Vlado Hajtol was born and raised in Slovakia where he received his Master’s degree in Education. Upon immigrating to Canada in 2001 he spent six years working with people with developmental disabilities. He obtained his law degree from the University of Ottawa’s Common Law program in 2011, subsequently articled in Burlington, Ontario and joined our firm in 2013.
Vlado focuses his practice on real estate transactions, wills, estate planning and in the administration of estates. His real estate practice encompasses both, residential and commercial real estate and is happy to assist his clients with acquisition, disposition or refinancing of properties. His wills and estates expertise can be particularly helpful to professionals with their own practice, to small business owners, to individuals with assets located outside of Ontario and to parents with children with disabilities. Vlado also assists individuals that would like to be appointed guardians for incapacitated persons and advises his clients on the issues related to incapacity and substitute decision making.
Vlado enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and three boys playing soccer, cycling, canoeing or hiking in Gatineau Park. Vlado is proud to serve his clients in English, Slovak and Czech.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are buying our first home. The bank insists that we add my father as a co-owner of the home since in order to qualify for the mortgage amount that we need to include both incomes. The entire down payment is coming from our savings and we will be making all the mortgage payments. I really don’t want to include my father. What are your suggestions?
Guarantor of the mortgage v. being registered on title as owner
Adding a person that is not going to be living at the property as a co-owner is generally not recommended, unless you are buying an investment property. You should talk to your bank whether it would be sufficient to have your father as a guarantor on the mortgage, rather than a co-owner.
If the bank still insists on your father’s ownership, there are ways to structure the co-ownership in order to protect everyone’s interest and to minimize your father’s exposure to any tax related consequences of owning a second home.
Joint Tenancy and Tenancy in Common
There are two ways how two or more individuals can own a real property together. They can either own it as joint tenants or as tenants in common. The main difference between the two is that people who own a property as joint tenants have a right of survivorship, meaning that if either one of them dies, his or her ownership share passes automatically to the other surviving joint tenants. This is in contrast with tenancy in common, which does not have a right of survivorship, meaning that the share of the deceased tenant in common becomes part of such person’s estates. With tenancy in common you can also specify a size of a share that each co-owner owns. For example, your father can own 1% share of the home and you and your spouse remaining 99% share, with all of you owning the home as tenants in common, to make sure that your and your spouse’s share becomes part of your estate rather than transferring to your father in case something happens to both of you.
Your last will does not have to be drafted or signed by a Lawyer. However, a will is a legal document that will determine who will have control of your estate and how it is going to be distributed. There are certain legal requirements that have to be met for the will to be valid. As such it is very important that your will is drafted, signed and witnessed properly.
How can a Lawyer help?
A Lawyer will ask you right questions to help you determine how to distribute your estate while taking into consideration various contingencies and scenarios that might be in place at the time of your passing. She will discuss with you legal clauses that you might want to include in your will, such as a beneficiary designation for your RRSP and insurance policies, expressing your wishes in regards to the custody of your minor children or confirming compensation for the executor. Your Lawyer will also talk to you about the powers that you want to give to your executor in addition to the powers he would have under current legal framework or limits that you want put on such powers. She will properly draft your will and will try to help you understand all the legal clauses and legalities contained in a will. Your Lawyer will also make sure that your new will revokes all your previous wills or other testamentary documents. Most importantly, your Lawyer will also make sure that your will is properly signed and witnessed.
Your last will is an important legal document and you should retain a professional to help you with its preparation and execution. Seeking and using such help will give you peace of mind knowing that your affairs are in order and make sure that your will reflects all your wishes.
We have been married for the last 25 years but don’t have any children. Do we need a will, or would everything just go to the surviving spouse anyway?
Yes, you do need a will. Whenever you don’t have any children, under the statutory distribution scheme for individuals that die without a will, your spouse would receive your entire estate. However, you should still have a will for at least two reasons:
- Appointing an executor of your estate; and
- Making instructions for the distribution of your estate in the event that you’re predeceased by your spouse.
Appointment of an executor of your estate.
The executor named in a will has the legal authority to take possession of all your assets, do your final income tax returns, and deal with banks and government institutions. If you don’t have a will, a court would have to appoint an executor of your estate to deal with any assets that were not jointly owned, as well as any registered investments that did not have a named beneficiary. The process of appointing an executor usually takes few months, so in addition to incurring unnecessary costs, there will be an extended delay during which your spouse will not have access to the assets in your estate. In my experience, some financial institutions will waive a probate requirement if your spouse is the named executor and the only beneficiary of your estate, which could provide your spouse with ready access to some assets shortly after your death.
Distribution of your estate if you survive your spouse.
By having a will in place, you will make sure that your estate is distributed the way you want it to be in the event that your spouse passes away shortly before you, or in the event that you are unable to make a will after your spouse’s death. Under the statutory distribution scheme, if you don’t have a spouse nor children, your estate would go to your parents. Alternatively, if your parents are deceased, your estate would go to your siblings. This may not be your wish. For example you might want to leave part of your estate to your spouse’s family, or you may wish to skip your parents and siblings and distribute the estate among your and your spouse’s nieces and nephews, or make gifts to a charity or charities. No matter which option you choose, having a will can provide the peace of mind of knowing that your estate will be distributed according to your wishes.
We placed an offer on a house, which was accepted by the sellers. The agreement is conditional upon a satisfactory home inspection. The house was built only a few years ago and we are considering waiving our right to a home inspection. If we do, what rights do we have if we discover some deficiencies in the house after the closing date? Should I wave my right to a home inspection?
Buyer Beware
The law in Ontario is pretty clear: “let the buyer beware”. Unless there is a fraud, misrepresentation or mistake made by the seller, the buyer takes the existing property as he finds it. Therefore, most of the time the buyer can’t make a claim against the seller for any deficiencies discovered after closing. The general rule is that there is no obligation to disclose any defects that the seller is aware of. The only exceptions to this rule are serious hidden defects. Hidden defects are those that are not discoverable by a reasonable inspection. Further, such defects have to be serious enough to either affect the integrity of the house or render the house unfit for human habitation. Hidden defects are also those defects that the seller is trying to conceal.
Representations and Warranties
The sellers of residential real estate in Ontario are not obliged to provide any representations or warranties to the buyer.
The standard Agreement of Purchase and Sale for a resale home used by real estate agents does not contain any warranties in regards to the physical condition of real estate property, except for a very limited warranty related to ureaformeldahyde insulation. The buyer might try to negotiate warranties into the agreement of purchase and sale, however this is very rare.
Home Inspection
A proper home inspection performed by an experienced home inspector is the best way to protect you from any unpleasant surprises. While a home inspector might not be able to identify all defects, especially hidden ones, it is the only way to learn what you are buying and to make an informed decision about one of the most important purchases of your lifetime.