Oceania: Real Estate and Construction

Thoughts on operation of Qld's "new" Property Law Act – in particular the new concept of the Seller Disclosure regime.

A clear, well-documented disclosure process on behalf of the real estate agent preserves the integrity of the sales process.

Purchasers in NSW have no s66S cooling off period rights where a contract for sale of residential property is formed pursuant to a call option or a put option.

'Quiet enjoyment' might constitute your plans for the weekend after a busy week, but it is also an express covenant that appears in most retail, commercial, industrial or residential leases to protect a tenant’s right to use the property without unreasonable landlord interference. Even if a lease is silent on this matter, it is still commonly implied unless the lease expressly excludes it.

It is not uncommon for a lease to quietly expire without the landlord and tenant having discussed what happens next. Sometimes the tenant simply continues operating from the premises as if nothing has changed.

Understanding whether your lease is legally considered as a retail lease is crucial.

The strata reform is broadly intended to give owners in strata schemes across NSW greater trust and confidence in how strata is regulated.

Amendments to the SSM Act extend the time limit to claim for losses from an owners corporation's failure to maintain common property from 2 to 6 years.

This article explores two significant legal decisions that clarify the scope of an OC's duty under section 106 of the SSMA.

The Victorian Court of Appeal has confirmed that loss and damage, not the underlying defect, must occur within the policy period for the purposes of the Domestic Building Insurance policy, and successors in title must prove their own loss in establishing a breach of the statutory warranties in the Domestic Building Contracts Act.

The Victorian Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Act 2026 (the Act) received royal assent on 17 February 2026.

New legislative changes have come into effect for the 87,000+ Strata Schemes in NSW, as the latest stage of reforms under the Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (NSW) commences on 1 April 2026.