What kinds of items typically show up registered on a property's title in Ontario?

When your lawyer searches title in Ontario, they are looking at the electronic land registry record, which shows every document registered against the property. This can include a wide range of items, some routine and some potentially problematic.

Routine registrations include the current owner's mortgage or line of credit (a "charge"), any utility easements for hydro or gas lines, and restrictive covenants registered by a developer. You would expect these on many properties and they do not necessarily signal a problem.

Less routine — but not uncommon — registrations include: executions filed by judgment creditors of the owner; construction liens filed by unpaid contractors; notices or cautions registered by someone claiming an interest in the property; agreements registered by a municipality (like site plan or development agreements that affect how the land can be used); rights of first refusal or options registered by a third party; and environmental notices or orders in some cases.

Your lawyer reviews every registered document and explains what each one means for your purchase. Anything that needs to be resolved — a mortgage to discharge, a lien to vacate — is flagged in a title report and dealt with before or on closing day. Understanding what is on title is one of the most important parts of a lawyer's job in a real estate transaction.