My neighbour built a fence or structure on my property. What can I do?
Confirm the true boundary with a current surveyor’s real property report (SRPR). From there, your options range from negotiating an encroachment agreement, to demanding removal, to commencing a court application. Acting promptly matters, since long-standing encroachments can support adverse possession or prescriptive easement claims.
Can a neighbour claim part of my property through adverse possession in Ontario?
Adverse possession (sometimes called “squatter’s rights”) still exists in Ontario but is now very narrow. The Real Property Limitations Act requires 10 years of open, exclusive possession, and that period must generally have run before the land was converted into Land Titles. Most Ontario land is now in Land Titles, so new claims cannot start to run.
What is an easement and how can it affect my property?
An easement is a registered right that allows one property to use part of another for a specific purpose, commonly access, drainage, utilities, or a shared driveway. Easements run with the land and bind future owners. Disputes typically turn on the scope of the easement, whether it has been abandoned, or whether long use has created a new prescriptive easement.
Someone fraudulently transferred or mortgaged my property. What do I do?
Title fraud is an emergency. Contact a real estate litigation lawyer immediately, since downstream transactions can complicate recovery the longer it sits. We bring urgent applications to freeze title, register a Certificate of Pending Litigation, set aside the fraudulent transfer or mortgage, and recover the property. In parallel, victims should report to police and the Land Titles Assurance Fund.
I just discovered a title defect after closing. What are my options?
Title defects discovered after closing are usually a title insurance matter first. Most Ontario residential transactions are insured by Stewart Title, FCT, or Chicago Title, and the policy is intended to respond. We review the policy, prepare and submit the claim, and where coverage is unavailable, pursue the seller, the seller’s lawyer, or the responsible third party directly.
How do I find out where my property line actually is?
The most reliable way to confirm a property line in Ontario is a current surveyor’s real property report (SRPR) prepared by an Ontario Land Surveyor. Title documents, MPAC maps, and Google Earth are not reliable for this purpose. An SRPR shows registered boundaries, improvements, encroachments, and easements visible on title.
My title insurance claim was denied. Do I have options?
Yes. A denial is not the end of the matter. Title insurance policies are contracts of indemnity, and insurers sometimes deny or under-pay claims on grounds that do not hold up on closer review. We review the policy and the denial letter, prepare a detailed response, and commence proceedings against the insurer where coverage has been wrongly refused.
How long do I have to bring a boundary or title dispute claim in Ontario?
Limitation periods are governed primarily by the Limitations Act, 2002 (a 2-year basic limitation from discovery) and the Real Property Limitations Act (10 years for many claims to recover land). Different causes of action carry different deadlines, and missing one can extinguish an otherwise strong claim. Contact us before the clock runs.