Real Estate
Residential and commercial leases, ownership, neighbours, property.
43 guides
- A contractor did bad work on your home
When a contractor does poor work, your possible remedies usually come from the contract, consumer-protection law, warranty law, and rules about defective building work. The outcome often depends on the written agreement, the seriousness of the defect, whether you gave the contractor a chance to fix it, and the deadline
- A neighbour's tree damaged your property
When a neighbour’s tree damages your roof, fence, pipes, paving, or other property, responsibility usually depends on who owns the tree, what caused the damage, and whether the risk was reasonably foreseeable. Insurance, boundary rules, tree-protection laws, and court procedures can all affect the result.
- Adding or removing someone from a property deed
Adding or removing someone from a property deed changes who is legally recorded as owning the property, but it does not automatically change the mortgage or other debts secured against it. The process usually involves agreeing on the ownership arrangement, signing a transfer document, paying any applicable taxes or fee
- Adverse possession: can someone claim your land by using it?
Adverse possession is a legal process under which a person may acquire rights to land after using it in a way that is visible, exclusive, continuous, and inconsistent with the owner’s rights for a legally required period. It does not usually happen automatically, and the rules vary substantially by country, state, or p
- Bedbugs and pests: who pays for treatment
Responsibility for bedbug or pest treatment usually depends on the cause of the infestation, the tenancy agreement, and local housing law. Landlords commonly pay when the problem results from building conditions or affects habitability, while tenants may pay when their conduct caused or worsened the infestation.
- Boundary and fence disputes with a neighbour
A boundary and fence dispute usually concerns where the legal boundary lies, who owns or maintains a fence, or whether one owner may enter the other’s land. The answer often depends on title records, surveys, agreements, long use of the land, and local property law.
- Breaking a lease early without huge penalties
Breaking a fixed-term lease usually does not automatically end your responsibility for rent, but you may be able to leave with limited cost through a break clause, an agreed surrender, a replacement tenant, or a legal right to terminate. The result depends heavily on the lease terms and the law where the property is lo
- Cameras and privacy around your home
If cameras around your home capture neighbors, visitors, public areas, or private conversations, privacy, surveillance, data-protection, and harassment laws may apply. The result often depends on where the camera points, whether it records sound, why the footage is collected, and whether it is shared.
- Can your landlord enter without notice?
A landlord usually cannot enter a rented home whenever they want. Most places allow entry for specific reasons—such as repairs, inspections, or showing the property—after advance notice, while emergencies may allow entry without notice.
- Co-owning a home with a partner or friend who is not your spouse
When two unmarried people buy a home together, their rights usually depend on the ownership recorded on the title, any written agreement, their financial contributions, and the law where the property is located. Being in a relationship or friendship does not automatically give either person the same rights as a spouse,
- Commercial leases: key terms and how they work
A commercial lease rents space for business use: an office, a shop, a restaurant, or a warehouse. Commercial leases are governed mostly by their own terms and general contract and property law, with far fewer statutory protections than residential leases.
- Dogs that bite or roam onto your property
A dog that bites or repeatedly roams onto your property can create animal-control, civil-liability, and sometimes criminal-law issues. The usual response involves protecting people, documenting what happened, reporting the dog, and using written requests or court procedures if the problem continues.
- Drainage, runoff and flooding caused by a neighbour
A neighbour may be legally responsible for flooding or runoff if they alter land, block a natural drainage route, negligently discharge water, or create a substantial and unreasonable interference with your property. Responsibility often depends on the source of the water, whether the work changed its flow, the damage
- Easements and rights of way across your land
An easement is a legal right allowing someone to use, or sometimes restrict the use of, part of land owned by another person. A right of way is one common type, but easements can also cover drainage, utilities, parking, access for repairs, or support.
- Eviction notices and the eviction process
An eviction notice is usually a formal warning that a landlord wants to end your tenancy; it is not always the same as a court order requiring you to leave immediately. The effect of the notice, your response options, and the deadline for acting depend heavily on where you live and why the landlord is seeking possessio
- Foreclosure: timeline and options to keep your home
Foreclosure is the process a lender uses when mortgage payments are not made and the lender seeks to recover the debt through the home. The process and available protections depend heavily on where the property is located, but options often include catching up payments, negotiating a repayment arrangement, selling the
- Getting your belongings back after an eviction or lockout
After an eviction or lockout, the rules about your belongings usually depend on whether a court or enforcement officer lawfully ended your tenancy and what local law says about property left behind. Landlords commonly have duties to safeguard, store, notify you about, and eventually dispose of belongings, but the time
- Getting your earnest money back when a home purchase falls through
Earnest money is a deposit showing that a buyer intends to complete a home purchase. Whether you get it back usually depends on the purchase contract, the reason the transaction failed, and whether the buyer or seller broke the agreement.
- Hidden defects discovered after buying a home
A hidden defect is a serious problem that existed when you bought a property but was not reasonably visible during an ordinary inspection. Your possible remedies usually depend on what the seller knew, what was disclosed, what your contract says, and the law where the property is located.
- HOA fines and how to challenge them
HOA fines are usually enforcement charges imposed when a homeowner is alleged to have violated governing documents such as covenants, bylaws, or community rules. The challenge process commonly involves reviewing the rule, requesting evidence, using an internal hearing or appeal, and—if needed—going to a court, tribunal
- Housing discrimination: what counts and how to report it
Housing discrimination generally means treating someone worse in renting, buying, financing, or using housing because of a legally protected characteristic. Common examples include refusing to rent, offering different terms, refusing a disability-related accommodation, or retaliating after a complaint.
- Illegal lockouts and utility shut-offs by landlords
An illegal lockout happens when a landlord prevents you from entering your rented home without following the required eviction process. An unlawful utility shut-off generally occurs when a landlord intentionally disconnects essential services, or uses the disconnection to force you to leave or pay a disputed amount.
- Landlord repair duties and tenant remedies
Landlords generally have legal duties to keep rental homes safe, sanitary, and fit to live in, but the details depend on the lease and the law where the property is located. A repair problem is usually handled by documenting the condition, giving proper notice, allowing reasonable access and time, and using an availabl
- Late fees and what a landlord may charge
A landlord may sometimes charge a late fee when rent is paid after the date required by the tenancy agreement, but the fee must usually be authorized by the agreement and allowed by local law. Courts and housing authorities commonly reject fees that are hidden, excessive, punitive, or unrelated to a genuine cost or leg
- Leasing commercial space
Leasing commercial space usually involves negotiating a lease that allocates rent, operating costs, repairs, insurance, permitted use, and risks between you and the landlord. Commercial tenants generally receive fewer protections than residential tenants, so the written lease and local law are especially important.
- Mechanic's liens on your house from an unpaid contractor
A mechanic’s lien, sometimes called a construction lien or builders lien, is a legal claim against a property for unpaid work or materials used to improve it. A valid lien can make selling, refinancing, or insuring title more difficult, but it usually does not transfer ownership of your house automatically.
- Mould, damp and unsafe conditions in a rental
Mould, damp, leaks, poor ventilation, pests, cold, and other unsafe conditions may breach a landlord’s duty to provide a habitable or reasonably fit rental home. The outcome usually depends on the cause of the problem, how serious it is, whether the landlord knew about it, and the law where the property is located.
- Moving out: notice periods and what to leave behind
When you move out, the key issues are usually giving valid notice, paying rent through the correct end date, and returning the property in the required condition. You generally leave fixtures and items that belong with the property, but remove your belongings and rubbish unless the landlord agrees otherwise.
- Noise complaints against or from your neighbours in a flat
Noise disputes in flats usually turn on whether the sound is unreasonable in the circumstances, what your lease or building rules say, and whether the landlord, building manager, council, or court has authority to act. Common responses include an informal conversation, a written complaint, mediation, enforcement of bui
- Noise nuisance from a neighbour's house
Noise from a neighbour’s house may become a legal nuisance when it is excessive, unreasonable, or repeatedly interferes with your ordinary use of your home. The available remedies commonly depend on local noise rules, the time and type of noise, your lease or homeowners’ association rules, and whether the problem affec
- Permits and unpermitted work when selling a house
Unpermitted work can complicate a home sale, especially if the work affects safety, insurance, financing, valuation, or legal disclosure duties. The usual choices are to obtain approval after the fact, restore the property, disclose the issue, or negotiate a solution with the buyer.
- Pets, service animals and emotional support animals in rentals
Rental rules often distinguish between ordinary pets and animals needed because of a disability. A landlord may usually set reasonable pet conditions, but disability-discrimination or human-rights laws can require an exception for a service animal or other assistance animal.
- Property tax assessments and how to appeal them
A property tax assessment is the government’s estimate of a property’s taxable value or classification. If you believe the assessment is inaccurate, you can usually ask the assessing authority to review it and, if needed, pursue a formal appeal.
- Reading a lease before you sign it
A lease is a contract that sets out what you and the landlord agree about the home, rent, deposits, repairs, access, and ending the tenancy. Reading it before signing can help you find costs, restrictions, deadlines, and terms that differ from the usual legal rules.
- Rent increases: how much and how often a landlord can raise rent
A landlord’s ability to increase rent usually depends on the lease, whether the tenancy is fixed-term or periodic, and rent-control or notice rules where the property is located. There is no single worldwide limit: some places cap increases, while others mainly require advance written notice and prohibit increases that
- Retaliation after you complained to your landlord
If you face immediate danger, contact emergency services first. Retaliation usually means a landlord takes harmful action because you made a legally protected complaint, such as reporting unsafe conditions or asserting a tenancy right.
- Security deposits: how the return rules work
A security deposit is usually held to cover unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, or other losses allowed by the tenancy agreement and local law. When the tenancy ends, the landlord generally must return the balance and explain any deductions within a legally defined period.
- Short-term renting your home: rules and risks
Short-term renting your home can create income, but it can also trigger local licensing, planning, tax, safety, insurance, lease, homeowners’ association, and neighbour-dispute issues. The rules depend heavily on where the property is located, how often it is rented, and whether you rent the whole home or only a room.
- Squatters and trespassers on your property
A trespasser enters or remains on property without permission, while a “squatter” usually refers to someone who occupies property and may later claim rights based on possession or tenancy. Immediate danger, threats, or violence are emergency matters for emergency services; otherwise, removal usually depends on local tr
- Subletting and having a roommate the landlord did not approve
A roommate is usually someone who shares your home with you, while a subtenant rents all or part of the home from you and may have exclusive use of that space. Whether the arrangement is allowed usually depends on your lease, local residential-tenancy law, and whether you continue living in the property.
- Water damage from an upstairs or neighbouring property
If water from an upstairs or neighbouring property damages your home, responsibility often depends on the source of the water, who controlled the relevant pipe or appliance, and whether someone failed to take reasonable care. Insurance, tenancy, condominium or strata rules, leases, and local property law may all affect
- What happens when your landlord sells the building
When a landlord sells a building, the sale usually does not automatically end your tenancy. In many places, the buyer takes over the landlord’s rights and responsibilities, including the lease, repairs, notices, and handling of your security deposit.
- Withholding rent: when it is legal and when it backfires
Withholding rent can sometimes be lawful when a landlord’s serious failure to maintain a home breaches a legal duty, but the rules are narrow and differ greatly by location. Stopping payment without following the required process can lead to arrears, late fees, eviction proceedings, loss of housing protections, or diff