Why the fees for handling the buying or selling of a home or property include charges for legal disbursements

Lawyers’ fees never include disbursements. Disbursements are costs incurred by your real estate lawyer in the completion of your transaction. For example, in a purchase of a home, disbursements may include the following:

Title Search
A search on the property, ensuring that you will be getting the property free and clear of any claims.

Utility Search
Water, gas and sometimes hydro (to make sure that the previous owners paid their bills to date).

Land Transfer Tax
Government tax on transfer of property. You may be eligible for a rebate of up to $2000 if you are a first time homebuyer and you are buying a newly constructed home.

Search of Executions and Subsearch
Search on all parties to make sure they have no outstanding judgments against them, and a property search from the date of the title search to closing date.

Tax Search
To make sure that all outstanding property taxes have been paid by owners until date of closing.

Registration Fees
Transfer $1.00 for every $5,000 that needs to be mortgaged, plus $50 to register, depending on where you live: (1) a deed, in the case of a purchase; (2) a mortgage, if there is one; (3) a discharge of a mortgage in the case of a sale; (4) other – there may be other documents that need to be registered in more complicated transactions.