Keys to Reform: Unlocking Queensland’s Property Law Changes - 3 program on-demand series

Program 1:  Out with the Old and In with the New: Queensland’s New Property Law Act

The Property Law Act has recently undergone significant changes, effectively rewriting the Act for the first time in decades. Understanding these changes and how they will impact property law and conveyancing is absolutely fundamental for any property lawyer in Queensland. To help practitioners understand how these momentous changes will change their daily property law practice, this session explores:

• Key changes to the Act, including statutory seller disclosure scheme, easement covenant enforceability, changes to the limitation period for deeds
• How the changes that raised concern during consultation have gone in practice in other jurisdictions, with a spotlight on the seller disclosure scheme
• Key issues which may impact compliance, including changes to forms, precedents and procedures e.g. notice to remedy breach

Program 2: Changes to the BCCM Act: Reshaping Bodies Corporate in Queensland

With house prices out of reach for so many, Queenslanders are increasingly turning to strata living to afford the great Australian dream of property ownership. However, while strata living may be the way of the future, it comes with many traps, leaving owners vulnerable to hidden fees, secret insurance kickbacks and dodgy deals with developers. The new BCCM Act has made significant changes to the rules governing body corporate committees, raising a number of legal and practical issues when it comes to the advice to be provided to clients as they require specific steps to be taken to give effect to the reforms. To breakdown exactly how the new BCCMA may impact body corporates and whether the protections go far enough to protect apartment owners, this session explores the following:

• Termination of uneconomic community titles schemes:
  • Understanding the new process and preparing a pre-termination report
  • What must be included in the termination plan
  • Notices and prescribed time periods
  • What if a lot owner disagrees with the motion?
• Alternative insurance arrangements
• Protection against second-hand smoke in community titles schemes
• Animal keeping regulations
• Enhanced enforcement mechanisms and governance practices
• Do the new measures go far enough to prevent rogue strata managers from exploiting apartment owners?

Program 3: Instalment Contracts Under the New Property Law Act: Traps for the Unwary

With property prices continuing to rise, never before have instalment contracts been so needed. In Queensland, practitioners have traditionally shied away from instalment contracts because of the significant issues they raised. However, all this is set to change with the recent amendments to the Property Law Act. To help practitioners prepare for these changes, this session explores:

• The issues which had previously existed with instalments contracts, and how these have been dealt with in the new Property Law Act - definition of instalment, process to prevent inadvertent creation of instalment contract
• Spotlight on buyer’s protections
• The effects of creating an instalment contract in the new system, options for alternatives and the practical issues which can arise when dealing with instalment contracts and drafting clauses
• Dodging the traps and pitfalls of instalment contracts – what to look out for when advising buyers and sellers