2009 Toronto Star Columns

Some roads named in a person’s honour are well thought out; other choices come into
question

Lenders need to have all pertinent information to prevent
mortgage fraud allegations

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Melanie came to her lawyer's office in tears. Two years earlier she had received $5,000 from a "friend" to allow her name to be used on the purchase of a property by someone who could not qualify for bank financing. She signed some...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Late last month, Toronto became the first city in North America to adopt a bylaw requiring the construction of green roofs on new developments. It comes into force Jan. 31, 2010. A green roof is a system where a vegetated area becomes part of...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The issue of toxic Chinese drywall may well become the biggest environmental crisis to hit North American homeowners and builders in decades. The defective Chinese drywall emits toxic hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and other gases. It is...

Sonia James learned the hard way that it’s not always a good idea to sue
your lawyer and blame your misfortunes on him or her.

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca One of the biggest mysteries of the local real estate market is the legality of basement apartments – also known as granny flats, in-law suites, accessory apartments or non-retrofit units. Toronto bylaws permit basement apartments in all...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Barbara and Michael learned the hard way that pre-construction deposits paid to builders of condominium units are only protected by the Tarion Warranty Corp. up to a maximum of $20,000. Barbara emailed me recently to say that three years ago she...

Injunction granted after protesters stall
construction at Hagersville home-building site

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The Canadian condominium industry and the real estate bar lost one of its towering giants last weekend with the passing of Mark Freedman, a senior partner at Harris, Sheaffer LLP in North York. Freedman, who was 55, was one of Ontario's...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Last month I reviewed an offer to purchase a waterfront cottage near Kirkfield, Ont. The property was listed by a real estate agent in the Kawarthas and the offer was prepared by a Toronto agent. After I read the offer, I told the would-be...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca I learned of a new term in the housing industry last week. "White box" refers to a newly constructed house or condominium unit that is built to the minimum standards necessary to comply with the Ontario Building Code. It may have one...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Last week I had the opportunity to review a condominium builder purchase agreement with a couple of clients. They had been told in the sales office what they thought was the total purchase price and asked me to see if there were any surprises in...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca The Ontario Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a mother who promised to give her son two family cottages if he renovated them, but then changed her mind. The story began back in 2000 when Margaret Sheldrake made an agreement with her son...

Christopher and Lindsay Taggart were dismayed to discover that the lot underneath their newly constructed home was 1,000 square feet smaller than it was represented to be. The home is located in a new subdivision in Maple Ridge, B.C. Behind their lot was a parcel of...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca What happens if you buy a house and it turns out to be more than 18 per cent smaller than the advertised size? That's what happened in the summer of 2003 to Bruce and Karen Meagher after they bought a house in New Westminster, B.C., from...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca A new American law set to take effect June 1, 2009 will require anyone selling a residential property in Cook County, Ill. which includes Chicago to provide a thumbprint or fingerprint. Under the cumbersome moniker of the Cook County Residential...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca Over the last 18 months, approximately 700 older homes in Ontario have been insulated with a product containing urea formaldehyde foam insulation, or UFFI. The problem is that the use of UFFI has been illegal in Canada since it was banned in...

Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca As part of its green energy legislation, the McGuinty government is poised to shred the right to privacy that all citizens enjoy in their lawyer's offices solicitor-client privilege. It is described in a 2001 decision of the Supreme Court of...