Property

General Security Deeds

A General Security Deed (GSD) or a General Security Agreement is effectively a legal document used to secure the repayment of a loan or some other legal obligation.

GSDs are often used by lenders such as banks where there is no real property security available to place a Mortgage or Caveat over, so in addition to signing a Loan Agreement or Letter of Offer, a borrower will likely also be asked to sign a GSD.

Prior to the creation of the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), a GSD used to be known as a ‘fixed and floating charge‘ which was registered over companies at ASIC. A GSD however, can be registered on the PPSR against any legal entity including a trustee of a trust, a partnership or sole trader and can cover any form of personal property.

Personal property is basically anything other than land and can include motor vehicles, intellectual property, shares in companies, units in unit trusts, stock and business equipment.

Under the GSD, the borrower is known as the ‘Grantor’ and the lender is called the ‘Secured Party‘ and the terms of the GSD can be complicated but basically provide that the Secured Party can take, hold and sell the secured personal property to repay the debt or until the obligation the GSD is securing has been met – this is known as a ‘Security Interest’.

GSDs have priority in the order in which they are registered so there is often a real benefit to registering them on the PPSR (known as ‘perfection’) as soon as possible.

General Security Deeds are complicated and important documents, so before you sign one, you ought to take appropriate advice as to their meaning and effect.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Business / Commercial Law / General / Insolvency & Bankruptcy / Property  by 01 Dec 2024 0 comments

Leasing business premises from a SMSF

Many business owners own the commercial or industrial premises that they use to operate their business from.  Often that property is owned by a Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF).

Leasing business premises from a SMSF is becoming commonplace. SMSFs can be a tax-effective way to create wealth and provide for your retirement, in addition to providing some asset protection benefits however, they come with a requirement to comply with the Superannuation Investments (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (SIS Act) and its Regulations.

Additional obligations apply when the SMSF is using a limited recourse borrowing arrangement and bare trust when borrowing to acquire the premises and consideration ought to be given to who the members of the fund are and what happens if they were to pass away.

One of the leasing obligations on SMSF trustees in the SIS Act is that there be a written Lease in place. Not only does there need to be a Lease in place, but it must be at ‘arms length‘ and on commercial terms.  This effectively means that it must have all of the usual or typical terms that would be expected to be in place if the property was being rented to a third party, for example with market rent being required to be paid in full and on time, with no discounts.

Practically, there are other benefits of having a proper Lease in place and one of them is that on the sale of the business, the Lease can be assigned to the purchaser so that the SMSF continues to get the benefit of the Lease and its protections after you cease to run the business. It also can assist your SMSF to maintain the value of the premises as any purchaser of the land is bound by it, so having a good yield is important.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Property / Risk management / Superannuation  by 01 Oct 2023 0 comments

Retirement Village Contracts

Moving into a retirement village is generally more complicated than purchasing a residential property because of the additional considerations involved such as:

  1. Ownership structures
  2. Cost options
  3. Exit arrangements

although there are obviously benefits such as enhanced security, easier lifestyle and better access to appropriate services and activities, like-minded and similarly aged residents and the friendships they are formed and maintained.

We obviously can’t advise on whether a village or operate is suitable for you or your needs as they may change in the future (you and your family can only do that) but we can advise you on what it all means, legally.

Ownership structures

Retirement villages vary in terms of ownership models. There are several major types, including:

  • outright ownership (where you actually own the unit or townhouse)
  • loan and licence (where the majority of the ingoing contribution is documented as a repayable loan to a village operator in return for a licence to occupy a unit)
  • lease or sub-lease arrangement (where you lease the unit from the village operator or sublease it from the village operate who leases it from the owner)

Cost options

The on-going costs involved after the initial purchase/contribution need to be considered and fully understood. Fees for the additional services, building and maintenance levies and administration costs (as well as contribution to council rates, utilities and strata levies etc) can be added. The amounts and types vary from village to village and between operators.

Exit arrangements

The contract should also outline any fees and obligations associated with your departure from the village. The ‘departure fee’, ‘deferred management fee’ or ‘exit fee’ is commonly calculated as a percentage paid per year of residency, and is generally capped at a maximum, for example, 2% per year capped at 20% after 10 years. It may be calculated on your entry payment, or the amount the next resident pays to move into your unit when you leave.

The contract can also determine which party or parties benefit from any capital gain on the premises,

Retirement Village legislation

The Retirement Villages Act 1999 (NSW) as last updated by the Retirement Villages Amendment Act 2020 (NSW) applies to ’registered interest holders’ – those who have a long-term registered lease that entitles them to at least 50% of any capital gain (profit) of the sale of the premises. Such residents must sign a contract in the standard form. The standard form is designed to be adapted and used for all types of village arrangements (eg a licence, leasehold etc as noted above).

Contract

Although a general enquiry documents is provided to prospective residents enquiring about a village, the following documents must be attached to the actual contract:

  • a copy of the Disclosure Statement that was given to the resident;
  • the Condition Report for the premises (if one is required to be prepared);
  • a list of the village services and facilities;
  • the NSW Fair Trading document, ‘Moving into a retirement village?’ and
  • the village rules (if any).

Disclosure Statement

The Disclosure Statement is important and contains things such as a table of fees and charges payable and an ‘average resident comparison figure‘ or ARCF to help you understand and compare the financial cost of living in different villages. The ARCF is the sum of the following fees and charges over an assumed residency period of 7 years (84 months), averaged to a monthly figure:

  • the total amount of recurrent charges payable under the village contract;
  • the departure fee payable by the resident if the premises are permanently vacated at the end of that period; and
  • capital gains, if any, payable to the operator by the resident in respect of the unit.

Operators can ask residents to pay a maximum of $50 towards the cost of preparing a contract but they must give prospective residents a copy of the proposed contract at least 14 days before signing it.

The standard contract form does not have to be used where a resident buys a strata or community scheme unit (using a sale of land contract) or in relation to an agreement to buy company title shares.

Cooling off and settling in

All residents have a 7 day cooling-off period after signing the contract. During this time, either party can end the contract (for any reason) by notifying the other party in writing and any money paid must generally be refunded. Importantly, if a resident moves in during the cooling-off period, the cooling off period ends immediately!

All residents are however entitled to a 90-day settling-in period, which means if a resident needs to move out (for any reason) within the first 90 days of their occupation, they only have to pay:

  • fair market rent for that period;
  • the cost of any repairs for damage (this does not include general wear and tear);
  • an administration fee of no more than $200; and
  • to reimburse the operator for the reasonable costs of making any alterations or adding any fixtures or fittings you requested to the premises.

No departure fee can be charged during the settling-in period and the amount paid to move into the village will be refunded (subject of course to the terms of the contract).

Before making the decision to move in, you should take the time to read the documents provided, obtain independent legal advice and if necessary, seek appropriate financial advice from an expert.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Estate Planning / General / Property  by 01 Sep 2023 0 comments

What is independent legal advice?

If you are:

  • borrowing money from a bank or someone else, like a parent,
  • have some special vulnerability in relation to a borrowing arrangement (such as due to age, inability to speak English well etc),
  • borrowing in relation to a self managed superannuation fund’s limited recourse borrowing arrangement, or
  • perhaps going guarantor on a loan for a company or a family member for their loan,

then chances are you will be asked to get “independent legal advice” from a solicitor in relation to the loan and the security for the borrowing or guarantee.

The document evidencing the loan is usually a:

  • Loan Agreement,
  • Letter of Offer or similar

and may have accompanying terms and conditions etc.

Security for a loan arrangement usually takes the form of a:

  • Mortgage,
  • Caveat or
  • Security Interest registered on the PPSR.

Independent advice us usually required by the lender so that it cannot (easily) be argued later that the borrower or guarantor didn’t understand the gravity of the arrangements being put in place – so although you get the advice, it is really for the lender’s protection.

In order to give independent legal advice, the lawyer will read the loan and security documents provided, advise you as to the meaning and effect of them and discuss any risks.

You will then be required to sign a document called a Declaration under oath confirming that you obtained independent legal advice before you freely and voluntarily signed the loan/guarantee/security documents.

Often the lender will also require the borrower or guarantor to obtain “independent financial advice” from a financial advisor, accountant or other appropriately qualified person. Lawyers, simply by virtue of their profession, possess no special skill to give financial (as distinct from legal) advice.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Asset Protection / Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / General / Litigation / Property / Risk management  by 01 Aug 2023 0 comments

Severing a joint tenancy

If you own real property with others, then it is either held as “joint tenants” or as “tenants in common“. For more information on the difference between both, please click here.

Assuming land is held jointly, on your death it will pass to the surviving joint tenant/s regardless of what you state in your Will. This is known as the “right of survivorship” and it operates because each joint owner of the property owns the whole of the land at the same time as the others, so the deceased owner simply drops off the title leaving the remaining joint tenants on title. This isn’t automatic as the land registry needs to have the details of the death to update the register, but it is a relatively simple process.

Joint tenancy may be a suitable scenario for a husband and wife where the survivor expects to retain the house however, generally joint tenancy is not suitable for investments as the investors would want their family or beneficiaries to inherit their interest in the property on their death, rather then their co-owners on title. From an estate planning perspective, tenants in common would generally be more sensible in this situation.

Property is sometimes incorrectly held as joint tenants because, for example:

  • people inherit property from their parents jointly with siblings, but they intend for their own children to inherit it on their deaths, rather than it staying with their surviving siblings;
  • sometimes purchasers just don’t understand the difference or don’t take advice at the time of acquiring a property (or the advice they got was wrong); or
  • they have divorced or separated and not taken any steps to separate their assets, update their property interests or estate planning arrangements

however, this is not a massive problem provided that they identify the issue and seek to rectify it without delay;

You can sever a joint tenancy. Severing a joint tenancy changes the nature of ownership so you and your co-owners own the land as tenants in common, which allows you to leave your share of the property to anyone in your Will (or if you don’t have a Will, under the laws of intestacy).

NSW Land Registry Services allows joint tenancies to be severed (converted to tenants in common) either unilaterally or with the consent of the other joint owners.

No stamp duty is payable in such a severance.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information in relation, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Business / Commercial Law / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Property / Risk management  by 01 Jul 2023 0 comments

Getting out of a Lease

Leases (whether commercial or retail*) come to an end at the End Date or Terminating Date stated on the Lease.

Sometimes there is an early termination provision. Often there is not.

Getting out of a Lease in that scenario is not simple. There are however, ways for a Lease to end earlier than the Termination Date:

  • Surrender; and
  • Assignment or Transfer

Surrendering a Lease

Surrendering a Lease is where both parties (the Owner/Lessor/Landlord and the Lessee/Tenant) both agree for the Lease to end before the Term of the Lease has expired.

A form of Surrender of Lease~ is used for registered Leases as it needs to be registered with NSW Land Registry Services (NSWLRS).

Often, a Surrender of Lease is used as a precondition to a new Lease being granted (either to the same Lessee or a new one, such as on a business sale) as 2 Leases of the whole of the same premises cannot concurrently exist.

Transfer / Assignment of Lease

A Transfer of Lease or an Assignment of Lease is a relatively commonplace transaction in leasing, and is particularly common in relation to a sale of business.

The current Lessee seeking the assignment as part of its business sale (Assignee) effectively asks the Lessor to approve of to the assignment of the Lease in favour of the proposed new Lessee that is buying the business (Assignee).

An assignment is usually done by executing a tripartite Deed of Consent to Assignment of Lease by the Lessor, Assignor and the Assignee. The Lessor usually drafts the Deed of Consent to Assignment of Lease and the Assignor and/or the Assignee pay the costs of it (as they commercially agree).

The form used at  NSWLRS for this purpose is a Transfer of Lease~ and from the transfer date, the Assignee is responsible for complying with the Lease, paying rent and the like.

For Commercial Leases, the Lessor usually seeks information about the proposed Assignee and their financial standing before consenting and, depending on the terms of the Lease, consent can be withheld.

The Assignor may be released from those obligations or may (together with any personal guarantors) remain liable for the compliance with the Lease for the balance of the Term (effectively guaranteeing the new Lessee’s performance) depending on the Lease and the parties’ agreement. The Lease terms can specify the requirements to assignment.

Retail Leases on the other hand are slightly different and involve the issue of new Disclosure Statements etc as required by the Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW). With Retail Leases, the Assignor can force the Lessee to give permission within a certain time after providing proof that the proposed Assignee has the same or better retailing skills and financial resources than the Assignee.

~In both cases, stamp duty (usually nominal in amount, unless a Lease is being transferred for a monetary payment) is payable and the transactions are performed online via the PEXA system.

Other options

Other options if surrender/assignment are not viable options, can include seeking to sublease part or all of the premises (consent may be required for this) so as to offset the rental expense on the main Lease.

*This article does not apply to residential leases.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Business / Commercial Law / General / Property  by 01 Mar 2023 0 comments

Properly executing documents

When it comes to properly executing documents, depending on the type of document and the parties executing it, there are different requirements for it to be valid.

The manner of execution depends on matters such as:

  • Party – whether a party is an individual, a partnership, the Government, an association or a corporation (and whether those signatories are parties in their own right or as a trustee of a trust or a superannuation fund;
  • Document – whether it is a Deed or just a contract or an Agreement; and
  • Physical/Electronic – whether it to be signed online or in person, or a combination of both.

PARTY TYPE

Individuals

An individual may execute a document by simply signing it with their signature witnessed by a person who is not party to it.

Partnerships

For a partnership to be bound by a document or a deed, either all partners to the partnership or an individual authorised by all the partners (whether or not the individual is a partner) should execute the document or deed.

Often, documents will be executed by a partner on behalf of a partnership. This authority may be set out in the partnership deed or a power of attorney. If you cannot obtain a copy of the relevant authority, you should consider obtaining a warranty from the individual in the relevant execution clause that they have authority of the partnership to so execute the document.

Companies

Section 127 of the Corporations Act (Corporations Act) sets out the ways in which a document may be executed by a company. If a company executes a document in this way, anyone will be able to rely on the protection in other sections of the Corporations Act for dealings in relation to that company. A company may execute documents under seal or choose not to have a company seal and even if the company has a seal, it need not apply it.

A company may execute a document with or without a seal if the document is signed by:

  • 2 directors; or
  • a director and a company secretary o; or
  • a sole director (there is no requirement for a private company to have a secretary).

Companies can also sign via an agent under s.126 of the Corporations Act.

For more information on how companies can becomes bound by the actions of its agents and employees, click here.

Associations

Usually an incorporated association signs documents by having 2 committee members sign it but often the Rules of Association need to be examined to confirm this.

An unincorporated association is not a legal entity and so cannot contract in its own right so be careful entering into any contract of value with them.

Trusts

A trust is not a legal entity and as such, it cannot contract in its own right so all acts relating to a trust must be undertaken by its trustee or trustees.

The type execution clause that should be used will depend on what type of entity the trustee is (eg a company  or one or more individuals) execution clause should be used if the trustee is a company).

Although a trust is not a legal entity, it may be a tax entity so may have its own ABN. You should therefore confirm that the ABN being used is the ABN of the trust and not the ABN of the trustee. An ABN is a great identifier.

If you are unable to confirm that the trustee has the power to enter into the arrangement (which can usually be ascertained by examining the trust deed), you should consider obtaining a representation and warranty from the trustee that it has the power to execute the document or deed on behalf of the trust.

DOCUMENT TYPE

There are various reasons for choosing between the different types of document. such as greater (often double the length) limitation periods for enforcing obligations in deeds compared to just agreements. Sometimes legislation requires transactions by deed, but oftentimes deeds are used as they are the most solemn act a person can perform in relation to an item of property or any other right.

Agreement / Contract

Generally, a contract is in place and is valid if the following conditions are met:

  1. Intention to create legal relations
  2. An offer
  3. Consideration (price) being agreed
  4. Acceptance

A written signature is not necessarily required for a valid contract to exist. The terms of the agreement also can be agreed verbally.

Contracts can be signed electronically (even with the click of a mouse) since the Electronic Transactions Act 2000 (NSW) (ET Act) and corresponding legislation in Australia’s other States and Territories.

Deed

Traditionally, to be a valid, as a deed the document had to be “signed, sealed and delivered” and thus it had to be:

  • written (on paper or parchment);
  • signed and the parties’ seal/s applied); and
  • delivered (physically to the other party),

however now, there is no requirement for a seal (where it is described as a deed or expresses that is is ‘sealed’ and it is witnessed appropriately), the parties are presumed to have ‘delivered‘ it on execution and the parchment requirement has also been dispensed with given the ET Act, amendments to the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) and, in relation to companies, the passing of the  Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Act 2022, which from 01 April 2022 (after the temporary COVID-19 pandemic measures ended on 30 March 2022), amended the Corporations Act to permanently allow things such as:

  • director or member meetings virtually, such as through Zoom or Teams meetings etc (regardless of the requirements under their constitutions); and
  • documents, including deeds, to be executed electronically.

As Deeds do not require consideration like a contract, often it can be sensible to include a nominal item (such as $10) as consideration just in case the document isn’t valid as a deed – as it can still be relied on as a contract, possibly even if not signed by the other party but part performed.

WET INK OR ELECTRONIC?

Documents now can either be signed:

  • in physical form with ‘wet ink‘ signatures;
  • electronically; or
  • a combination of both.

Either way, the method of signing must clearly and reliably identify the part and indicates the party’s intention in respect of the information recorded in the document.

Obviously, special care needs to be taken with parties that are not Australian residents and to consider the governing law and jurisdiction of the arrangement.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Asset Protection / Business / Commercial Law / Debt Recovery / Dispute Resolution / General / Litigation / Online Issues / Property / Risk management  by 01 Aug 2022 0 comments

Buying a property with others: Co-Ownership Agreements

Given the increasing cost of buying real estate, many potential purchasers are having to pool their resources to buy property together.

This can be good for many reasons as the costs can be shared and you may be able to own or live in better premises than you may otherwise be able to afford on your own, but there are risks.

Co-ownership often is a joyful experience at the beginning but often, disputes can arise such as each co-owner has differing views on the approach to be taken on various matters, from the important to the quite petty.

If you have bought, or are thinking of buying, a property with others, then you should really have a Co-Ownership Agreement in place.

Co-Ownership Agreements often cover the following maters (and others):

  • Ownership proportions
  • Amounts contributed for acquisition costs
  • How improvements to the property are made
  • Agreed valuation mechanism for exit purposes
  • Rights of first refusal / pre-emption
  • Parts of the property / premises either co-owner may have exclusive use of (and those for common use)
  • Contributions to expenses (insurance, rates, utilities etc)
  • Responsibilities for tasks like mowing, maintenance, upkeep etc
  • Dispute resolution procedures
  • Estate planning considerations (for example a couple’s interest may be held as joint tenants, rather than tenants in common).

Other articles of interest regarding this topic include:

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on co-ownership of property and the benefits of Co-Ownership Agreements, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Asset Protection / Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Property / Risk management  by 01 Jun 2022 0 comments

Family provision orders

Under the Succession Act 2006 (NSW), eligible persons may apply to the Supreme Court of New South Wales for a family provision order in relation to the estate or notional* estate of a deceased person to provide “for their maintenance, education or advancement in life”.

The first hurdle to overcome is being an “eligible person” and the second is whether the provision (if any) made for the applicant in the deceased’s Will** is adequate, and if not, what “family provision order” could be made to make it adequate. Unfortunately, this process is not as simple as we have explained it.

Limitation period

Claims for provision must be made within 12 months of the date of death of the deceased person (although in limited circumstanced, this time limit can be extended).

Process

After proceedings are commenced and the parties have put on the majority of their evidence, applications for family provision orders are generally referred to either a Court annexed mediation or to private mediation but if no agreement can be reached, the matter will be set down for hearing.

Eligibility

Those who are “eligible” to make a claim for a family provision order out of a deceased person’s estate include:

  • a spouse of the deceased at the time of the deceased’s death;
  • a former spouse of the deceased;
  • a person in a de facto relationship with the deceased at the time of death
  • children (including adopted children) of the deceased;
  • someone with whom the deceased was in a close personal relationship*** with at the time of their death;
  • those who have, at any time, been wholly or partly dependent upon the deceased and who either:
    • are a grandchild of the deceased; or
    • were, at any time, member of a household of which the deceased a member.

How do you know if you are to receive an inheritance?

Click here to read about how to get a copy of a deceased person’s will.

Adequacy

The Court won’t simply rewrite a deceased person’s Will based on claims of justice or unfairness such as unequally dividing an estate between siblings. The Court has a wide discretion in determining these matters and the nature of any order for provision that may be made.

The Court first considers if the gift (if any) was adequate and if not, what provision may be adequate.

The Court exercises is discretion to make an order and if so, on what terms, after considering the following factors:

  1. any family or other relationship between the applicant and the deceased, including the nature and duration of the relationship,
  2. the nature and extent of any obligations or responsibilities owed by the deceased to the applicant, to any other person in respect of whom an application has been made for a family provision order or to any beneficiary of the deceased’s estate,
  3. the nature and extent of the deceased’s estate (including any property that is, or could be, designated as notional estate* of the deceased person) and of any liabilities or charges to which the estate is subject, as in existence when the application is being considered,
  4. the financial resources (including earning capacity) and financial needs, both present and future, of the applicant, of any other person in respect of whom an application has been made for a family provision order or of any beneficiary of the deceased person’s estate (that is the competing needs/claims of others),
  5. if the applicant is cohabiting with another person–the financial circumstances of the other person,
  6. any physical, intellectual or mental disability of the applicant, any other person in respect of whom an application has been made for a family provision order or any beneficiary of the deceased’s estate that is in existence when the application is being considered or that may reasonably be anticipated,
  7. the age of the applicant when the application is being considered,
  8. any contribution (whether financial or otherwise) by the applicant to the acquisition, conservation and improvement of the estate of the deceased person or to the welfare of the deceased or the deceased’s family, whether made before or after the deceased’s death, for which adequate consideration (not including any pension or other benefit) was not received, by the applicant,
  9. any provision made for the applicant by the deceased, either during the deceased’s life or made from the deceased’s estate,
  10. any evidence of the testamentary intentions of the deceased, including evidence of statements made by the deceased,
  11. whether the applicant was being maintained, either wholly or partly, by the deceased before the deceased’s death and, if the Court considers it relevant, the extent to which and the basis on which the deceased did so,
  12. whether any other person is liable to support the applicant,
  13. the character and conduct of the applicant before and after the date of the deceased’s death,
  14. the conduct of any other person before and after the date of the deceased’s death,
  15. any relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander customary law,
  16. any other matter the Court considers relevant, including matters in existence at the time of the deceased’s death or at the time the application is being considered.

*Where assets that were previously assets of the deceased prior to death (such as assets gifted or transferred by the deceased to another person or entity prior to death to attempt to avoid an application for an order for provision, superannuation, property owned as joint tenants between the deceased and another person), be considered as an asset of the estate for the purposes of an application for a family provision order.

**Note that even in intestacy (where there is no Will), an application can be made for a family provision order.

*** A “close personal relationship” is a relationship other than a marriage or a de facto relationship between two adult persons, whether or not related by family, who are living together, one or each of whom provides the other with domestic support and personal care but not for reward or on behalf of another person or organization.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information in relation to Wills, Probate, Intestacy, Estate Planning or even International Wills, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au 

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice. Please contact McKillop Legal to discuss your needs.

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in Dispute Resolution / Estate Planning / General / Litigation / Probate / Property  by 01 Jul 2021 0 comments

What is a lien?

A lien is the right of a person or business to hold or retain possession of an item as security for performance of an obligation owed by another, such as the payment of monies owed.

Liens only apply to physically transferable items of personal property and effectively act as an informal or unregistered form of security for payment.

Liens only arise if the item was given to the lien holder with the express or implied authority of the owner (such as the owner or driver of a vehicle) and generally won’t arise over stolen property.

A lien does not arise simply by simply performing work.  There must be a basis for a lien to arise such as a contractual right, a piece of legislation or operation of the law.

There are 4 types of liens, each of which we discuss briefly below:

  1. statutory;
  2. contractual;
  3. common law (or possessory); and
  4. equitable.

In all but the latter of the categories, maintaining actual possession of the property in question is crucial as the rights afforded to the lien holder are only applicable while the lien holder is in possession of such property.

Statutory liens

Statutory liens arise through the operation of specific pieces of legislation such as those in Part 5 of the Sale of Goods Act 1923 (NSW), the Storer’s Liens Act 1935 (NSW) etc.

The relevant Acts describe the terms of the liens created by those statutes.

Contractual liens

If the terms of agreement, terms and conditions of trade or similar document that governs the rights and obligations of the parties to a contract provide for a lien, then such a lien is a ‘contractual lien’.

The operation of the lien is the same however – there must be money or some obligation owed and an item of the other party held pending payment or performance of that obligation.

Common law liens

At common law, liens can either be ‘particular’ or ‘general’ (also known as ‘specific’) and arise by implication of law.

A ‘specific lien’ secures obligations that are incurred in respect of the particular goods that are held.  A common example of a specific lien is the ‘mechanic’s lien’ – the right to hold your car until you have paid for the work performed or a repairer’s lien for payment in respect of improvement work done on a chattel.

A ‘general lien’ however is more favourable, although far less common and more difficult to establish. A general lien allows a person to retain possession of any goods held (but not sell or otherwise deal with that property) until all sums payable by the owner of the goods are satisfied, not just the amount payable in respect of work performed on the specific goods held hostage.

General liens must be established by strict proof of custom or usage such as a ‘solicitors’ lien’ or an ‘accountant’s lien’ which allows a solicitor or accountant to assert a lien over and thus retain a client’s documents (or the fruits of a court action) until payment of all debts owed by the client. It is effectively an implied term of the relevant contract.

Equitable liens

Equitable liens are created on a case by case basis by the law of equity as determined by the Courts. Judges may declare such liens so as to uphold or preserve fairness or justice to a situation having regard to the parties’ dealings and conduct.

An example is where a party spends money improving the item for another where there was either express or implied agreement that the performing party should have an interest in the enhanced property. The party who performed the work and is owed the debt may then acquire an equitable interest in the property proportionate to the value of the enhancement.

Unlike the other types of liens, ‘equitable liens’ do not require actual possession of the article in question. Such liens can be voided by the express or implied agreement of the parties.

Consideration often needs to be given to the value of the lien compared to the substantial time and monetary cost of seeking judicial intervention.

How does a lien end?

Any right to assert a lien (other than an equitable lien) expires upon performance of the outstanding obligation (such as payment) or upon release if the item over which the lien is maintained as without possession, there is no lien.

How does the PPSA affect a lien?

Statutory liens and common law liens can be exempted from the operation of the Personal Properties Securities Act 2009 (Cth) (PPSA).

In some circumstanced, the party asserting the lien can have priority over any security interests registered on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) held by other creditors of owner of the item if:

  • the materials/services were provided in the ordinary course of business by the person asserting the lien;
  • no other Act prevents the lien from having priority; and
  • the holder of the lien did not have knowledge of any security agreement under the PPSR relating to those goods (that prohibited the creation of the lien).

Security interests registered on the PPSR under the PPSA will usually defeat any contractual lien.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information, please contact McKillop Legal on (02) 9521 2455 or email help@mckilloplegal.com.au to discuss your needs.

This information is general only and is not a substitute for proper legal advice.

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in Asset Protection / Business / Commercial Law / Debt Recovery / General / Insolvency & Bankruptcy / Litigation / Property / Risk management  by 01 Feb 2021 0 comments
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