In Ontario, a lawyer is legally required on a property transaction — only a licensed lawyer can register the transfer and mortgage on title through Teraview, the province’s electronic land registration system. Beyond registration, we review your Agreement of Purchase and Sale, conduct a full title search to uncover liens, easements, and encumbrances, raise requisitions with the other side, arrange title insurance, prepare the Statement of Adjustments, receive and disburse closing funds through our trust account, and report to you and your lender afterward.

No. Barbarian Law® runs specific retainers, not evergreen retainers: your flat fee is published and confirmed in writing before we open the file, and you’re invoiced when the work is done — on a purchase, closing funds and fees are settled through the transaction itself, itemized on your Statement of Adjustments and reporting letter. No deposit into trust to get started, no top-ups.

Ideally the moment your offer is accepted — and for pre-construction, before you sign the builder’s agreement. Early involvement gives us time to search title, satisfy conditions, and resolve requisitions without closing-day pressure. For refinances, we ask for lender instructions at least 7 business days before closing.

At Barbarian Law®, residential purchases start at $1,500 + HST for a cash purchase and $1,650 + HST with a mortgage; a residential sale is $1,500 + HST and a refinance is $1,250 + HST. Commercial transactions under $1 million start from $2,500 + HST. On top of legal fees, budget for disbursements — deed registration ($84.23), mortgage registration ($84.23), the closing software fee ($50.85), title insurance, which varies with property value, and land transfer tax. Every figure is itemized in writing before closing; our fee breakdown explains each line item, and the complete fee schedule is published in advance.

The closing date is set in your Agreement of Purchase and Sale, and is typically 30 to 90 days after the offer is accepted on a resale property. The legal work runs across that whole window rather than on closing day itself: title searching and requisitions happen early, lender instructions and the Statement of Adjustments come together in the final weeks, and the transfer and mortgage are registered electronically on the closing date. We ask for lender instructions at least 7 business days before closing, and a rush fee applies to residential files received with fewer than 5 business days to closing.

Yes, if you qualify. Ontario refunds up to $4,000 of provincial land transfer tax to eligible first-time buyers, and Toronto offers a separate municipal rebate of up to $4,475 on properties within the city — up to $8,475 combined. Eligibility is strict: you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, occupy the home as your principal residence within nine months, and neither you nor your spouse can have owned a home anywhere in the world. We claim the rebate at registration, so in most cases you never pay the refundable portion in the first place.

Yes. Ontario closings are registered electronically through Teraview, so we regularly act on files across the province — and we provide interprovincial closing support for Ontario-based clients buying in other provinces.

Yes — that is the advantage of a transactional firm. Transfers to corporations, share and asset purchases that include real property, and financing all connect to our corporate practice, so nothing falls between two law firms.

It is one of the best times to do it. A new home is usually the largest asset in your estate, and how title is held decides what happens to it on death: property held in joint tenancy passes automatically to the surviving joint tenant outside your will, while property held as tenants in common or in your name alone passes under your will — or, if you don’t have one, under Ontario’s intestacy rules. Buying property is also when most people first take on a mortgage large enough to matter to their family. We prepare wills and powers of attorney, and our process guide explains exactly how it works.

No — we are a transactional firm and we stay in our lane. If a dispute arises, we refer you promptly to a trusted litigation specialist, hand over whatever background the file requires, and can continue acting as your transactional counsel alongside them.