More tenancy law reform has arrived. Bear with me before rolling your eyes though — these new rules will finally give much-needed clarity to tenant-landlord liabilities for property damage.
Responding to a negative customer review online can be very stressful but a gut reaction and a hastily written reply can cause far more trouble than it's worth.
When a relationship comes to an end, the divvying up of relationship property is no walk in the park. Often it can take months, if not years, for disagreements to be resolved. It’s an emotionally charged time, and it doesn’t help that the law in this area has some relatively blurred lines when it comes to the division of relationship property.
New Zealand has changed significantly over the last half-century. The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 was drafted at a time when couples generally married young and pooled their resources to buy a house as early as they could, a time when ABBA’s ‘Fernando’ topped the national charts and Fred Dagg and Footrot Flats made Kiwis laugh out loud.
Tiny houses are becoming extremely popular nationwide as property prices rise. Less energy consumption, lower environmental impact and cheaper housing, while still leaving room to develop other buildings on a single normal-sized plot. Win-win, right? Not quite.
The damage from governance failure can be profound, and can attract significant unwelcome media and public scrutiny. Focusing on the learnings from these cases is how we can get some real benefit and continuous improvement in corporate governance.
Having an executor of your will is like having a manager of your affairs (your estate) after your death. Your executor is named in your will; it is his or her role to carry out the terms of your will.
The devastating gas explosion that rocked a quiet Christchurch street earlier this year made me think about Public Liability insurance. My first thoughts were obviously with the family and the neighbours affected by the blast but being a typical lawyer I couldn't help wonder if the gas contractor had Public Liability insurance.
