By Karim Eshqoor, BBA, LLB, LLM · Barrister & Solicitor (LSO #83032R) · Barbarian Law® · November 2026
On closing day your lawyer sends the purchase money to the seller’s lawyer and registers the transfer and your mortgage in the land registry, and the keys are released once registration is done. On most closings that happens some time in the afternoon (later if a mortgage advance or a wire arrives late). At Barbarian Law® a purchase with one mortgage is $1,750 + HST, paid on closing.
What happens before closing day?
Most of the work happens in the two weeks before closing, so that the day itself is mostly money moving between trust accounts. Before closing we:
- Search title and executions against the property and against you (similar names included), and raise anything that needs fixing with the seller’s lawyer.
- Take your lender’s mortgage instructions and prepare the mortgage documents.
- Check the seller’s statement of adjustments, which splits property taxes and other costs to the closing date.
- Arrange title insurance.
- Meet you to sign. Bring government-issued photo ID.
- Tell you the exact amount and how to send it. The money is usually due one to two business days before closing.
You don’t sign the deed itself. In Ontario the transfer is an electronic document, and it doesn’t have to be in writing or signed by the parties (Land Registration Reform Act, s. 21). What you sign is an acknowledgement and direction, which authorizes us to register it for you.
Your part of the homework is home insurance. The lender won’t advance the mortgage without proof of it, so arrange it as soon as the deal is firm.
What happens on closing day?
You don’t need to be anywhere. Closing day belongs to the lawyers, the lenders and the land registry, roughly in this order:
- Your lender sends the mortgage money to our trust account.
- With your funds and the mortgage money in place, we send the balance of the price to the seller’s lawyer.
- Both lawyers hold the documents and the money in escrow under a document registration agreement, so nothing is released until both sides are ready.
- We register the transfer and your mortgage electronically, and the land transfer tax is paid on registration.
- The seller’s lawyer releases the money to the seller and, once the deal has closed, the code to the lockbox holding the keys.
Registration is the moment that matters. The transfer takes effect when it is registered (Land Titles Act, s. 78(4)), which is why nobody hands over keys before then.
When do you get the keys?
After registration. On most closings that’s some time in the afternoon. The keys are usually waiting in a lockbox at the house, the seller’s lawyer releases the code once the deal has closed, and we pass it to you as soon as we have it.
Don’t book the movers for 9 a.m. The keys can’t be released until the money has moved and the transfer is registered, and a moving truck idling outside a locked house is an expensive way to learn that. Late afternoon, or the next morning, is the safer booking.
What can delay a closing?
- The mortgage advance arrives late. Lenders fund on their own schedule, and a lender still waiting on a document won’t send the money.
- Your funds aren’t in our trust account yet. A daily wire limit at your bank is the usual culprit, so check yours a week ahead.
- A title problem turns up late, such as an execution against the seller or a mortgage that can’t be paid out on time.
- The other side isn’t ready.
- You’re selling on the same day, and your purchase is waiting on the sale money. See buying and selling on the same day.
Most delays cost a few hours. If the closing date itself has to move, the lawyers can agree to an extension in writing, and you’ll hear about it from us the same day.
What does a purchase closing cost?
Buying a home at Barbarian Law®
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Purchase with one mortgage: legal fee and closing software, similar-name execution letters included | $1,750 + HST |
| Cash purchase (no mortgage) | $1,500 + HST |
| Condo status certificate review | Included ($350 + HST only if the deal doesn’t close) |
| Title and execution searches | At cost |
| Registering the transfer and mortgage (from November 2, 2026) | $86.42 per document, at cost |
| Title insurance | Premium at cost |
| Land transfer tax | At cost, paid on registration |
Prices exclude HST and disbursements. Hourly work is billed against a written estimate you approve before work begins.
There’s no deposit or retainer. The fee is paid on closing, with up to 30 days if you need more time, and if the deal doesn’t close there’s no legal fee (other than the condo status certificate review above). The rest of what we do on a purchase is on our real estate closings page.
What happens after closing?
We send you a reporting letter with the registered transfer, your title insurance policy and a statement showing where the money went.
We also follow up on the seller’s mortgage until its discharge is registered. The seller’s lawyer promises that in writing on closing (an undertaking), and we hold them to it.
Frequently asked questions
What time do you get the keys on closing day in Ontario?
After the transfer is registered, which on most closings is some time in the afternoon. The keys are usually in a lockbox at the house, and you get the code once the deal has closed. A late mortgage advance or wire is the usual reason it runs later.
Do I need to be there on closing day?
No. You sign everything with us in the days before closing, and the closing itself happens electronically. Keep your phone on.
When do I send the money for closing?
We tell you the exact amount and how to send it, usually one to two business days before closing. Check your bank’s daily wire limit a week ahead.
How much does a real estate lawyer cost for a purchase in Ontario?
At Barbarian Law®, $1,750 + HST for a purchase with one mortgage, closing software included. Searches, registration, title insurance and land transfer tax are extra, at cost.
What if the closing is delayed?
Most delays cost a few hours. If the closing date has to move, the lawyers can agree to an extension in writing, and we’ll call you the same day.
Where Art Meets Corporate Interest.
Buying? Send the agreement.
Send the signed agreement of purchase and sale and you’ll have the fee and disbursements in writing within one business day.
This article is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Every situation is different; speak with a lawyer about yours.
