Written by Michelle Mon on May 14, 2020
The Leases (Commercial and Retail) COVID-19 Emergency Response Declaration 2020 came into effect on 11 May 2020 by way of declaration under the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act 2020 where the latter had provided the Minister powers to make declarations in relation to a number of matters in respect of the Leases (Commercial and Retail) Act 2001. The ACT Government has also issued a Guide, which landlords and tenants might find helpful, but it doesn’t have the force of law.
The ACT legislation is slightly different to some of the other States in that neither party has a right to “trigger” a good faith negotiation – but it achieves this in practical terms by preventing a landlord taking action against a tenant unless such negotiations have actually occurred.
The declaration applies:
The ACT rent relief legislation excludes premises like warehouse premises and office premises (unless they are for areas less than 300 sqm).
Unless “good faith negotiations” (ie. having regard to the overarching principles of the National Code of Conduct) have taken place, the landlord is restricted from taking certain actions, including:
in relation to a failure by the tenant during the “prescribed period”:
Currently, the prescribed period means from 1 April 2020 to 7 July 2020 (noting that the government guide indicates that this will probably be extended to 30 September 2020).
The legislation is retrospective and applies to termination notices given to tenants on or after 1 April 2020, where these may be able to be contested by the tenant, and a Magistrates Court must not confirm certain terminations unless it is satisfied good faith negotiations have taken place.
However, the restrictions do not apply where:
We are delighted that Massons has been selected as an “Excellence Awardee” in the category of “Boutique Firm of the Year” at the 2022 Australasian Law Awards.
Thank you to all of our wonderful clients who have supported our nomination in this category, and to our amazing lawyers and support staff for making this possible!
Wishing all the other Awardees the best of luck and looking forward to the Gala Dinner. A night out with our team is always cause for celebration – win, lose or draw!!
March 23, 2022
We are excited about our inclusion in Doyle’s Guide for 2022 for NSW in the following categories:
Massons – Leading Property & Real Estate Law Firms
Jodie Masson – Leading Property & Real Estate Lawyers and Leading Leasing Lawyers
Leisha de Aboitiz – Leading Property & Real Estate Lawyers and Leading Leasing Lawyers
Ben Malone – Property & Real Estate Law Rising Stars
Thank you to all of our peers and wonderful clients who have helped to achieve this recognition.
March 14, 2022
February 28, 2022
We are excited to announce the appointment of Alex Ho as a Senior Associate at Massons. Alex started with us as a paralegal and has achieved this milestone in record time due to his hard work, his ability to develop and sustain fantastic relationships with clients, his engagement in constantly seeking to improve himself and others in equal measure, and his absolutely infectious enthusiasm. We couldn’t be prouder! Congratulations Alex!
January 5, 2022
December 8, 2021
We are excited to have been named as finalists in several categories in the Lawyers Weekly “Women in Law Awards 2021”:
– Massons – “Boutique Diversity Law Firm of the Year”
– Ole Mitrevski – “Senior Associate of the Year – SME Law”
– Michelle Mon – “Rising Star of the Year – SME Law”
– Nicole Caryofyllis – “Legal Support Professional of the Year”
We are proud to be recognised as a Firm which supports diversity in the workplace and are humbled to be included in the list of finalists in these categories. Win or lose, we are looking forward to celebrating the Awards night and would love to thank our peers and clients who have helped us achieve this recognition.
October 12, 2021