Categories for Industry News

Ontario Human Rights Code – Housing Discrimination

Every person has the right to be free from discrimination in housing because of Code-protected grounds. You have the right to equal treatment when buying, selling, renting or being evicted from an apartment, house, condominium or commercial property. This right also covers renting or being evicted from a hotel room. Housing ...

Continue Reading

Important Changes to Capital Gains Tax (what you need to know)

  Starting June 25, 2024, the capital gains inclusion rate will be increased from one-half to two-thirds for capital gains of over $250,000 per year for Canadians, and on all capital gains for corporations and most types of trusts. Four Key Federal Budget Capital Gains Measures 1) Increase in Capital ...

Continue Reading

Money Laundering Can Drive Home Prices A Lot Higher, In A Short Period Of Time

The Objective Of Money Laundering When you buy an asset, whether a home or an investment property, you try to get the best value for your time and money. You want a deal. The seller is trying to extract the maximum price they can get from you, without driving you ...

Continue Reading

Assigning Property and the GST/HST Implications

The Federal Budget for 2022 has made amendments to Part IX of the Excise Tax Act (“ETA”). Effective May 7, 2022, all assignment sales in respect of newly constructed or substantially renovated single unit residential complexes or residential condominium units are taxable. For clarity, with respect to residential housing transactions, ...

Continue Reading

Can REALTORS®—or Clients—Secretly Record Potential Buyers?

Smile! You’re being secretly recorded. Oh, the joys of privacy law! With more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel, it truly is the gift that keeps on giving… if you’re a privacy lawyer. For normal people, maybe not so much. Perhaps it’s because of the warmer weather that’s ...

Continue Reading

Obligations of All Ontario Registrants (REALTORS®)

Real estate is a highly regulated business in Ontario. These regulations protect consumers, establish standards and provide for a method of delivering consistent, predictable and professional services. It also provides a means to discipline those that do not uphold those standards. Real estate professionals standards include regulatory (TRESA), fiduciary (legal) ...

Continue Reading

Buying or Selling in Another Province

While certain industries are regulated federally, property laws are a provincial responsibility. Many of the provinces have similarities in their property laws, but even those are not exactly the same. What happens when a buyer or seller resides in one province and the home being bought or sold is in ...

Continue Reading

Ontario Human Rights Code – Housing as a Human Right

Adequate housing is essential to one’s sense of dignity, safety, inclusion and ability to contribute to the fabric of our neighbourhoods and societies[3]. As the Commission heard in this consultation, without appropriate housing it is often not possible to get and keep employment, to recover from mental illness or other ...

Continue Reading

Changes to Non-Resident Taxes in Ontario Real Estate

In addition to all the usual taxes residents have to bear owning real estate; all non-residents selling or buying Canadian real estate are required to undergo some additional tax burdens made to deter non-resident investors from speculating in the housing market and ensure governments collect their due taxes. Without proper ...

Continue Reading

What You Need to Know About Canada’s Underused Housing Tax

In effect since January 1st, 2022, the UHT is an annual 1% federal tax on real estate owned by any non-resident, non-Canadian, and considered vacant or underused. In some situations, this also applies to Canadian owners. The Underused Housing Tax Act (UHT) requires individuals impacted by this tax to file ...

Continue Reading