Newsletter
The Law Lowdown – AUTUMN 2024
Catch up on all the news and information in this edition of The Law Lowdown Inside this issue: Download your copy here
Our Blog
Property Law
A man’s home is his castle…
Or so the saying goes. True perhaps, but one of the problems with modern day castles is they may not have secure parapets and their locations can be known to all. Through the introduction and initial reading of the Companies (Address Information) Amendment Bill, Parliament is looking at allowing company directors to have their residential
Property Law
Upcoming changes to PROPERTY tax and TENANCY laws.
Alongside the changes to employment law, the National-ACT-NZ First coalition is bringing in major changes to the property sector. Among the most significant and those likely to affect many of our clients are: TENANCY AND RENTAL MARKET ADJUSTMENTS DEDUCTIBILITY OF MORTGAGE INTEREST FOR LANDLORDS From 1 April 2024, landlords may claim back 80% of the
Employment
Probationary and Trial Periods: What’s the difference?
In our last Newsletter we covered the imminent changes to employment law flagged by the incoming Government. One of the most significant of these was the extension of the 90 trial period to all businesses, not just those with fewer than 20 employees. It will be interesting to see if this change will have any
Family Trusts and Estate Planning
Should You Make a New Will if You and Your Spouse Separate?
If you are a client, it is likely that you will have heard from us about why you should have a Will. Sometimes changes to your life or family circumstances require a revision to the Will and this can be overlooked. It is not at all surprising that this can happen as the types of
Newsletter
The Law Lowdown – Winter 2023
Catch up on all the news and information in our first copy of The Law Lowdown Inside this issue: Download your copy here
Family Trusts and Estate Planning
Change to Trustee Tax rate – is a Trust still useful?
The Government announced a proposed increase of the trustee tax rate (from 33% to 39%) in Budget 2023. This change, due to take effect from 1 April 2024, would set the rate at which trustee income is taxed at the same as the top individual tax rate. The intention here is to prevent taxpayers from
Conveyancing
Know your obligations before signing up to a conditional house purchase
An example of the critical importance of purchasers understanding their obligations under conditional sale and purchase agreements is the Strack v Grey case. (Strack v Grey [2019] NZCA 432) What Happened Essentially Grey, an Otago businessman who owned a property in Mosgiel, wanted to buy the Strack’s property in Dunedin. Grey wanted to put in
Conveyancing
Fencing – Get it Right
You can change friends but not neighbours … or so the saying goes. So it’s all the more important to try to maintain friendly – or at least cordial relations with your neighbours. When it comes to boundary fences, these relationships can come under additional pressure, so it’s important to do things well and to
Commercial
Incorporated Societies Act changes in the air – do you need to do anything?
Incorporated societies law needed a face lift. The statute which largely regulates the affairs of the many thousands of incorporated societies in New Zealand was passed in 1908! Since that time the whole sector has grown considerably. These days incorporated societies can be significant operations. The Incorporated Societies Act 1908 simply doesn’t fit well with