While technically you are not required to hire a lawyer to register documents at land titles, some land titles documents (including the transfer of land) cannot be completed without the involvement of a lawyer.
As a result of amendments made in 2011 to The Real Property Act (this is the law that governs the land titles system), signatures in certain land titles document must now be witnessed by a lawyer. The goal of this amendment was to make sure that when land is dealt with, including when it is sold, the person dealing with the land is the person lawfully entitled to do so.
Aside from the legal requirement to have a lawyer witness your document, it is our experience that having a lawyer involved is often a very wise decision. Registration of documents causes land titles records to be changed and this can significantly change your legal position and rights. A lawyer can help make sure that you are properly advised and protected.
In the event that you do complete documents on your own, and once you have submitted them for registration at the appropriate land titles office, land titles will assign your documents a registration number. Our staff will then proceed to examine your documents. If there are any errors with the documents discovered during the examination process, we will return the documents to you with written reasons as to what is wrong. We charge a fee when we return improperly completed documents to a client. Please see the land titles fees schedule for up-to-date fees.