Imagine you’re about to make a personally difficult decision: breaking up with your spouse. Breaking up is one of life’s most difficult choices. Ending your relationship is tough enough as it is, let alone dealing with the other issues falling out from that.

In Ottawa, you’re not alone; statistics Canada records about 213,983 active family cases, out of which about 54,927 are about divorce in Ontario alone. If you and your spouse can’t agree on certain things, then it might be time to get a family lawyer. If you’re still asking yourself if that’s worthwhile, here are four reasons why:

Divorce

In Ontario, it takes only one spouse to actually want a divorce to end the marriage even if the other refuses. However, that person can only acquire it after demonstrating in court at least one year of separation. Depending on the details of your situation, you’ll need a family or divorce lawyer to examine them and advise you accordingly.

Property

What if you have property you mutually own, but have to decide who gets what? It’s not a pretty sight if both of you can’t agree on that. Under Canada’s Constitution, each province or territory has its own laws spelling out the rules for dividing property when a couple divorces. You need a solicitor to let you know how much the law entitles you to and to ensure you get that share.

Support

A divorce can have a financial impact on one of the spouses. The one who makes more usually pays “spousal support” to the other to balance the divorce’s impact, although the one who makes less isn’t always entitled. Kanata lawyers can, again, explore your case to see if you really have to give that support or not, then you decide on who meets your needs the best.

Child custody

If you both have at least one child, that alone is enough to make things very challenging for both of you. If you and your partner can’t agree on who can do what with your child, you better get a family lawyer to look after your interests. Many Ottawa family lawyers will try to work things out with your spouse, but only after they looked at your case.

The bottom line is that things can get complicated if both you and your spouse can’t agree on certain issues while ending your relationship. A family lawyer knows the laws and similar cases, and can help you while following what the law says. You can also read more about family law and Ottawa law firms handling similar cases at eHow.com and About.com.

It started becoming apparent in the late 1990’sthat there was a problem with leaky homes for buildings that had been constructed during the previous decade. The problem was apparent in both inexpensive and multimillion dollar homes, making them inhabitable. The core of the problem lied in the methods which were used to build those leaky homes, as they failed to withstand New Zealand’s climate.

The buildings which are most prone to the risk of becoming leaky buildings are those with structural framing made from untreated timber and with non-cavity monolithic cladding systems. Water can penetrate if the cladding systems don’t have a gap between the cladding and timber framing. The hidden moisture creates havoc for the homes and their residents. Number of levels to the property, the width of eaves and poorly designed decks are additional factors which add to the risk.

The owners of leaky buildings and homes have spent many years trying to salvage their damaged homes, which has left them emotionally drained. Weathertight Homes Resolutions Services enabled many home owners to make claims, but the legal cost was too heavy for them and it became difficult to professional and experience leaky home lawyers.

According to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service Act 2006, homeowners whose multi-unit dwellings and houses are less than ten years old and are damaged can make a claim. The claimants are required to provide evidence of when the house was habitable as a part of formalities. Even now, if a home owner discovers a leaky home problem and it is still within the ten year period, then they should take immediate action. Here, the insurance lawyers or leaky home lawyers step in, as only the court or Weathertight Homes Tribunal will decide the extent of your problem. Therefore, involvement of professional legal experts becomes mandatory.

Getting your home inspected by professionals also gains relevance to determine the extent of problem. One can undertake private mediation or can go for own court proceedings. The points which make one eligible for the claims are as follows:

• The person should be the owner of the building or dwelling and it should be majorly residential.
• The building should have been altered or built within the ten years preceding the date of lodging the claim.
• Water entering from outside, that is leaking should be apparent and the damage occurred should be the result of the same.

Even after knowing and coming under the above mentioned criteria, sufferers often fail to get compensation and for this very reason the role of insurance lawyers becomes indispensible. In the matter of litigation for leaky buildings and homes, the choice of a trusted resource for timely information and comprehensive legal assistance becomes extremely important and therefore only experts in the field should be chosen.

About The Author–

Grimshaw & Co Lawyers is a litigation and dispute resolution practice, best known for representing clients affected by leaky homes and leaky buildings. It also acts for victims of the Christchurch earthquake(s) in claims against insurance companies. Visit us online at www.grimshaw.co.nz/.