Thursday, 2nd May 2024
Buying or selling a home is an important event. You are entering into a significant contract. The contract and documentation you are asked to sign may seem simple, but beware. Before signing the contract, make sure you understand what you are signing.
See a lawyer for advice if you have any concerns or if the contract involves any special provisions.
If your are buying the property for business or as an investment then you should speak to your accountant at an early stage. There are many factors to be weighed up in deciding which name or entity (such as a company or trust) to buy a property in and whether something like a Trust may be more suitable.
If you are unsure, a lawyer can advise you on your rights and obligations under a Contract. Sometimes important conditions are easy to miss if you do not have a trained eye.
The contract will contain information you, as a purchaser will seek to rely on. A lawyer can check this information for you and advise you of your rights if the information provided by the vendor is untrue or if the vendor has failed to disclose any information that it is compelled to disclose.
A lawyer can take your directions about what you want to happen under the contract and can negotiate contractual terms favourable to you.
A lawyer can make sure that legislation has been complied with and conduct relevant searches.
Taking a proactive approach and getting legal advice before signing a contract is always the safest and most sensible way to go.
A caveat is a formal notice to the registered proprietor of land (i.e. the owner) that the person registering the caveat (the caveator) claims a legal or beneficial interest in the land. What is a Caveat?
The caveat prevents the owner of the land from selling the land until the caveator's interest has been determined by the parties involved, or by the Court.
Contrary to popular belief, for a caveat to be registered on someone's property, the caveator must have a direct interest in the land. For instance, you cannot try and recover a general debt by registering a caveat on the debtor's land, unless the debtor has given you the right to do so. However, if you have contributed to the purchase of land, or have improved the land physically somehow, or have signed a contract relating to the land, then you may have a caveatable interest in the land.
See your lawyer if you need advice in this area.
Are you looking for detailed information like this, or contact details for any of the bodies mentioned on this page. If so, then start on our Property Law for Lawyers page.
If it isn't there, then start on our Finding Detailed Legal Information page.
Please read our warning on that page "Be careful using these resources".
The Law is not always as straightforward as it appears. We have not included any information about when and how to use that information or any traps. We assume that the Lawyers will know this.
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On occasion, a dispute may arise between a tenant and their landlord. Lawyers help people with these kinds of disputes on a regular basis. If you find yourself involved in a dispute, you may need some legal advice. Take along a copy of the lease in question to the meeting with your lawyer. He or she can then read through the lease and advise you.
Often it is not just a question of what is in the lease, and answers are to be found in other areas of the law. If necessary, your lawyer can write to the tenant or landlord, or arrange a meeting to try and find a resolution.
Some areas that often lead to problems involve terminating the lease, the obligations of the parties at the end of the lease and rights of renewal and other options. The law on leases is quite strict and it is important to comply with dates and send notices exactly as the lease says.
NCAT: Retail Leases Division deals with issues concerning "Retail Leases". This page is like a set of Frequently Asked Questions, including working out if your are covered by the Retail Leases Act.
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) deals with issues concerning residential leases.
Fair Trading - Retirement Villages has general information for the public.
See also Retirement Village Living: An overview of the NSW Retirement Village Laws.
Recent changes to the Retirement Villages Act include:
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) deals with issues concerning residential leases. If they cannot help resolve a dispute, the Retirement Villages division of the CTTT can hear and determine applications about disputes between the retirement village operator and one or more residents.
Some early termination fees for loans made to enter a Retirement Village may no longer be enforceable. Seek legal advice.
ASIC has a Guide to Early termination fees for residential loans.
See Foolkit's Eldercare page for more information about the services for Seniors including advice regarding Retirement Village issues.
Fair Trading links and contacts on issues related to Retirement Villages.
Most people choose to have a real estate agent to sell their land. Some concerns to keep in mind on this subject:
If you believe the valuation of your property is incorrect in comparison to sales of similar properties in your area then you have the right to object to object.
The Environmental Defenders Offices of Australia is an independent community legal centre specialising in public interest environmental law
From 1 November 2010 most sellers or lessors of office space of 2,000 square metres or more will be required to obtain and disclose an up-to-date energy efficiency rating. Certain exceptions and exemptions apply.
See Commercial Building Disclosure for more information.
Pets, fences, noise, trees and trespass.
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) deals with issues concerning residential leases. If they cannot help resolve a dispute, the Retirement Villages division of the CTTT can hear and determine applications about disputes between the retirement village operator and one or more residents.
For more information about the CTTT see our information about lease disputes.
See Foolkit's Eldercare page for more information about the services for Seniors including advice regarding Retirement Village issues.
