Services
Real estate services for Vaughan
First condos, move-up houses and builder agreements. Our real estate law page covers each service in full; for wills, estates and immigration, see our Vaughan page.
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Pre-construction agreement review
The builder’s agreement and disclosure statement, reviewed in writing inside your 10-day cooling-off period.
$450 + HST -
Buying a condo or house
Resale and new: agreement review, title insurance, your mortgage and registration, including a new condo’s final closing.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Condo status certificate review
For resale condos: reserve fund, special assessments and rules, in writing. Complimentary if we close your purchase.
$250 + HST -
Selling
Mortgage payout and discharge, closing documents and your proceeds.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Refinancing
A new lender at renewal, or equity taken out of your home.
Fee by mortgage amount — instant quote -
Title transfers
Adding a spouse or family member to title, or removing one.
Quoted individually
New condos
Buying a new condo around the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Vaughan’s new downtown has grown up around the subway terminus near Highway 7 and Jane Street, and much of it is sold before it is built. A new condo purchase runs very differently from a resale one.
Your 10 days
Under the Condominium Act, 1998 you have 10 days to cancel a new condo purchase and get your deposit back, counted from when you have the signed agreement and the disclosure statement (Tarion explains the rule). That is the window for our review, so send us both documents the day you sign.
Interim occupancy, then final closing
You usually move in before the building is registered as a condominium. Until then you pay the builder a monthly occupancy fee made up of interest on the unpaid balance, estimated common expenses and estimated property tax. None of it reduces your price. Final closing, when title and your mortgage are registered and the land transfer tax is paid, can come months later.
Closing costs to plan for
Builders’ agreements commonly pass on development charge increases, utility connection fees and the cost of registering the condominium; some are capped and some aren’t. We list them for you before your 10 days are up.
HST, rebates and assignments
For agreements signed between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, the Ontario enhanced new housing rebate can return up to $80,000 of the provincial HST, but only on a home that will be your or a relative’s main residence, so a unit bought to rent out doesn’t qualify, and the agreement’s HST clause has to reflect that. If you might sell before closing, check the assignment clause: the builder’s consent and fee are set there, and where a buyer’s main purpose was to resell, the CRA treats the assignment as subject to HST on the whole amount, deposit included. Our guide to buying pre-construction in the GTA
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Testimonials
A Vaughan client’s first home
Rosalie provided thorough and expert service on our home purchase. She was always responsive and ensuring our best interests were met. She responded to all questions thoroughly and did extra research on a particular feature of our property which we weren't familiar with. I found her rates reasonable, especially considering the high level of service we received. She made the process of buying our first home simple and easier to understand. I would definitely use her for another real estate transaction and will be recommending her to friends and family.
Land transfer tax
Steeles Avenue is the line: one land transfer tax in Vaughan
North of Steeles, in Vaughan, you pay Ontario’s land transfer tax only. South of it, in Toronto, you pay the City’s tax as well, which roughly doubles the bill.
Worked example: on a $650,000 Vaughan condo, Ontario’s land transfer tax is $275 + $1,950 + $2,250 + $5,000 = $9,475 (as of 2026). The same condo south of Steeles would cost about $18,950 in combined tax.
| Price | Tax | First-time buyer, after refund | Same price south of Steeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| $550,000 | $7,475 | $3,475 | $14,950 |
| $650,000 | $9,475 | $5,475 | $18,950 |
| $1,200,000 | $20,475 | $16,475 | $40,950 |
| $1,700,000 | $30,475 | $26,475 | $60,950 |
First-time buyers may qualify for Ontario’s refund of up to $4,000, which applies to new condos as well as resale homes, provided you move in within nine months and have never owned a home anywhere. On a new condo the tax is paid at final closing, after the building is registered, not when you first move in.
The instant quote calculates the tax and our legal fee for your price. How land transfer tax and closing costs add up
Resale
A resale condo or house in Vaughan, start to finish
For resale condos, the status certificate is the document that matters most. The Condominium Authority of Ontario explains what it must contain and that the corporation has 10 days to deliver it.
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Step 1: Send us the offer and status certificate
Before your conditions expire. We review the certificate in writing and call you: the reserve fund and its study, any special assessment, arrears on the unit, lawsuits and the rules on leasing and pets. For a house, we look at what the agreement says about fixtures, rental equipment and any tenant.
You provide
- Agreement of purchase and sale
- Status certificate and attachments
Status certificate review: $250 + HST, complimentary if we close your purchase.
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Step 2: See your costs
The quote gives our fee. Before you sign we send the statement of adjustments, the land transfer tax after any refund and your total to close, so there are no surprises in closing week.
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Step 3: Title, mortgage and insurance
We search title and executions, requisition anything the seller must clear, arrange title insurance through Stewart Title and prepare your lender’s mortgage documents against its instructions.
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Step 4: Sign by video
We verify your identity and go through each document with you by video while you sign on paper, and you courier the originals back to our Toronto office. You can sign there in person instead.
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Step 5: Closing day
The transfer and mortgage are registered electronically, the tax is paid, funds go to the seller’s lawyer and your keys are released. A reporting letter with your title insurance policy follows.
Vaughan houses
Houses in Woodbridge, Maple, Kleinburg and Thornhill
Vaughan’s detached and semi-detached houses raise different questions from its condos: what has been built on the lot, what is rented, and what you can add.
Additions, basements and pools
Finished basements, rear additions, decks, pools and interlocking are common in Vaughan resale houses. Ask whether they were built with permits. Title insurance can respond to some problems with existing work, depending on the policy, but it won’t tell you where the lot line is; if you plan a fence, pool or addition near a boundary, order a survey.
Second units
Ontario’s Planning Act now allows additional residential units on most serviced residential lots, and Vaughan permits them subject to its zoning and a building permit. If a listing advertises a basement apartment, ask for the permit, and settle in the agreement whether any tenant stays after closing. A tenant who stays becomes your tenant on the existing lease, and a home that isn’t vacant on closing is priced beyond our standard fee.
Short-term rentals
Vaughan licenses short-term rentals and allows them only in the operator’s principal residence. A house or condo bought purely as an investment can’t be run as one; a long-term lease is the usual route.
Estates and family homes
Where a family home is being sold after a death, the estate trustee usually needs the court’s certificate first; our Vaughan probate page explains the application, which goes to the court in Newmarket.
Questions
Vaughan real estate questions
Do you have an office in Vaughan?
No. Our only office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, Toronto. Vaughan clients can work with us by phone and video, signing on paper and couriering the originals back.
Is there a municipal land transfer tax in Vaughan?
No. Only the City of Toronto has one. A Vaughan purchase pays Ontario’s land transfer tax only, about $9,475 on a $650,000 condo (as of 2026).
How long do I have to cancel a new condo at the VMC?
10 days under the Condominium Act, 1998, counted from when you have the signed agreement and the disclosure statement. Send both to us straight away so the review is done inside that period; it is $450 + HST.
What is interim occupancy?
The period between moving into a new condo and final closing, while the building is being registered. You pay the builder a monthly occupancy fee that doesn’t reduce your price, and you receive title at final closing.
Can I assign my Vaughan pre-construction condo before closing?
Only if the agreement allows it, usually with the builder’s consent and a fee. If you bought mainly to resell, HST applies to the assignment price, including the deposit. Check the clause before you sign.
How much does a real estate lawyer cost for a Vaughan purchase?
The legal fee is calculated from your price in the online quote before you retain us. Disbursements, title insurance and land transfer tax are separate. What disbursements cover
We just bought our first home in Vaughan. What next?
Keep your reporting letter safe, and make wills and powers of attorney that match how you hold title. See wills for Vaughan families.
Related
Related pages
Areas We Serve
Real estate across York Region and the GTA
We act for buyers and sellers from Richmond Hill and Markham to Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto and Durham.
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Scarborough
Real estate lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Real estate lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Real estate lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
Signing for a Vaughan condo? Send us the agreement first.
Book a free 15-minute call, or get an instant quote for your closing.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic