Contract and Equity in Land Dealings
LAWS5122
This unit deals with the entry into, performance, and remedies for breach, of contracts for the sale of land. While conveyancing is sometimes regarded as a mere matter of form filling and rote-learned procedures, it is one of the oldest and most complex areas of law. Modern conveyancing involves the application an elaborate mixture of real property, equity, and contract law, and also involves the application of principles of interpretation to the construction of public and private instruments. Some consideration will be given to the implications of proposals for a system of electronic conveyancing. This unit of study is designed to provide the theoretical foundations necessary for expertise in conveyancing practice. The first section deals with the formation of an enforceable contract for sale, including exchange of contract, identification of the subject-matter of the sale, and obligation of disclosure by vendors under common law and statute. The second section deals with the law relating to the performance of the contract for sale itself, concentrating particularly upon the standard form of contract for the sale of land in use in New South Wales. Special attention is paid in this section to the law relating to deposits, requisitions and objections to title, defects, the consequences of misdescribing the property, and the legality of structures upon the land. The third section deals with the remedies available to vendors and purchasers, including notices to complete, specific performance, relief against forfeiture, and a very brief treatment of general statutory remedies such as under the Trade Practices Act as they apply in relation to the contract for sale of land.
Unit of study details
Unit of study level: Postgraduate
Credit points: 6
Commencing semesters: 1
Further unit of study information
Unit of study handbook: LAWS5122
Costs and scholarships information: Costs and Scholarships
Final dates to withdraw from units of study: Census Dates
Available for study abroad and exchange: No