All publications relating to ‘Strata’
Restraints and Real Estate – what is enforceable
What do post-employment restraints in real estate really mean for agents and employers? In the property industry, employment agreements often include three key restraints: non-solicitation, non-acceptance, and non-competition. These clauses aim to protect client relationships, confidential information, and business goodwill, but their enforceability depends on how they’re drafted and applied…
Reforming Retail Leases? Retail Leases Amendment (Review) Bill 2025 (NSW)
What does the Retail Leases Amendment (Review) Bill 2025 mean for landlords and tenants in NSW?On 14 October 2025, the Minister for Small Business introduced the Retail Leases Amendment (Review) Bill 2025 (Bill) to NSW Parliament to implement the first tranche of legislative reforms to the Retail Leases Act 1994 (Act)…
10 Tips For Strata Remedial Construction Contracts
Are you wondering why your strata work to repair or maintain your strata building is over budget, riddled with delays, plagued with costs overruns and variations at every turn?It is important to consider and follow these steps:Before tendering for the work to be done, have your building contract, consultancy agreement and/or separate…
Important Strata Law Changes — Effective 1 July 2025
The Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (Amending Act) introduces further reform in Government’s ongoing review of the strata legislation. On 1 July 2025, the second tranche of changes under the Amending Act commenced, which will impact or give effect to the following: enhanced protection of owners corporations from strata managers, building managers and others…
Unfair contract terms in outdated standard form contracts could cost you a fine of $50 million (Companies) or $2.5 million (Individuals)
If you have not reviewed your standard form construction contracts since 9 November 2023 (when the amended Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) – Schedule 2 (ACL) became effective), you could be at risk of any/all unfair contract terms being declared void and having to pay a penalty. This means that:Any standard form contract…
Which edition of Building Code of Australia applies to developments in NSW?
The Building Code of Australia (BCA) is part of the the National Construction Code (NCC). The NCC is updated every 3 years, based on required regulatory practices, industry research, public feedback and policy directions from governments between publishing cycles.Construction projects often span 2 versions of the BCA.There has historically been much debate in the New…
Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) reforms and obligations of landlords — effective from 19 May 2025
IntroductionThe Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW) (the Act) and the Residential Tenancies Regulation 2019 (NSW) (the Regulations) have undergone some significant changes following a prolonged and extensive consultation period with property management stakeholders. These changes have generated a lot of buzz as they seek to improve the rights of tenants in NSW and…
What are you actually buying into when you buy a Strata Unit?
It is important to understand what you are responsible for and what you actually own when looking at buying into strata. You might be surprised.Usually, when purchasing an individual lot in a strata scheme, you are only buying the airspace of a lot, the internal surfaces of walls, floors, ceilings including internal walls…
Statutory Duty of Care – Part 4 Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 – ‘…the risk of harm was foreseeable… not insignificant…not far-fetched or fanciful’
On 5 July 2024, His Honour Justice Waugh handed down his decision in The Owners – Strata Plan 80867 v Da Silva [2024] NSWDC 263.Swaab, instructing William Marshall of 7 Wentworth Selborne Chambers, acted for the Plaintiff Owners Corporation in the proceedings, which were brought against Mr Da Silva (the Builder). The Builder…
Alert | Construction industry update: When is remedial building work exempt development? 11 July 2023
The Department of Planning and Environment has published a ‘Remedial Building Work – State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008’ Fact Sheet (Fact Sheet) to provide guidance as to when remedial building work is considered exempt development under the Exempt and Complying Development (Codes SEPP): https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023 –…