South Auckland Property Disputes Lawyers
Disputes about property and land are quite common. In this post we look at some work that South Auckland property disputes lawyers might get involved in. From building and renovation, tenancy issues both residential and commercial, shared ownership, and more.
Building And Renovation Disputes
Building or construction disputes can be anything from a small extension on a house to a major industrial complex impacting the local community.
For example, a homeowner may feel that the work of the building contractor was defective or sub-standard. This is often easy to demonstrate, but not always. However, an excessive expenditure or time over run are much easier to show. The contractor in turn, might say that the client changed their plans during the construction which added extra cost or time to the build. If payment is withheld, that is an easy issue to show, but the alleged reasons may not be.
In any of these situations, South Auckland property dispute lawyers will need to collect a vast array of documents and evidence. These can be photographs, contracts, plans, inspection reports, Auckland Council documents, and all communications between the homeowner and the building company. They will review the evidence, and give their view on potential claims, and how to respond in the first place.
They will of course, be available for further action advice and legal help if needed.
Tenancy Disputes
Disputes between landlords and tenants are very common. The most common problems for a landlord are unpaid rent, or damage to a property, while for residential tenants, it is usually the condition of the accommodation or bond not returned. Other residential tenancy issues can be unlawful entry, Healthy Homes problems, delayed maintenance, or changing the locks.
For commercial tenancy, the same issues arise, but others are common too. For example, many tenants are required to carry out agreed maintenance such as redecorating every five years. They are also often required to return the building to the condition at the start of the tenancy. This can be as simple as removing signage, or more extensive remedial work like removing partition s or counters.
In commercial property, rent increases are often part of the tenancy agreement, but if the economic conditions change, an increase may not be affordable for the tenant. Negotiations may work, but often they do not so a commercial property lawyer might be hired to resolve the case.
Residential disputes are generally dealt with by the Tenancy Tribunal, but sometimes tenants may want to get legal advice and assistance before or during the case.
Shared Occupation
Many residential properties have shared occupation. This might be as simple as a married or de fact couple, or multiple owners of an apartment block or a big house that is sub-divided into smaller flats.
If a relationship ends, this has significant impacts on the ownership. For example, can one party take on the mortgage? What are the rightful financial values for each partner? And various other questions.
There can be disputes about the value of contributions to the purchase price, who paid what towards the mortgage payments, how were renovations funded, and each person’s beneficial interest.
Disputes can also arise between family members if they inherit or jointly occupy property.
Summary
In all legal disputes, it pays to get early advice. This can correct any misunderstanding that you might have, saving you time, money, and stress.
On the other hand, good legal advice from South Auckland property disputes lawyers, can confirm that you have a good or rightful case.
If you are facing any such situation, contact a law firm like McVeagh Fleming. You can get more details from their website.