Property Description
Understand what a property description is in Canadian real estate, how it's used in transactions, and why it's critical for legal and zoning accuracy.
May 30, 2025
What is a Property Description?
A property description is the section of a real estate document that outlines the legal and physical characteristics of the land and structures being conveyed.
Why a Property Description Matters in Real Estate
In Canadian real estate, property descriptions are used in purchase agreements, deeds, surveys, and land registry documents.
A complete property description may include:
- Lot size and boundaries
- Legal land parcel identifier (e.g., PIN or LRO reference)
- Location details (municipality, subdivision, etc.)
- Details of buildings or zoning (if applicable)
Accurate descriptions are essential for title transfer, financing, zoning compliance, and avoiding legal disputes.
Understanding property descriptions ensures that buyers and sellers are transacting the correct parcel and that no physical or legal details are overlooked.
Example of a Property Description
The property description in the agreement identifies the parcel as Lot 7, Plan M-246 in the City of Toronto, measuring 40 feet by 100 feet.
Key Takeaways
- Legally defines the property being sold.
- Required in legal and land registry documents.
- Includes lot size, boundaries, and identifiers.
- Ensures clarity and legal accuracy.
- Prevents disputes over parcel location or size.
Related Terms
- Title Transfer
- Deed
- Zoning
- Legal Title
- Land Registry
An overview of Hedge Road Landing. (Alliance Homes)
6525 Mississauga Road and its surrounding context. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
Property details for 6525 Mississauga Road. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
National average resale-price growth and housing-starts growth, smoothed over three months. The comparison illustrates the cycle; it does not establish how much a price change causes construction to change.
Trailing 12-month starts in centres of 50,000 or more remove the usual monthly seasonality. Ownership combines the homeowner and condominium categories; rental is shown separately.
Six-month averages of provincial starts, expressed at annual rates. The smoothing reduces the influence of individual apartment projects.
The same August benchmark compared with two different starting points. Three-month changes are not annualized.
Average sale prices show the difference in purchase costs across markets. They do not measure affordability relative to local incomes or construction costs.
Newfoundland and Labrador remains above its pre-pandemic sales pattern, but August activity was below last year. Historical lines retain their original release vintages.
Average and median describe different aspects of the same month’s transactions. Both are affected by the mix of homes sold.
Category averages compare different homes and locations; the gaps are not estimates of the cost to upgrade an otherwise identical property.
The five categories shown account for 5,000 of the board’s 5,057 sales. The remaining 57 transactions were in other housing categories.
Monthly observations are not seasonally adjusted. Active listings count properties available at month-end; they are not construction inventory.
Average and median prices share one dollar axis. These unadjusted transaction measures do not control for changes in the homes sold.
TRREB’s 416/905 categories compare the apartments sold in each area. The difference does not isolate a location premium for equivalent units.
Highlights from the Delta Golf & Country Club listing brochure. (Colliers)