The PYB Blog
The condo my client purchased is 350 square feet, but upon measuring it, it is only 290 square feet, was this misrepresented?
What you see is not what you get when it comes to condominium areas. You are buying a twelve hundred square foot condo, that twelve hundred feet is determined according to Tarion’s Bulletin 22 and is called the marketing area or the salable area of the condo.
Now, what you end up living in, though, is that square footage, minus half the thickness of the demising walls, minus the full thickness of exterior walls, minus the thickness of the corridor walls, minus the area ...
What is a Survey Plan and Why Is it Important for a Real Estate Deal?
A survey plan is probably the single most powerful document that you can acquire to attach to your deal using your deal that protects you and your client and your deal. First and foremost, it’s a legal document. It is a written contract with various components to it. The second thing is it is a diagrammatic representation of land boundaries, physical features and structures.
So it's both a legal documents that counters legal weight, but it's also a diagrammatic representation.
What does the difference between a condos useable area vs saleable area mean to me and my client?
What's interesting about this is that there are certain situations, certain types of condo where the disparity between usable area and marketing area is most significant.
The Tarion Bulletin 22 contains, the area that's calculated includes all the way to the outside of exterior walls. That means if you have a corner unit, you have an additional exterior wall that you are going to pay that full width of in square footage. If the walls are a foot thick, and it's a 20 foot wall...
Are neighbours allowed to have their cement walkway up to the property line?
Technically speaking your neighbour is within their rights to build their walkway up to the property boundary (providing they are not violating any municipal zoning setback bylaws). However that right does not extend to them damaging any features or structures on your side of the property line. You have several pathways to resolution available to you:
1. Do nothing.
2. Resolve the situation with your neighbour.
3. Seek legal help. A lawyer who specializes in land and boundary issues can help you determine how to use..
I am rebuilding my fence and need to know boundaries to my neighbors. What product of yours can help me and what's the fee.
Thanks for your question. The product designed for fence-building is the Boundary Stakeout. We will determine, through research, the location of the boundary and then perform an on-site stakeout of eight points along that boundary.
Your fence-builder (or you if you’re doing it yourself) will use these to ensure your fence is where you want it to be relative to the boundary.
Should I review the property survey plan before buying a house?
It is always wise to examine a survey plan when buying a house as part of your research and due diligence process. A survey plan is an accurate graphic representation of the size and extent of the property. It will provide information regarding the location of structures on the property, fences, encroachments and easements (if any).
It will also reveal any title or boundary issues that have the potential to escalate into problems. A new survey plan is the most advisable option; however, an existing plan may also deliver the essential information you need ...
Can you Earn Income by Building a Laneway Suite? Step 1: Confirm Your Boundaries
On Thursday June 28, 2018, the City of Toronto Council approved a motion to amend a city bylaw which would now allow the construction of laneway suites in residential neighbourhoods. The ever-increasing demand for affordable housing in the GTA played a huge role in the 30 -5 vote, with the hopes that this change will alleviate some of the pressure its residents are having with finding living space.
My neighbor is adding an addition and building right on our property line. He is digging up 3 to 6 inches of my property for his foundation excavation. What are my rights?
You have rights. First of all, your neighbour cannot dig up your land without your permission.
Semi-detached homes in Toronto. Can your neighbour build a 2-story back extension on the property line? Any boundary restrictions?
This is a zoning question. Your neighbour is not allowed to build over the boundary, however, the proximity to it and the nature of the structure that can be built is determined by the City’s zoning bylaws.
I suggest you contact the City of Toronto’s building department for your answer (https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/building-construction/).
Is it legal for my neighbour to build an entrance way leading into our mutual drive-way?
Thank you for your question. Your mutual driveway is technically called an easement. This easement gives your property access rights over a portion of your neighbour’s property, and your neighbour’s property over a portion of yours. When put together the two strips of land create a “driveway” that you each can use all of.
The key to easements is that you cannot block or obstruct them. This includes parking your vehicle on them for any prolonged period of time, building fences or, as in your example, potentially building onto them.