Yes — in Ontario, only a licensed lawyer can search title, hold your deposit in trust, and register your purchase on closing day. Treadstone’s flat fee covers your purchase from firm offer to keys in hand, with Land Transfer Tax estimated upfront and no office visit required.
Our charges include HST. Third-party disbursements and Land Transfer Tax are extra and billed at cost — itemized and estimated upfront, in writing, never hidden.
Here’s what your real estate lawyer actually does at each stage of buying a home in Ontario.
Your agent drafts and negotiates your Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Once it’s accepted, your lawyer’s job begins — reviewing the agreement for anything that affects title, closing timelines, or your deposit.
Most resale offers include conditions — commonly financing and home inspection — with a deadline to satisfy or waive each one. Once conditions are met (or the offer was firm from the start), the deal becomes binding and moves toward closing.
Your lawyer searches title to confirm the seller can legally transfer clear ownership, checks for liens, easements, and outstanding judgments, and raises any requisitions with the seller’s lawyer before closing. This is also when Land Transfer Tax is calculated and any first-time buyer rebate is confirmed.
Funds move, the transfer and any new mortgage register electronically, and your lawyer confirms registration before releasing keys. Most residential purchases close by secure video signing — no office visit required.
Land Transfer Tax is a government tax paid on closing — separate from our fee and billed at cost. Ontario charges it on a marginal scale (roughly 0.5%–2.5% for most homes), and the City of Toronto adds a mirrored municipal tax on top for Toronto purchases.
Eligible first-time buyers can reduce or eliminate the tax with a rebate of up to $4,000 provincially, and up to an additional $4,475 in Toronto. Your lawyer confirms your eligibility and applies the rebate directly on closing — you don’t need to apply separately. Use our Land Transfer Tax calculator to estimate yours before you make an offer; your written quote will itemize the exact amount once your file opens.
First-time buyers ask a lot of the same questions — what conditions to include, what closing actually costs, and what mistakes to avoid. A few places to start:
Yes. Only a licensed Ontario lawyer (or, in limited circumstances, a licensed paralegal for specific matters) can search title, hold and disburse your funds in trust, and register the transfer and any mortgage on closing day. Your real estate agent handles the offer; your lawyer handles the legal closing.
Nothing is due to start your file. Legal fees and disbursements are paid from your closing funds on closing day, alongside the purchase price, Land Transfer Tax, and any adjustments.
A conditional offer includes conditions — commonly financing and home inspection — that must be satisfied or waived by a set deadline before the deal becomes binding. A firm offer has no conditions and is binding as soon as it’s accepted, which is why firm offers move faster to your lawyer’s desk.
Your legal fee is flat and published upfront — the variable pieces are Land Transfer Tax (which depends on your purchase price), disbursements billed at cost, and closing-day adjustments. Land Transfer Tax is usually the largest single item — estimate yours with our calculator before you commit.
Yes. Eligible first-time buyers can receive a provincial Land Transfer Tax rebate of up to $4,000, and an additional municipal rebate of up to $4,475 for Toronto purchases. Your lawyer confirms your eligibility and applies the rebate for you on closing.
Open your file tonight — a licensed Ontario lawyer will confirm everything with you by tomorrow.