Big Law

Woman and man talking about New QLD Minimum Housing Standards

Property Owners: Are You Aware of the New QLD Minimum Housing Standards?

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As a property owner in Queensland, it’s crucial to stay updated on the latest regulations impacting your investment. Recently, the Queensland government has introduced new minimum housing standards designed to enhance living conditions for renters and clarify property maintenance requirements. In effect, these standards represent a substantial change in rental property management, ensuring that allRead More »Property Owners: Are You Aware of the New QLD Minimum Housing Standards?
What Do the Changes to the Property Law Act and the Introduction of a Seller Disclosure Scheme Mean for Buyers and Sellers of Property?

What Do the Changes to the Property Law Act and the Introduction of a Seller Disclosure Scheme Mean for Buyers and Sellers of Property?

An updated version of Queensland’s Property Law Act (‘the Act) was recently passed into law designed to modernise, improve and streamline the operation of the Act for both buyers and sellers. Key changes to the Act include: introduction of a statutory seller disclosure scheme (Seller Disclosure Scheme) applying to all freehold sales of land; updatedRead More »What Do the Changes to the Property Law Act and the Introduction of a Seller Disclosure Scheme Mean for Buyers and Sellers of Property?
What are the Disclosure Obligations For a Retirement Village and What Happens if They are Not Complied With

What are the Disclosure Obligations For a Retirement Village and What Happens if They are Not Complied With

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The role of retirement villages in Australian society are increasingly important given our aging population, ideally providing comfortable and secure living arrangements for seniors. The process of securing a place in a retirement village can be complex, however, and a prospective resident should receive expert legal advice before committing their signature to a contract. ToRead More »What are the Disclosure Obligations For a Retirement Village and What Happens if They are Not Complied With
Buying a Small Business

Things to Consider When Buying a Small Business

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There are a lot of compelling reasons to buy an established small business. Existing customers, trained staff, good will and immediate cashflow can all make the purchase of an operating small business a sound investment.

covid19 update

COVID-19 Update

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Queensland has once again closed its borders to NSW and the ACT.

Can I see the will

Can I See the Will?

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Once someone dies there is often a queue of people interested in discovering the terms of the will. This raises the question: who is allowed to see the deceased’s will? Once upon a time the people who were allowed to see the will be limited, but legislation now provides the structure by which certain peopleRead More »Can I See the Will?
Leading Conference Events

Big Law Team to Speak at Leading Conference Events

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Big Law is pleased to announce that two lawyers of our team are presenting at legal conferences over the coming weeks. Big Law, Consultant, Tony Biggar will be speaking at the 6th Annual Conveyancing Conference on recent changes to REIQ contracts, trends in E-Conveyancing and recent court divisions, including Sentinel Citilink Pty Ltd v PS CitilinkRead More »Big Law Team to Speak at Leading Conference Events
Commercial Conveyancing Process

What is the Process of Commercial Conveyancing?

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Conveyancing is the surprisingly complex process of transferring property from one person or entity to another. Though generally similar to residential conveyancing, commercial conveyancing tends to be even more challenging. Many additional factors need to be taken into consideration when dealing with commercial land transfers, including permitted uses, commercial leases, land tax implications, zoning, andRead More »What is the Process of Commercial Conveyancing?
Know about the Personal Property Securities Register - Big Law

What is the PPSR?

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The Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) commenced on 30 January 2012 and created a national online register where details of security interests in personal property can be registered and searched. The single register is known as the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). The single register known as the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), replacedRead More »What is the PPSR?
Purchasing Land with a Pre Existing Lease - Big Law

Purchasing land with a pre-existing lease: Reversal of Commissioner of State Revenue v Di Sipio & Anor [2015] QCA 198.

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On 20 October 2015 the Queensland Court of Appeal, in the case of Commissioner of State Revenue v Di Sipio & Anor [2015] QCA 198, held that a couple purchasing their first home had not disposed of the land merely because it was purchased subject to a pre-existing lease which had longer than six monthsRead More »Purchasing land with a pre-existing lease: Reversal of Commissioner of State Revenue v Di Sipio & Anor [2015] QCA 198.
Speed UP Smoke Alarms by Queensland Fire and Emergency Service

New editions of the two standard Residential Contracts: Are you up to Speed with Smoke Alarms?

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On 23 August 2011 a fire erupted at a house in Slacks Creek Queensland. Twenty-three calls were made to the emergency services, but by the time the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service arrived the house was fully engulfed. The Fire claimed the lives of eleven people, including eight children under the age of eighteen, makingRead More »New editions of the two standard Residential Contracts: Are you up to Speed with Smoke Alarms?
business leasing

Don’t Forget To Look at This in Your New Business Lease

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I have recently heard of tenants entering into leases without first undertaking investigations of what Internet services will be available into the premises they will be leasing. I have never seen in a lease document any assurance from the landlord as to what Internet services will be available to the premises. Tenants most likely willRead More »Don’t Forget To Look at This in Your New Business Lease
rates ruling update - Big Law

Rates Ruling Update

Since writing and publishing the article Rates Ruling Could Have Major Effect, some important changes have taken effect. Readers may recall that the article dealt with the decision in Paton & Ors v Mackay Regional Council, where it was decided that classifying a property by whether the owner-occupied the premises, or rented the premises out,Read More »Rates Ruling Update
ACCC v TPG

ACCC v TPG

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In a recent High Court case, the Court was asked to determine whether fine print in an advertisement was enough to prevent an advertisement from being misleading to consumers. For more than a year TPG ran an advertising campaign that offered ADSL2+ for the cost of $29.99 a month. The offer was displayed quite prominentlyRead More »ACCC v TPG
buyers beware

Sellers Beware

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There has been a recent District Court case in the District Court at Maroochydore where the buyer of a property brought a claim against the seller for damages for personal injury suffered by the buyer after an inspection of the property. The property was a rural property on which the seller operated a mobile sawmill.Read More »Sellers Beware