It’s essential for your business to be compliant. Another trading year is almost at an end. You concentrated on increasing business income, you’ve built (or improved) your business systems, you believed in yourself and your product/service and profits have improved.

As you will know lawyers and legal executives are involved in many stages of the subdivision process as it grows from an idea in a developer’s mind through to the new titles being issued.

It’s surprising that when selling property, the seller often pays little attention to the terms of the real estate agent’s listing agreement – particularly when there may a substantial sum of commission involved.

In a bustling real estate market, significant pressure is often placed on purchasers to make an offer in a short timeframe, often with few conditions (if any). We often hear about the purchase once the parties have signed and have already incurred legal obligations that may be difficult to satisfy. The moral of the story is to talk with us before you sign the agreement. We outline below a situation that we hope you won’t ever experience.

New requirements for buyers and sellers of residential property. Previously we noted the government’s proposed property taxation changes and ‘bright-line’ test. The legislation has now come into force and those changes are in effect; both parties to an Agreement for Sale and Purchase of Real Estate dated on or after 1 October 2015 need to be aware of their new obligations.

When considering your next business insurance policy the most important part is the fine print. Many people, particularly business owners, have recently learnt harsh (and expensive) lessons on their business insurance. The Christchurch earthquakes and North Island floods have been particularly severe on businesses, unfortunately catching many by surprise and many business owners have been ill-equipped to deal with the fall out. Having a robust business interruption (BI) insurance policy can g

The long-awaited Health and Safety Reform Bill passed into law on 27 August and the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 will come into force in April next year. As you are no doubt aware, the legislation will have significant implications for all businesses and the farming sector. If you are a business owner or farmer, you should note the upcoming changes and get prepared.

Taupo’s largest provider of legal services, Le Pine & Co is delighted to announce that, as from 1 September 2015, Putaruru-based Barrister and Solicitor Tim Kinder will merge his practice with them and become a partner in the firm.

Marriage, in the eyes of the law, is a largely – although not entirely – outdated institution; it’s now ‘relationships’ that are important. When a relationship comes to an end, dividing up the assets can be a challenging task. For rural families, in particular, it pays to plan well ahead to protect the assets you own outright, as well as those in which you have an interest.

On 24 July, the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee reported back to Parliament on the Health and Safety Reform Bill. There are some modifications to the Bill that will be welcomed by farmers; we outline the significant changes below.

In March 2015, the government announced a package of measures designed to strengthen the enforcement of minimum employment standards.

Before you buy a property, it’s prudent to check for any geotechnical issues. Often any known geotechnical matters or hazards are highlighted in the Land Information Memorandum (LIM) from your local council. If concerns are highlighted it’s up to you to investigate further.

Obligations of both landlords and tenants

Make sure you know what renovations need a building consent

In May the government announced proposed changes to the tax rules for New Zealand and non-resident investors who buy residential property with the intention of selling the property and making a gain. The proposed ‘bright line’ test will require income tax to be paid on any gains and will be taxed at the seller’s normal income tax rate. It’s proposed that this rule will take effect from 1 October 2015.

Every year our fire service is kept busy battling blazes in rural areas which cause substantial damage to the landscape and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to put out. So who is responsible for the costs associated with fighting the fire and any damage caused by the fire?

There are a number of common assumptions made about access to a person’s Will and what happens after the Will-maker has died. Television and movies often contain scenes in which, after a person’s death, the estate lawyer and all the beneficiaries get together for a formal reading of the Will. While there’s nothing to prevent this from happening, there’s no requirement to do so and it rarely happens in New Zealand. Usually the estate lawyers write to each of the beneficiaries

Ensure your Terms are robust. Despite a post-quake construction boom in Christchurch, an unprecedented number of building firms are going bust. Reports surfaced earlier this year of almost 100 rebuild-related companies having been placed into liquidation since the February 2011 earthquake, owing tens of millions of dollars. Some relatively high profile companies have fallen victim in recent times, emphasising that even large, well-established businesses are not immune to poor management and the

April saw a number of protests across the country concerning the use of zero hours contracts. A significant number of the protests occurred outside fast food outlets – the fast food industry having been identified as a key sector in which zero hours contracts are used.

This year’s Budget, delivered on 21 May, contained few surprises and, generally speaking, little of significance for business. The Budget did, however, confirm that the government will increase measures to ensure people buying and selling residential property for profit, including overseas buyers, pay their fair share of tax.

Due Diligence is vital. When buying any business, assets or property it’s important to undertake a due diligence investigation into what you are looking to buy. If you’re buying rural property, it comes with its own unique set of issues for which you need to take particular care.