Future Cities Series: Real Estate in a Post-Covid World

16 July, 2020
There is no doubt that Covid-19 will have a significant and long lasting effect on the real estate sector. The sector will not return to the way it was and we will see the impact of the pandemic permeate all parts of the industry for years to come. It is important for real estate players to pre-empt some of these predicted future trends so that they can be ahead of the game in both taking defensive positions on risk areas and pursuing new opportunities. One thing Covid-19 has shown the world is how quickly things can change and imagination can create possibility for things which were never considered possible before now. Read more

What is a “reasonable time” for a tenant to remedy a breach of lease?

19 June, 2020
Generally, if a landlord intends to terminate a lease due to a tenant’s breach of the lease,  the landlord must first serve a notice (Breach Notice) on the tenant that: specifies the particular breach; if the breach is capable of remedy, requires the tenant to remedy the breach; and if the landlord claims monetary compensation … Read more

COVID-19: Pressure Points: Real Estate Landlord Tenants Update

08 May, 2020
The shockwaves from the outbreak of COVID-19 are being felt right across the Australian economy – and commercial real estate is no different. Tenants and landlords are facing the prospect of a prolonged reduction in business activity, remote working and even total shutdown – none of which were anticipated at the time they signed their lease. The legal implications of this invidious state of affairs have been the subject of both considerable interest and uncertainty. To assist, we have prepared this guide on the key legal issues arising under commercial leases in the COVID-19 environment and what Government measures are presently available for landlords and tenants. Read more

Overview: The revamped Western Australian Strata Titles Legislation – it’s here

30 April, 2020
On 1 May 2020, substantial changes to the Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) came into effect. Those changes to the Act are included in the Strata Titles Amendment Act 2018 (WA) – which was passed some time ago but has remained inoperative until the corresponding updated regulations were prepared.  The Strata Titles General Regulations 1996 (WA) will be repealed by the Strata Titles (General) Regulations 2019 (WA), also with effect from 1 May 2020. Read more

COVID-19: Pressure Points: NSW Emergency Measures – Commercial Landlord Briefing

30 March, 2020
On 29 March the National Cabinet agreed the principles that will underpin relief for commercial tenancies in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This comes after the passing by the NSW legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of the COVID-19 Legislative Amendment (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 (Act) on 25 March 2020. In this article, we discuss what the National Cabinet announcement means for commercial tenancies and what the ACT means for retail tenancies. Read more

Keeping your cash safe: some simple measures to prevent cyber fraud

03 February, 2020
The virtues of electronic payments and communicating online are well known, and so are the traps that can snare us when we conduct commerce in cyberspace. But did you know that cybercriminals have been targeting law firms? At HSF we are implementing some important procedures to ensure that your money is safe, and is only disbursed at your direction and no one else’s. Read more

Implementation of eConveyancing in NSW – the (almost) Final Milestones

30 November, 2019
The transition to electronic conveyancing (eConveyancing) has a been a long time coming, with legislation first passed by the NSW Parliament to facilitate the process in 2012.[1] A transition timetable was introduced in 2017 by the NSW Government following its announcement that the transition into eConveyancing would be accelerated in 2016. With version 5 of … Read more