So, what exactly does a real estate lawyer do? The answer is a variety of things.
Although it’s commonly assumed that real estate lawyers only deal with the closing of a sale, there’s quite a bit more to the job. Here’s a real-life example of how we at Ares Law can help protect one of your biggest assets, your home or cottage.
Imagine that you’ve just purchased what you consider to be your dream home or cottage in Muskoka. Everything seems great, until some minor renovations reveal a not-so-minor problem: mould. After a little more investigation, it turns out that this problem is not so little and instead is pervasive throughout the entire home.
A discovery like this is definitely stressful and concerning. Not only is the presence of mould harmful to your family’s health, it affects the entire integrity of the home’s structure and the value of your property. This means you might have to spend a lot of money in order to remedy the issue. Upon making this discovery, you’re likely wondering what the next step would be.
As professional real estate lawyers, our team has dealt with this exact scenario, as well similar scenarios. In the most recent case, our first step was to hire a cleaning company that specialized in dealing with mould issues, as well as a forensic engineer to document the presence of mould in the home. The extent of the damage to the joists was also recorded and documented. Through this investigation, it was determined that an insulation and a vapour barrier were installed by the sellers in order to hide the presence of mould – prior to the sale of the home.
Based on these findings, the team at Ares Law decided to send a Demand Letter to the previous owners for compensation and reparations. Upon receiving this letter, the previous owners refused to compensate the current owner. As they refused to do anything, the Ares team then decided to issue a legal proceeding against them. Through these proceedings, we were able to obtain full compensation from the previous owners in order to allow the current owner to fix the mould problem. Definitely a good outcome for an unfortunately rotten situation.
No one likes surprises when it comes to the integrity of your home or cottage. If you’ve encountered a mould issue, or similar scenario in the home or property you’ve recently purchased, it’s important to know your rights. It’s also important to understand the steps you can take in order to protect the value of your property and to protect yourself from financial hardship.
In these types of situations, a real estate lawyer is your strongest ally. We’ll help you understand your rights and issue any legal communication or proceedings that may need to be put in place. Call Bernie Keating at Ares Law today at (705) 645-8743 and protect yourself, your property and understand your rights as a homeowner.
