Buying or Selling Cottage Property

This category of residential property ownership requires specialized experience, title searching skills and knowledge about laws applicable to cottage country and not in an urban setting. Lawrences has been acting on the acquisition, sale, financing and development of cottage properties for over 90 years throughout the Province of Ontario. We help our clients understand the distinct differences with cottage ownership and what to watch out for in their purchase and sale transactions.

Our services include:

Review, negotiation and drafting of agreements of purchase and sale and amendments
Due diligence investigations including title and off-title searches with particular emphasis on water frontage/shore road allowance ownership; access, easements and rights-of-way; septic, land and water environmental representations and warranties
Crown patent reservations
Lake/Cottage Association organization authority and governance
Building/dock and bunkie permits
Family conveyancing and succession
Occupancy and co-tenancy use agreements between family members
Completion of closings for purchase and sale transactions
Property and boundary disputes with neighbours

Should I take title to the cottage with my adult children? What kinds of property disputes are potential problems with cottage ownership? What kinds of unique legal concerns are associated with the purchase of cottage property?

Mar 18, 2015 | Case Study

Cottage Purchase

The Problem We were retained by a client who had purchased a cottage in Muskoka, using the services of another lawyer. Our client planned to renova...

Apr 01, 2012 | Article

Selling Land: Verbal Agreements can be Enforced

Tom and Sally own neighbouring cottage properties on a lake shore. Tom sells his cottage property conditional upon the installation of a new septic system. However, he can’t install a new septic system without purchasing a portion of abutting lands from Sally. Tom and Sally exchange emails and have an oral discussion about the sale of a portion of Sally’s land at a purchase price to be paid at a later date. They sign an easement agreement so that Tom can have immediate access to the land, and a deed transferring a portion of Sally’s land to Tom so that Tom can apply for a permit to install a septic system. Subsequently, Tom incurs financial hardship and pays Sally only a portion of the agreed-upon purchase price. Can Sally enforce their agreement?

Apr 01, 2008 | Article

Purchasing a Vacation Property: Paradise or Nightmare?

Janet had planned to spend her retirement years as a proud cottage owner in beautiful Muskoka. She had plans to renovate, extend and winterize the old cottage, replace the dilapidated dock, and do some landscaping. She and her husband, Jim, had bought the cottage without doing any of the investigations that are critical with the purchase of a cottage. She is paying for that now.