Articles

As announced by the Victorian Government, the Commercial Tenancy Rent Relief Scheme has been re-introduced (subject to variations) with legislation being passed with effect from 28 July 2021. The intent, as in the previous scheme, is to facilitate Landlords and Tenants to negotiate mutually acceptable arrangements that work through their particular circumstances.

The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) is designed to streamline procedures within the construction and building industry by ensuring that any person who carries out work under a contract receives payment.

Buying and selling a property can be both an exciting and stressful time. We have prepared a checklist for both buying and selling a property to assist you with understanding the processes involved to ensure that your sale or purchase is as smooth as possible.

It is impossible to guarantee that your Will, no matter how cleverly drafted, will not be challenged in the future. Nevertheless, there are steps that you can take to limit a successful challenge, as Senior Associate and Accredited Specialist (Wills & Estates) Binay Prasad explains.

The new rental laws aim to set minimum standards for rental properties in Victoria and clarify the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords. The new residential tenancy laws will encapsulate all stages of the end to end rental process, from before the rental agreement is signed, right until the agreement comes to an end. This includes repairs and modification to rooming houses, long term leases, notices to vacate and pet ownership.

The law concerning casual employment in Australia has changed as a result of recent amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) by the Federal Parliament. These changes will affect all employers who employ casual employees, and will often require employers to take immediate action to ensure compliance with the updated legislation.

A Grant of Probate is a certificate given by the Supreme Court of Victoria to the effect that the Will of a deceased person has been proved and administration of that person's estate has been granted to the executor proving the Will. Our Wills & Estates team explains.

Ignoring a creditor's letter of demand can make matter worse. Our Commercial Litigation team provides some tips on negotiating a settlement.

If you have been left out of a Will in Victoria, there are two key claims that can be made: a claim to invalidate the Will, or a Part IV claim, which claims that the Will Maker (Testator) has not made adequate provision for a person whom they had an obligation to provide.

The Governance Standards are a set of core, minimum standards that provide a framework for governance and compliance for those running a charity. An organisation must meet the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Governance Standards to be registered and remain registered as a charity.

On 22 September 2020, the Retail Leases Amendment Act 2020 (Vic) came into force. The Amendment Act created new rights and obligations to important retail leasing processes governed by the Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic) (“the Act”). It is imperative that both landlords and tenants are aware of these key changes to avoid any consequences and loss of entitlements regarding their existing leases and new leases. This article summarises these changes and will focus on the new process for further lease terms.

Generally, if a contract is entered into by a company and that company has breached the contract, then only the company will be liable and not its directors. in some circumstances, courts can ‘pierce’ or ‘lift’ this corporate veil. When this occurs, the separate legal personality of the company is disregarded and the directors and shareholders can become personally liable for breaches of contract and debts incurred by the company.