Touchstone Law Group LLP
#208 – 1664 Richter Street
Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 8N3
Office Tel: (250) 448-2637
Toll Free: 1 (855) 889-2637
Direct Fax: (778) 484-7101
info@touchstone.law
15
JAN
2024

2024 brings some changes to Touchstone Law Group LLP!

As of December 31, 2023, our receptionist of nearly 5 years leaves us for retirement. Ann has been a welcoming face at our front desk and the wonderful Australian accent on the phone to callers. She has maintained calm in the chaos and kept our front office running. We wish Ann a...
01
JAN
2024

Resealing a Foreign Grant of Probate in British Columbia

More and more often, we see people with assets located in multiple provinces and countries.  When a deceased person lived in another province or country immediately prior to their death and was a resident of that jurisdiction but had assets in British Columbia, their...
15
DEC
2023

What Assets Pass Through Your Estate?

During your estate planning process, it is important to understand which assets will pass through your estate and which will pass outside of it.  When we draft your will, we are only dealing with the assets that will pass through your estate.  A number of assets will...
01
DEC
2023

Post Up! Post-Grant Procedures

Once you’ve received the estate grant, your job as executor or administrator is not over. Obtaining the grant means you can now liquidate the deceased’s assets, settle their debts, finalize any income tax reporting and prepare the proper documentation to distribute the estate....
15
NOV
2023

Bare Trusts and the new reporting rules

“THIS JUST IN – OKANAGAN RESIDENT BARES ALL!” The Bare Necessities  A bare trust (aka naked trust) is a type of trust that separates the legal and beneficial ownership of a property.  It is sometimes referred to as a principal-agent relationship. The legal owner, also...
01
NOV
2023

Short-term rental restrictions coming down the pipe?

This past week, the Province of British Columbia proposed restrictions on short-term rentals through the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act.  These restrictions will most certainly present some significant changes in areas such as the Okanagan where a large number of...
27
OCT
2023

What is the Underused Housing Tax? – By Crowe MacKay LLP

The following is a general overview of Crowe MacKay LLP’s original Underused Housing Tax article. The underused housing tax (UHT) is a Federal tax applied to vacant or underused housing in Canada, effective January 1, 2022. Generally speaking, this tax targets foreign property...
15
OCT
2023

Dying Without Family

A few articles ago, we discussed what happens when you die without a will (https://touchstonelawgroup.com/no-will-no-plan-no-maam-dying-without-a-will/).  As a refresher, when a person dies intestate (without a will), their relatives inherit in the following order (if they...
01
OCT
2023

Purchasing a Strata Unit: Buyer Considerations

Strata properties have become more and more popular with the move in many areas to increased density.  These types of properties often give property owners the benefit of limited repair and maintenance work and may also give access to amenities that a single family home...
15
SEP
2023

Property Transfer Tax | The price of moving in beautiful British Columbia

The year is 1987 and the Bangles’ “Walk Like An Egyptian” is the top hit on the Billboard 100.  This just so happens to be the same year that Premier Vander Zalm introduces the Property Purchase Tax, now known as Property Transfer Tax (“PTT”). You’ve purchased a home and/or...