RESOURCES

There is something very special about having a cottage to escape to. The beauty, tranquility, and connection with nature are all important factors. But for many, at the root of the special cottage lifestyle — is the ability to enjoy all that while sharing quality times with family and friends!

Those living and working in the GTA are so fortunate to have such a magnificent and varied cottage country within very reasonable driving distances. As such, there is always a relatively strong market for cottage properties with close proximity to the GTA.

As a direct result of people re-evaluating their lifestyles due to the pandemic, the cottage market has been extremely hot over the past year with no end in sight for the foreseeable future! Cottages used to be mostly secondary properties. Now more people are choosing to live at their cottages and work from there as well.

Fortunately, our firm has been closing cottage transactions for decades — so we are well prepared for the differences in closing a cottage purchase vs an urban property. Considerations include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Road access and maintenance
• Water potability
• Septic and sewage systems
• Unregistered hydro easements
• Underground fuel tanks
• Environmental matters
• Waterfront ownership
• Shore road allowances
• Access to water through rights of way and easements
• Permits for docks and boathouses
• Zoning by-law compliance
• Encroachments
• Title issues
• Work orders
• Crown rights and leases
• Conservation Authority regulations; and
• Indigenous/First Nations Land Claims

The above items to note can create potential land mines for title transferring purposes. So, it is no wonder that many real estate lawyers refuse to act on cottage transactions! At Kormans LLP, we welcome the challenge and look forward to the opportunity of assisting our clients achieve their cottage lifestyle dreams!

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David H. Korman is a Partner at Kormans LLP. His practice areas include residential and commercial real estate transactions, commercial leasing and private and institutional lending. You can reach David at dkorman@kormans.ca. The information and comments herein are for the general information of the reader and are not intended as advice or opinion to be relied upon in relation to any particular circumstances. For particular application of the law to specific situations, the reader should seek professional advice. Kormans LLP cannot be responsible for the content of other sites. We expressly disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken or actions not taken based on content received from a third party website linked, directly or indirectly, to that of Kormans LLP.  The link to another site is not to be construed in any way as an endorsement of the host, the site or the information contained therein, nor is such link to be inferred as an association or affiliation with the host.