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The COVID-19 pandemic saw an unprecedented rise in city dwellers wanting to relocate to rural regions to have a better work life balance. However, when buying a rural property, purchasers should fully assess the suitability of the land for their intended purpose and issues which don’t usually arise when buying in suburban Sydney must be considered, such as access rights, water licences, enclosed roads, chemical [...]
What are they? Building disputes commonly arise from disputes relating to non-payment for work, disagreements of the scope of work, poor workmanship/defective work, significant delays, abandonment of works and unlicensed works. These disputes can cause significant delays for both parties and incur considerable costs. What is the claim process? Before deciding to take your claim to court, you could take informal steps to try to [...]
Land tax is levied annually by each State or Territory government based upon the value of land for properties which reach the land tax threshold. This threshold changes each year and varies from State to State. Whilst land tax does not affect all properties and there are concessions and exemptions which apply, there are significant changes being implemented in Queensland which should be considered when [...]
Purchasing a property is an exciting time, however it is also the biggest asset that most people acquire and requires thoughtful consideration. If you intend on purchasing a property jointly, either with a family member or friend, it is wise to think about the practicalities of owning that property jointly and what would happen if the relationship were to break down. Risks of co-ownership When [...]
When purchasing a property there are a lot of aspects to consider and various risks to be aware of. Engaging a skilled solicitor or conveyancer to act for you on your purchase is a great start and when you engage WMD Law to act for you, you can be sure that you are obtaining thorough advice. One of our recommendations to consider when purchasing a [...]
The NSW government has introduced the Commercial Landlord Hardship Fund to provide grants to eligible small landlords of up to $3,000 per month for each retail or commercial tenancy. Who is eligible? Small commercial and retail landlords who: will suffer financial hardship if they reduce the rent to be paid by tenants financially impacted by COVID-19 in accordance with the Retail and Other Commercial Leases [...]
As Lockdown continues and many tenants are forced to keep their doors closed, the NSW Government has updated its COVID-19 leasing laws and mandated rent relief for tenants. In 2020, when the pandemic first began, the NSW government instated the Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2020 which allowed for rent relief negotiations proportionate to a tenant's turnover loss. However, this legislation ceased to [...]
The Real Property Amendment (Certificates of Title) Act 2021 will make significant changes to land holding in New South Wales. Under this Act, all paper Certificate of Title will be cancelled which will facilitate the electronic lodgement of all land transactions in New South Wales. Paper Certificates of Title will no longer have any legal effect from 11 October 2021. Instead of a paper [...]
On the 14th of July the New South Wales Government published the Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2021. The primary objective of these new regulations is to restrict the rights of landlords under retail and other commercial leases to take action for a breach of lease by the tenant if the tenant has been 'impacted' by COVID-19. A tenant is "impacted" if they qualify [...]
Any Awning extending over public land, such as footpaths or roads, can threaten the safety of the public, and NSW has introduced changes to ensure building owners are act responsibly when installing awnings that extend over such land. Following a fatal accident in Balgowlah due to the collapse of an awning, the Deputy State Coroner conducted an investigation and prepared a report. Report by the [...]
