Author: Hoogbruin & Company Marketing

By the litigation team at Hoogbruin & Company, Vancouver | Last updated October 2026  Presale buyer protection in BC depends on the developer giving you timely, accurate and complete disclosure before you commit. Five red flags in a disclosure amendment mean you should speak with a lawyer before you sign or respond.  The 5 red flags at a glance:  Late timing: the amendment arrived weeks...

Blog by Hoogbruin & Company on Presale Misrepresentation and Hidden Defects / Last Updated: September 2026 Closing does not end your right to hold a seller accountable. If a seller knew about a serious problem with the property and hid it or lied about it, you may have a claim for misrepresentation even after the keys have changed hands, and even if you waived your inspection to win the...

You can sue. If a neighbour or a neighbouring development cuts your trees, builds past the line, or enters your land without permission, that is trespass in British Columbia, and you can recover damages even when the other side calls it an honest mistake. The surveyed and registered property line governs. A fence, a hedge, a tree row, or the other side’s own survey does not. Hoogbruin...

Why Signing a Presale Mutual Release Without Legal Advice Could Be the Most Expensive Decision You Ever Make?  Signing a presale mutual release without legal advice can permanently end your right to recover your deposit, claim interest on it, or sue for any other losses caused by a collapsed presale. Hoogbruin & Company has litigated real estate, presale and strata disputes across Metro...

You wake to a sound you do not recognize. First, a drip. Then a rush.  Water is coming through your ceiling, pooling on the floor and soaking into the baseboards you refinished last spring.  Your first thought is probably, “the unit above me caused this. They should pay for it.”  It seems obvious. But in a strata building, the fact that water came from another unit does not automatically make...

A home renovation should improve your property, not leave you with unfinished work, unanswered messages, and mounting costs. But when a contractor walks off the job, many homeowners are unsure whether they should try to resolve the dispute through mediation or speak with a lawyer first.  Mediation may be useful if the contractor is still communicating and willing to negotiate. However, if the...

Buying a presale home in British Columbia can be an exciting opportunity, but it can also become stressful if your financial situation or the real estate market changes before completion. Many buyers signed presale contracts when market values were stronger, only to later face lower appraisals, financing shortfalls, or uncertainty about whether they can complete the purchase.  If you are...

REDMA Buyer Rights: What to Do When a Builder Delays Communication in BC  You signed on the dotted line, paid a substantial deposit, and expected regular updates on your presale property. Instead, communication has slowed or stopped altogether. For many presale condo buyers in Vancouver or across BC, delayed or missing communication from a developer creates uncertainty about timelines,...

Lessons from the Burnaby Eclipse Case  Buying a presale property is often seen as an exciting opportunity to secure a home or investment before construction is complete. However, a recent dispute involving the Eclipse condominium project in Burnaby serve as a reminder that presale purchases can sometimes become complex legal matters when unexpected challenges arise.  What Happened in the...

In many Vancouver strata properties, disputes do not begin with dramatic confrontations or immediate legal action. They begin with unresolved maintenance concerns that slowly grow into larger financial and structural problems over time.  A leak appears repeatedly but temporary repairs continue instead of permanent remediation. Residents raise concerns about moisture, mould or building...