How to confirm a Clarington townhouse is truly freehold
Three documents settle it: the listing, the survey or reference plan, and the title search your lawyer runs before closing. On the listing, look for a fee field that reads zero and for words like parcel of tied land, common elements or private road in the remarks. On the plan, a rear lane or a shared walkway owned by a common-elements corporation tells you a POTL fee exists. On title, a common-elements condominium will be registered against the lot. A POTL fee is usually modest and covers snow, lane repairs and sometimes a park, but it comes with a corporation, a budget and rules, so a status certificate applies to it. A true freehold row has none of that, and you are responsible for your roof, your walls and your own snow. Check the party-wall agreement, how old the roof is and whether the yard is fenced.