On June 20, 2018, the B.C. Ministry of Finance released a white paper on draft legislation that will require reporting on beneficial ownership of land in B.C. The draft legislation, titled the Land Owner Transparency Act (LOTA), follows the government’s announcement in the 2018 budget that it intends to collect and make available information about beneficial ownership of land in…

In its recent decision, JBP Developments Ltd. v. Li, the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Court) reminded sellers of real estate and their advisers about the basic obligation to transfer clear title to the property for sale. Sellers of real estate should ensure that purchase and sale agreements are carefully drafted and include terms clearly setting out what title restrictions…

The NDP government in B.C. handed down its first full budget on February 20, 2018 and there were a number of initiatives that will affect the cost of acquisition and disposition of real property in B.C. Most of these initiatives are described in the Government’s 30-Point Plan for a Fairer Housing Market, which will not only affect residential property, but…

On October 26, 2017, the provincial government introduced Bill 16, which amends the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) and other acts. The proposed amendments were introduced in the context of public concern about alleged loopholes in the RTA relating to fixed-term leases and rent control. The government’s intention with these changes is to prohibit a practice apparently used by some landlords…