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The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (“Act”) was amended last year which changes the obligations of landlords in respect to their rental properties. The main key changes affect your obligations in respect to smoke alarms, insulation and the tenancy abandonment process.

Today marks 20 years since Geoff Saunders established his own sole practice.

What is it? If you are buying a property and your Agreement for Sale and Purchase (“Agreement”) is unconditional, it is important that you are aware that the standard Agreement provides you with the right to inspect the property prior to settlement. This is called a pre-settlement inspection (“Inspection”). The Inspection can be organised through the real estate agent or directly with the Vendor or their Solicitor (if a private sale).

We are pleased to announce that Anna Fox has been appointed as Saunders Robinson Brown’s Managing Partner, effective from 1 June 2017.

If you are buying a property, your agreement for sale and purchase should be subject to finance - even if you have pre-approval.

Are you are going into a new business or are you an owner of an existing business without a shareholder agreement? Here are seven reasons why it is important to have a shareholder agreement.

On 1 August 2016 the Government announced key changes to the KiwiSaver HomeStart grant, which allow for a wider range of first home buyers to be eligible for the grant.

The EQC and the EQC Action Group have recently released a joint statement clarifying the principles that guide the EQC’s assessment and settlement of building claims under the Earthquake Commission Act. Read more to see whether this may affect your claim.

Are you considering building a new house or renovating an existing one? Here are six useful pointers for you to consider.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 comes into force on 4 April 2016. The Act makes significant changes to New Zealand's current health and safety legislation.

Buying and selling new houses contains considerable risks for those involved. This article provides a refresher on the main risks and what you can do to manage them.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority ("CERA") has released its Recovery Plan following the Supreme Court's judgment in Quake Outcasts v Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery [2015] NZSC 27. The plan provides for new Crown offers to be made at 100% of the 2007/08 rateable land value for vacant, insured commercial and uninsured properties in the Residential Red Zone.

The Court of Appeal has recently confirmed that an employer's reasons for a redundancy process, even if genuine, may be open to question.

Recent changes to the KiwiSaver and HomeStart criteria have resulted in a number of benefits if you are a first home buyer. You may also qualify for these benefits if you have previously owned a home subject to certain criteria. Read the full article to see what you may be entitled to.

This year is the first year either ANZAC Day or Waitangi Day has fallen on a weekend since the 'Mondayisation' of public holidays. What does this mean for you?

New laws are now in force restricting the use of unfair terms in standard form consumer contracts. Suppliers of goods or services may need to update their standard terms and conditions. In some cases, there are serious penalties if an unfair term is used.

Canterbury Golf has appointed Geoff Saunders to review current policies and guidelines relating to Canterbury representatives for men's golf.