Real Estate guides
Legal guides from Equity Law Group on Real Estate in British Columbia. For help with your own matter, see our Real Estate service or contact us.
The Property Disclosure Statement: What BC Sellers Must Disclose About Defects
October 19, 2026
Most BC resale buyers ask the seller for a property disclosure statement. Your answers can become part of the deal, and some defects must be disclosed whether or not you are asked. Here is how to approach the form carefully.
Buying BC Property Through a Corporation: Pros, Cons and Transparency Filings
October 19, 2026
Holding BC real estate in a company can make sense for investors and business owners, but it changes the tax, financing and filing picture. Here is what to weigh, and the transparency filings a corporate buyer must make on registration.
Holding BC Real Estate in a Trust: Bare Trusts, Reporting and Transparency Rules
October 19, 2026
Putting BC property in one person's name for someone else's benefit creates a trust, often a bare trust. That triggers a BC transparency report when title is registered and, for many arrangements, a CRA trust return starting with the 2026 tax year.
Buying a Home With a Partner Before Marriage: Title Choices and Agreements
October 15, 2026
Unmarried couples buying in BC often put in different amounts and assume title settles who owns what. It may not, once the Family Law Act treats you as spouses. How title choices, the 2-year rule and a written agreement fit together before you complete.
Buying or Selling Property Under a Power of Attorney in BC
October 15, 2026
An attorney can sign a BC property sale or purchase, but the land title office has its own filing rules, older powers of attorney can lapse for land title purposes after 3 years, and attorneys have duties that limit what they can do. What to check before you list or buy.
Severing a Joint Tenancy in BC: When and How Co-Owners Change Their Title
October 15, 2026
Severing a joint tenancy ends the automatic right of survivorship, so your share passes under your will instead of to the other owner. Here is how severance works in BC, when one owner can do it alone, and why registering the transfer matters.
Buying an Assignment in BC: What to Check Before You Take Over a Pre-Sale
October 14, 2026
Buying a pre-sale condo by assignment means stepping into someone else's contract with the developer, including its deposits, deadlines and tax consequences. Here is what to check on developer consent, reporting, property transfer tax and GST before you sign.
Pre-Sale Delays and Disclosure Amendments: When Can a BC Buyer Walk Away?
October 14, 2026
A delayed or changed pre-sale does not automatically let you cancel. Whether you can walk away in BC depends on your contract dates, how and when the developer delivered amendments, and the REDMA rules on disclosure. Here is how those pieces fit together.
Are Pre-Sale Deposits Protected in BC? Trust Rules and Deposit Insurance
October 14, 2026
BC law requires pre-sale deposits to be held in trust, but a developer can use them for the project if it buys deposit protection insurance. Here is how the rules work, when the money can be released and what to check before you pay your next deposit.
Buying Your First BC Home as a New Permanent Resident: What Is Different
October 14, 2026
Permanent residents are not caught by Canada's foreign buyer ban or BC's additional property transfer tax, but newcomers can still miss the first-time buyer exemption. Here is how PR status affects your purchase and what to check before you sign.
Adding Your Spouse or Partner to Title in BC: Tax, Mortgage and Family Law Effects
October 14, 2026
Putting your spouse or partner on the title to your BC home is a transfer of land. It can be free of property transfer tax or fully taxed, it usually needs your lender's sign-off, and the form of ownership you choose decides what happens on a death.
Do You Need a Lawyer or a Notary to Buy a Home in BC?
October 14, 2026
In BC, both lawyers and notaries can prepare and register the documents for a home purchase. Their roles differ when you need legal advice beyond the paperwork or the deal goes wrong. Here is what each is permitted to do, so you can choose with confidence.
Buying Commercial Property in BC: Due Diligence Before You Remove Subjects
October 14, 2026
Commercial property purchases carry risks that home purchases do not: environmental liability, tenant leases, zoning limits and GST. Here is what to investigate during your subject period, while you can still walk away.
Buying an Investment Property in BC: Taxes, Tenancies and Title Choices
October 14, 2026
An investment property brings a different set of legal questions than a home you live in. This guide covers property transfer tax, the speculation and vacancy tax, the provincial and federal flipping rules, buying with tenants in place, and how to hold title.
Joint Tenants or Tenants in Common? Choosing How to Hold Title in BC
October 12, 2026
When two or more people buy property together in BC, they must choose between joint tenancy and tenancy in common. The choice decides what happens to each share when an owner dies, so here is how each works, the default rule and how to pick.
Title and Mortgage Fraud in BC: How to Protect Your Home, Including BC Property Connect
October 12, 2026
LTSA warned in August 2026 about fraudsters using fake ID to take out mortgages on homes with clear or low-balance titles. Here is how title fraud works in BC, how BC Property Connect alerts can help, and what to do if something unexpected appears on your title.
Buying a Home With Friends or Siblings in BC: Why a Co-Ownership Agreement Matters
October 12, 2026
Pooling money with friends, siblings or other family can make a BC home affordable, but the title alone says little about who paid what or how anyone gets out. A written co-ownership agreement sets those rules before a dispute does.
Assigning Your Pre-Sale Contract in BC: Developer Consent, CSAIR and Taxes
October 12, 2026
Need to sell your BC pre-sale condo before completion? An assignment needs the developer's consent, is reported to the Province through CSAIR, and can trigger the BC home flipping tax, GST and income tax. Here is how the pieces fit together.
Completing on a Pre-Sale in BC: Inspections, Deficiencies and a Low Appraisal
October 12, 2026
A completion notice on a pre-sale can arrive years after you signed, often with a short deadline. Here is how to approach the pre-delivery inspection, deficiencies, a low appraisal and your home warranty coverage when your BC pre-sale is ready to close.
Strata Special Levies: Who Pays When You Buy or Sell a BC Strata Unit?
October 12, 2026
A strata special levy can cost thousands, and on a sale the question is who pays it. BC's Strata Property Act sets a default rule based on payment dates, but the contract can change the deal between buyer and seller. Here is how it works and what to check before you sign.
Your Mortgage Fell Through After Subject Removal: What Happens Next in BC
October 12, 2026
A low appraisal or a lender that withdraws approval after you have removed subjects does not end your BC purchase contract. Here is why it happens, what you can still do before completion, and what is at risk if the purchase cannot close.
BC's Home Buyer Rescission Period: How the 3-Day Cooling-Off Right Works
October 12, 2026
Most BC home buyers can cancel an accepted offer within three business days by paying the seller 0.25% of the price. Here is which purchases the right covers, how to count the days, what the written notice must say and how it must be served.
Help From Parents for a Down Payment in BC: Gift, Loan or Going on Title?
October 9, 2026
When parents help a child buy a home in BC, the money can be a gift, a loan or a share of ownership. Each choice affects the mortgage, the title, property transfer tax, trust reporting and what happens if the relationship or the family changes. Here is what to settle before completion.
The First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate: How It Works on a New Home in BC
October 9, 2026
First-time buyers of a new home in BC can recover up to $50,000 of GST. This guide explains who qualifies, how the amount is calculated, the agreement and completion dates that matter, and how to claim through your builder or the CRA.
BC First-Time Buyer Property Transfer Tax Exemption: Who Qualifies Under the 2024 Rules
October 9, 2026
The BC first-time buyer exemption turns on four personal tests and a one-year occupancy rule. This guide looks at the edge cases: new permanent residents, recent arrivals, past ownership abroad, homes near $835,000, and what you repay if you move out early.
Refinancing Your Home in BC: What the Lawyer Does and What to Expect
October 8, 2026
A refinance in BC means registering a new mortgage on title and paying out the one it replaces. Here is what the lawyer does from the lender's instructions to the final discharge, how debt consolidation and the stress test work, and what drives the timing.
Property Transfer Tax in BC: Rates, Exemptions and When It Is Paid
October 8, 2026
BC's property transfer tax is 1% on the first $200,000, 2% up to $2 million and 3% above that, with a further 2% on residential value over $3 million. Here is when it is paid at registration, who handles it, and the main exemption groups.
Just Bought a Home in BC? Your Post-Completion Checklist
October 8, 2026
The keys are in your hand, but a few legal and tax tasks are still yours. Here is what BC homeowners should do in the weeks after completion: the home owner grant, vacancy tax declarations, insurance, title alerts and updating your will.
Can You Back Out of a House Purchase in BC After Removing Subjects?
October 8, 2026
Once subjects are removed, a BC purchase contract is firm and walking away can cost more than your deposit. Here is how the three-day rescission right works, what a seller can claim, and the options to consider before completion day.
Selling Your Home in BC: What Your Lawyer Handles From Offer to Payout
October 8, 2026
Accepting an offer starts the legal work on a BC home sale. Here is what a seller's lawyer does before completion: clearing the mortgage, preparing your documents, moving the money on completion day and flagging the tax filings that can follow a sale.
Buying a Strata Condo or Townhouse in BC: Documents to Review Before Subject Removal
October 7, 2026
Before you remove subjects on a BC condo or townhouse, the strata’s own records show what you are buying into. What to request, how fast the strata must respond, and what to look for in the Form B, minutes, depreciation report, bylaws and insurance.
Closing Costs in BC: What You Will Pay Beyond the Purchase Price
October 7, 2026
The purchase price is only part of what you need for a home in BC. Property transfer tax, GST on new homes, legal fees and disbursements, title insurance, registration fees and adjustments all come due around completion, so build them into your budget early.
First-Time Home Buyer Programs in BC: PTT Exemption, FHSA, HBP and the GST Rebate
October 7, 2026
Four programs can lower what a first-time buyer in BC pays or needs to save: the property transfer tax exemption, the FHSA, the RRSP Home Buyers' Plan and the GST rebate on new homes. Each has its own test for who counts as a first-time buyer, and its own deadlines.
Transferring Property to a Family Member in BC: Property Transfer Tax Exemptions
October 6, 2026
Moving a home to a child, parent or spouse in BC can be exempt from property transfer tax, but each family exemption has its own conditions on who qualifies and what property is covered. Here is how they work, and the tax, mortgage and estate issues to check before you sign.
Buying a Pre-Sale Condo in BC: Disclosure Statements and the 7-Day Rescission Right
October 5, 2026
Pre-sale condos in BC come with a disclosure statement and a seven-day right to cancel under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act. Here is when that window starts, how amendments and deposits work, and what to check in the contract before it closes.
BC's Home Flipping Tax: What Happens If You Sell Within Two Years
October 4, 2026
Since January 1, 2025, British Columbia has taxed the profit on residential property sold within two years of purchase. Plenty of people who sell early are not investors at all. Here is how the tax works, who is exempt, and the filing rule that catches people even when no tax is owed.
Subject Removal to Keys: What Your Lawyer Does Before Completion Day in BC
October 4, 2026
The quiet two or three weeks between subject removal and completion day are when most of the legal work on a BC home purchase actually happens. Here is what your lawyer is doing, what you will be asked for, and the three things buyers most often do not expect.