recourse for altered floor planCouple not informed about design changes Grading required additional front steps When you buy a house from a builder, is there any guarantee that you’ll get the same house that was promised? That was the question that prompted an interesting response from a […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 2, 2003 Mortgage fraud victims can also lose homes Two Toronto residents face eviction and the loss of their $500,000 condominium under power of sale for defaulting on a fraudulent mortgage placed on the unit a mortgage they knew nothing about. Back in 1995, Lincoln Leung-Hang Shin and his wife, Ling […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 26 2003 Beware of extra costs for mortgage paperwork The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) has sounded a consumer alert to warn homebuyers of new programs instituted by several of the major banks, which can significantly increase the costs of borrowing for home mortgages. Deborah Rogers, incoming chair of the OBA Real […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 19, 2003 Do neighbours have right to natural light? Toronto artist Gordon MacNamara is fighting the City of Toronto and Canadian Tire because he’s worried about losing sunlight in his historic studio building. For more than 50 years, 92-year-old MacNamara has lived and worked in the four-storey studio building at 25 […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 12, 2003 The perils of buying a vendor-built home When Sharon Ann Mariani bought a home in Puslinch Township, she learned the hard way that there are significant risks in buying from a vendor who builds his own house without adequate construction experience. The defects in the house were so serious […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 5 2003 Ontario buyers deserve same rights as British Should builders of new homes or their agents be held responsible for errors or subsequent alterations in their descriptions of the houses being built and sold? That was the question a court had to deal with when two homebuyers complained that the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 28 2003 No flying maple leaves in Markham on Canada Day Restriction is in subdivision agreement Compromise reached in U.S. case If you’re in the town of Markham this Canada Day weekend, don’t expect to see many displays of patriotism in front of local residences. For tens of thousands of Markham […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 21 2003 No gazumping, please, we’re Canadian My client had just flown in from his home in England and was in the process of closing what, for me, was a fairly routine Toronto condominium purchase. The title was clean, the lawyers were co-operating with each other, the agents were on-side, and […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 14 2003 Choose title insurance firm carefully Defendants in fence dispute feel abandoned It’s important for buyers to have survey A court case wending its way through the judicial system underlines just how important it is for homebuyers to have a current survey and to choose a title insurance company very […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 7 2003 Infrared camera ruled an invasion of privacy RCMP measured thermal energy Marijuana trafficking charges laid In 1967, Pierre Trudeau announced "the State has no business in the bedrooms of the nation." Recently, Ontario courts have been considering whether the State has any business in other rooms of the […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 31 2003 Law Society boots lawyer in property flip scam A Brampton lawyer who was the "unwitting dupe" of an unscrupulous client in a bogus mortgage scheme has been ordered to resign his membership by the Law Society of Upper Canada or be disbarred. He has also been prohibited from acting […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 24 2003 Deductions not fair and not necessary Are government taxes and levies on new homes too high? Should they be lower? Do we really need mortgage interest deductibility to stimulate the construction and sale of new homes and condominiums? These questions arise in the wake of a new report […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 17 2003 Squatter’s rights no defence The Ontario Court of Appeal has written what may well be the final chapter in a case involving a property owner who attempted to enlarge her property by improperly appropriating a chunk of her neighbour’s land. In fact, the trial judge called her actions […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 10 2003 Home inspector warned of moisture in basement Purchasers still bought, but later sued vendors Judge found plaintiffs didn’t pay sufficient attention to report Who is responsible for water leaking into a basement when it is discovered after closing? How can purchasers protect themselves when the basement looks dry […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 3 2003 Movers liable for losing couple’s possessions Ensure you have enough insurance for the move Why do people move from one house to another? According to comedian George Carlin, a house is just "a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." Sometimes, he […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 26 2003 Vendors didn’t reveal facts about nude beach Vendors didn’t mention nude beach next door ‘Hidden defect’ claim rejected, buyers lose deposit Is the seller of a house obligated to disclose its hidden defects to a purchaser? Who determines what is and what is not a defect? Is a […]
Link to CBC The National documentary on "Deadly Dust"
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 19 2003 Danger seen in popular home insulation product Some vermiculite product tainted by toxic asbestosProduction stopped in 1984 at Montana mine Every homeowner has reason to be concerned about potentially dangerous substances which might be found in Canadian homes – urea formaldehyde, radon gas, asbestos, mould, and other harmful […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 12 2003 Be your own real estate agent at new Internet site Mike Forcier is an Owen Sound lawyer who is ready to turn the real estate world upside down. Next week, after two years of planning and preparation, he will launch http://www.propertyshop.ca, an Internet-based scheme to bring a […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 5 2003 Buyers need protection from delayed closings Builders can extend deadlines Too many buyers unaware of rights When Amardeep Singh and his wife Jagjit Kaur signed an agreement to buy a new home in Mississauga in July, 2001, they had no idea the closing would be delayed by almost […]