Often, we see farmers winding down their operations as they get older and ready for retirement. If they have no children interested in keeping the farming operations going, these farmers may need to sell their farms.

One common option we are seeing farmers do is sell off parts of their land (if on multiple titles/lots) separately for those Buyers wanting ‘Hobby Farms’ or ‘Lifestyle Blocks’. Often, this results in a better sale price for the farmers, which is important as often they need to capitalise on the sale price so that they can fund their retirement.

Often in this case, the farmer will list the property for sale with their local real estate agent. The agent lists and advertises the property as a ‘lifestyle block’ or ‘rural retreat’ and usually, they get a buyer come along quickly offering what the farmer wants for it.

Living in Queensland, many of us are well versed with the treat of cyclones and other major weather events. No doubt many of you may have considered the structural soundness of your house and improvements on your land. But how do you know if your house and improvements are built to withstand bad weather?

Owner builder work is the term used when someone undertakes a residential building project on their own land without employing a licensed builder to oversee the project.

If you want to build your own home, or do substantial renovations, you may need an Owner Builder Permit issued before you start work.

As email is more and more largely depended on in society, it is a common target for cybercriminal activity. If someone gains unauthorised access to your email account, they then have access to your private communications. A cybercriminal could steal your sensitive information, or even commit fraud and send emails pretending to be you or send you emails pretending to be someone else.

Mackay Regional Council has a Tradeable Development Rights Policy (“TDR Policy”) which has been in place for a number of years. For those who haven’t heard about the policy before, it is designed to provide an opportunity to owners of agricultural land to amalgamate their titles (i.e., converting two smaller lots into one larger lot), whilst receiving a financial benefit from this by selling their extra ‘Title Right’ to other landholders who are eligible to subdivide their land (convert a larger lot into two smaller lots) in areas where development may be acceptable.

If a landowner wants to construct a dividing fence and wants the neighbour to contribute towards such cost, they first need to serve the neighbour with a specific notice called a Form 2 “Notice to Contribute for Fencing Work”. This notice needs to be served on the neighbour personally or by registered mail for it to be considered validly served and delivered.

Land is typically the most valuable asset we own. But how do you know where your land ends and your neighbour’s land begins? In Queensland, property boundaries are defined by survey marks that can be found at the boundary corners. Often these survey marks are white pegs in the ground. The peg often has a reference mark, such as an iron pin buried nearby or a nail to help re-establish the corner in the future.

On 1 July, 2023, new legislation was enacted to limit the frequency that a landlord can increase the rent payable under a lease to not more than once every 12 months.

The Privacy Act applies to everybody. The Privacy Act doesn’t apply to everyone. It may apply...