Unit 3 - Legislation Flashcards
There are two terms that were developed to describe estates in land. One medieval and one current. What are they?
Tenure
Medieval ownership in which you possess but king ultimately owns land
Estate
This is the EXTENT of rights associated with tenure. So being able to pass tenure from parent to child for example. It’s the building block of our modern-day real estate refined by countless court battles
What are the 5 types of estates?
- Fee Simple
- Most rights wiith least amount of limitations. This is what we would have acquired with 6442 Roslyn - Leasehold Estate
Tenants renting property - Life Estate
- Future Estate
- Estate to Uses
There are 3 dimensions of property:
Real Estate
Real Property
Personal Property
In terms of the following dimensions, which apply to the above 3?
Tangible (land, improvements, etc)
Intangible (rights of property)
Lot & Building
Chattels (moveable objects such as furniture)
Real estate includes tangibles and the lot & building only.
Real property includes all of them, tangibles, intangibles, lot and building, and chattels
Personal property includes all of them except the lot & building.
What are the two widely used forms of concurrent ownership in Canada?
- Joint Tenancy
Has possession, title, ttime, and interest. There is survivorship with joint tenancy. - Tenants-In-Common
Only has possession and there is no survivorship (transferring possession to surviving tenant)
There are lots of rights associated with ownership, but there are also lots of limitations. Namely governmental ones. Whhat are the 4 main categories of governmental limitations?
- Right to regulate (police come a knockin)
- Right to take private property (expropriation)
- Right to levy taxes (taxation)
- Right to have ownership returned if no heir can be found (escheat)
What is title and what is it secured by?
Title refers to the evidence that an owner has lawful ownership. it is secured by a deed, which is registered in the Registry of Deeds offices.
In the process of closing a transaction, the lawyer is concerned about what two dimensions of title?
- Quality of title which is supported by a registry search
2. Quantity of title which represents what actually exists on the ground
What is the difference between joint tenants and tenants in common?
These are the two ways people can hold joint assets.
A common example of joint tenants is a husband and wife owning a house together. If one dies, survivorship means that the diseased share goes to survivor.
For tenants in common, which would actually follow Abady’s and I model moreso. If I was to die, my share of the house would go to the beneficiaries in my will.
Various types of deeds are used in NS, but which his most common?
A warranty deed is most common in NS
What is the difference between land descriptions and metes and bounds descriptions
Land descriptions provide disctinct identities for individual properties. Whereas metes and bounds give EXACT delineation of the property.
What is bundle of rights?
Ownership rights associated with the possession, use, enjoyment, and disposition of real estate
What is the difference between fixtures and chattels?
Chattels are personal property which can be tangible and moveable
Fixtures are permanent improvements that may not be removed unless explicitly agreed to
What is a point of commencement?
It is a known reference point to delineate and enclose real estate by means of a metes and bounds description
What is land information (LIC)?
Service Nova Scotia operates LICs which maintain land information products and services such as property mapping, aerial photography, and property record database
What are the different land planning abilities for the 3 levels of government?
Federal:
Airports and oceans/fisheries
Provincial
Establishes overal policy
Municipal:
Direct control for administration purposes pursuant to the Municipal Government Act
What is a zoning variance?
What are non-conforming uses?
This is when an owner is seeking a variance from zoning requirements. A municipal development officer may grant the variance, subject to notification of, and appeal by, niehgbours.
Non-conforming uses is when the structure or land is permitted when those uses were in existand prior to the land use bylaw in effect.
Assessors use what three approaches to value for tax assessment?
- Direct Comparison
- Cost
- Income
When must appeals to property assessments be made?
Within 30 days of date on assessment notice (they are sent January of each year)
What are the three broad assessment classes used in Nova Scotia? A tax rate is established for each of these 3 classes. What is the Halifax urban residential tax rate?
- Residential
- Commercial
- Resource
The average urban residential tax rate in Halifax is 1.25%
Nova Scotia transferred from Assessment Services to what to be a not-for-profit municipally owned corporation to determine market value of properties?
Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC)
How is the property tax rate and therefore property tax calculated?
It’s the required budget (let’s say 4mil) divided by total assessment for community (let’s say 600mil).
So…
4,000,000 / 600,000,000 = 0.0067, or 67 cents for every $100 in assessment (.67%)
So on a property assessed at 150,000, the tax would be 150,000 * 0.0067 = $1,005 for the year
What are the 3 primary municipal land use activities for real estate purposes?
- Zoning provisions
- Subdivision requirements
- Development procedures
What is a development agreement? How is it different from a development permit?
A development agreement is between property owner and municipality to do something that does not meet current zoning requirements.
Whereas a development permit is simply a permit required before any development is commenced when a municipality has adopted a land use bylaw.