Residential and Commercial Conveyancing

There is a lot to consider when you are purchasing a home. If you’ve got children, one of your first priorities will be making sure it is near a good school. Then there’s the matter of your daily commute, meaning you want a home that’s close to public transport or within an easy drive toRead More »How Does Conveyancing Work?

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?

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?

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.

On 25 May 2016, the Retail Shop Leases Amendment Act 2016 was enacted to amend the regulation of retail leasing in Queensland. The 2016 amendments to the Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (“Act”) commenced on 25 November 2016 and apply prospectively from that date. This means the amendments will apply to any retail shop leaseRead More »Entering into a retail shop lease: Key Changes Under the Retail Shop Leases Amendment Act 2016

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?

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

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court could impact up to 20 regional council budgets, and impact $300 million in rates across Queensland. The case in point, Paton & Ors v Mackay Regional Council, concerned the issue of limits on a Council’s ability to charge different general rates for non-owner occupied homes. The applicants inRead More »Rates Ruling Could Have Major Effect