It Takes a Village: Our Journey to 100% Digital Property Settlements

As an industry we are soon approaching the next in a series of milestones in the transition to e-Conveyancing, with all mainstream transactions in NSW required to be lodged electronically from 1 July. As we’ve seen in both Victoria and Western Australia, the NSW 1 July implementation date will likely pass without fanfare. Coupled with

CASEFLASH: The Sun Does Not Set on a Property Development Plan

In brief In the Supreme Court case of Silver Star Fashions Pty Ltd v Dal Broi [2018] NSWSC 1445, the Court was called upon to consider whether a number of off-the-plan contracts could legally be rescinded under a sunset clause. The Court held that it was necessary to show that rescission was just and equitable

A New Age of Conveyancing Leaders

“I am so proud of our industry and how far we’ve come.” Peta Stewart, Peta Stewart Conveyancing “This is the pinnacle of my career.” Merrill Phillips, Stacks Law On Saturday 20 October 2018, the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (AIC) NSW division presented two of its members with the prestigious President’s and CEO’s Awards. The Awards

Interoperability – I‘ve heard the word but what’s it all about?

As we approach the 1 July 2019, NSW Office of Registrar General electronic conveyancing mandate, the next issue to be progressed is the feasibility of “interoperability” within the national electronic conveyancing system. Interoperability is the ability for two separate and competing platforms to seamlessly interact with each other to provide an undisrupted service. With interoperability

Do You Need a New Year’s Resolution Reset?

Confession time: year after year, many of the New Year’s resolutions I’ve set in the midst of the festive season – such as giving up caffeine and leading a calm and Zen-like life, or having the perfect body with abs that would make Miranda Kerr jealous – don’t actually survive past the month of March!

Using Your Super to Support Transition to Retirement

People who are considering reducing their work hours in the lead-up to retirement, but concerned about not having enough disposable income as a result, can, through a superannuation transition to retirement (TTR) strategy, access part of their super to top up their income. At the same time, a superannuation TTR strategy brings with it the

Update from the Office of the Registrar General

As we move closer to 100 per cent digital conveyancing in NSW on 1 July 2019, the Registrar General of NSW Jeremy Cox has some timely advice on procedures. In 2016, the NSW Government announced the transition to electronic conveyancing with a timeline for change staged to allow participants to plan and prepare. The timeline

Researchers raise alarms about a new cyber threat affecting conveyancing practices

Iron Bastion’s cybersecurity expert Gabor Szathmari, recently published novel research on abandoned domains, and how they are a significant cyber risk which threatens businesses and in particular the Australian conveyancing profession. What is an Abandoned Domain Name? A domain name is a name you can register to identify your business on the internet. For Australian

First home buyers and downsizers set to reap super benefits

Government changes to super will benefit people at the start of their home-owning journey and those later in life looking to downsize. Two Federal government housing affordability schemes that involve changes to superannuation are set to come into full effect from 1 July 2018. From July 1, eligible first home buyers and those looking to

Electronic Conveyancing

Conveyancers in New South Wales are increasingly embracing Property Exchange Australia (PEXA) online electronic settlement platform as the state continues to progress towards a digitised industry. With standalone transfers and caveats transitioning online in NSW as part of the 1 July compliance date, three NSW Licenced conveyancers who have already stepped into the digital future