Brooke Patterson is a Mackay local who joined the Kelly Legal and Property Law Centre team in 2019 after completing her law degree with JCU, Townsville.

Under the new smoke alarm legislation, all home owners must install interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in every bedroom, in hallways, and on every level of a dwelling/s by 2027.

When buying or selling property it is a necessary part of the process that your conveyancer verifies your identity, either personally, or via an approved Identity Verifier.

Purchasing a home without the appropriate approvals can have consequences such as: insurance implications in the event of fire or flood etc, finance being declined, substantial costs involved in obtaining an approval, and problems with council (such as an order being issued to remove the unapproved structure).

Property Law Centre has completed numerous electronic settlements and undoubtedly this number will increase as we transition towards the inevitability of settlements by electronic conveyancing becoming mandatory.

If the property is a new residential premises or potential residential land (vacant residential land) the buyer will probably need to withhold at settlement a GST component for payment to the ATO.