Business Law Library & Tracker
Commercial Leases & Property
Retail leasing, commercial premises, disclosure, outgoings, rent reviews, renewals and lease exits across Australian states and territories.
Sources last reviewed 8 June 2026
Main law guides
307
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
22
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
496
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
110
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Check the linked official source before you rely on a specific section, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpMain laws
Agents Act 2003 (ACT)
Agents Act 2003 (ACT)
Agents Licensing Act 1979 (NT)
Agents Licensing Act 1979 (NT)
Building Act 1993 (NT)
Building Act 1993 (NT)
Building Act 1993 (Vic)
Building Act 1993 (Vic)
Building Act 2016 (Tas)
Building Act 2016 (Tas)
Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 (WA)
Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 (WA)
Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA)
Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA)
Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT)
Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 (ACT)
Estate Agents Act 1980 (Vic)
Estate Agents Act 1980 (Vic)
Home Building Act 1989 (NSW)
Home Building Act 1989 (NSW)
Land Agents Act 1994 (SA)
Land Agents Act 1994 (SA)
Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2016 (Tas)
Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2016 (Tas)
Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 (NSW)
Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 (NSW)
Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld)
Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld)
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld)
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld)
Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 (WA)
Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 (WA)
Business Tenancies (Fair Dealings) Act 2003 (NT)
Business Tenancies (Fair Dealings) Act 2003 (NT)
Commercial Tenancy (Retail Shops) Agreements Act 1985 (WA)
Commercial Tenancy (Retail Shops) Agreements Act 1985 (WA)
Fair Trading (Code of Practice for Retail Tenancies) Regulations 1998 (Tas)
Fair Trading (Code of Practice for Retail Tenancies) Regulations 1998 (Tas)
Leases (Commercial and Retail) Act 2001 (ACT)
Leases (Commercial and Retail) Act 2001 (ACT)
Retail and Commercial Leases Act 1995 (SA)
Retail and Commercial Leases Act 1995 (SA)
Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW)
Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW)
Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic)
Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic)
Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld)
Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (Qld)
Small Business Commission Act 2011 (SA)
Small Business Commission Act 2011 (SA)
Small Business Commission Act 2017 (Vic)
Small Business Commission Act 2017 (Vic)
Small Business Commissioner Act 2013 (NSW)
Small Business Commissioner Act 2013 (NSW)
Small Business Commissioner Act 2022 (Qld)
Small Business Commissioner Act 2022 (Qld)
Small Business Development Corporation Act 1983 (WA)
Small Business Development Corporation Act 1983 (WA)
Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010 (Cth)
Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010 (Cth)
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW)
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW)
Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (Tas)
Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 (Tas)
Planning Act 1999 (NT)
Planning Act 1999 (NT)
Planning Act 2016 (Qld)
Planning Act 2016 (Qld)
Planning Act 2023 (ACT)
Planning Act 2023 (ACT)
Planning and Development Act 2005 (WA)
Planning and Development Act 2005 (WA)
Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic)
Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic)
Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA)
Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (SA)
Environment Protection Act 1993 (SA)
Environment Protection Act 1993 (SA)
Environment Protection Act 1997 (ACT)
Environment Protection Act 1997 (ACT)
Environment Protection Act 2017 (Vic)
Environment Protection Act 2017 (Vic)
Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (Tas)
Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (Tas)
Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA)
Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA)
Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld)
Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld)
Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
Waste Management and Pollution Control Act 1998 (NT)
Waste Management and Pollution Control Act 1998 (NT)
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)
Environment Protection Act 2019 (NT)
Environment Protection Act 2019 (NT)
Tracker
- New8 June 2026
Property agency regulation laws added
The legislation library now covers property-agency regulation across every Australian state and territory. This gives real estate agencies, property managers, business brokers, franchisors and businesses appointing agents a clearer place to understand licensing, agency agreements, trust money, advertising, supervision and transaction records.
Commercial Leases & PropertyFranchising & Regulated IndustriesConsumer Law & TradingContracts & Commercial - New8 June 2026
Building and trade regulation laws added
The legislation library now has a state and territory building-regulation cluster covering builder and trade authorisation, fitout projects, permits, inspections, certifiers, handover records and contractor due diligence. This is designed for builders, tradies, landlords, tenants, franchisors and small operators opening or renovating premises.
Construction & TradesPlanning, Building & Local ApprovalsCommercial Leases & PropertyContracts & Commercial - Case8 June 2026
Current Federal Court governance and regulated product cases added
This batch adds official Federal Court explainers for derivative actions, confidential contracts in restructuring disputes, joint venture accounting, employment settlement releases, therapeutic goods compliance and product patents. The practical theme is governance before conflict: keep the authority trail clean, verify regulated claims, document revenue and settlement records, and make IP filings match the real product.
Companies & StartupsContracts & CommercialInsolvency & RestructuringCommercial Leases & PropertyEmployment & WorkplaceConsumer Law & TradingIP & Brand Protection - Case8 June 2026
Current NSW business sale, lease and payroll cases added
This batch adds official NSW explainers for business sale finance adjustments, lease assignment consent, clinic confidentiality and restraint disputes, statutory demands, rural planning approvals, construction payment claims and payroll tax grouping. The practical theme for small businesses is documentation: write the deal clearly, keep the evidence, and handle consent, payment, tax and exit processes before they become court problems.
Contracts & CommercialCommercial Leases & PropertyEmployment & WorkplaceCompanies & StartupsConstruction & TradesPayroll & Employer Payments - New7 June 2026
Planning and premises approval coverage added
Businesses can now browse the core planning and premises approval laws for every state and territory, plus the federal Premises Standards for building accessibility. The pages focus on leases, fitouts, changes of use, development approvals, signs, access, building checks and local authority conditions.
Planning, Building & Local ApprovalsCommercial Leases & PropertyConstruction & Trades - New7 June 2026
Environment and waste compliance coverage added
Businesses can now browse core environmental compliance laws for the Commonwealth, every state and territory, and the NT's separate waste and pollution control law. The pages focus on premises, projects, waste, noise, pollution incidents, approvals, contractor controls and regulator notices.
Environment, Waste & PollutionCommercial Leases & PropertyConstruction & Trades - New1 June 2026
Retail leasing coverage added for every state and territory
The library now gives tenants and landlords a single path into retail leasing laws for every Australian state and territory.
Commercial Leases & Property
Cases
Baillie Wines v Camden Council
Agritourism and farm-gate concepts are not magic labels. If a business wants planning approval for food, drink, accommodation or events on rural land, the proposed...
Bunter v Hardy, in the matter of FT Sydney
Commercial confidentiality in litigation needs evidence, precision and a real link to the administration of justice. A party cannot simply point to a confidential...
CIP Group v So
Shareholder and joint-venture litigation can turn on who is authorised to sue for the company, whether late pleading changes are fair and whether the case still...
Kanevsky, in the matter of MA Services Property Group
Trading through a trust can become complicated fast when the corporate trustee enters administration. Directors, creditors and administrators need to know whether...
Lindsay v Qld Childcare Centres
If a business operates from land owned personally by shareholders or related parties, do not rely on everyone continuing to get along. Put tenure, sale rights,...
SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc. v Flexirent Capital Pty Ltd (Costs)
If your business is in a serious contract dispute, do not treat mitigation, settlement and costs as separate topics. They interact. This judgment shows that...
United Petroleum v Perth Airport
Future-looking statements in tenders, brochures and deal meetings need evidence. If a business is selling a commercial opportunity based on expected traffic,...
Watski v Roughstone
A lease assignment can block a business sale if landlord consent is not handled early. Tenants selling a business should check the lease, gather buyer and lender...
Williams v Albarran
In a secured-property dispute, showing a serious legal question may not be enough. If a borrower wants to stop enforcement before trial, the Court will look hard at...
Cathro, in the matter of Stormon Industries Pty Ltd (in liq)
If your business trades through a corporate trustee, do not assume insolvency will be administered in the same way as an ordinary company with assets in its own...
Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia v Endeavour Energy Network Management Pty Ltd
Do not assume your overtime settings are safe just because they have been used for years without challenge. In this case, the employer’s long-standing daily method...
Crawford, in the matter of Pro-Pac Packaging Limited (administrators appointed)
Read this case as a practical administration and group-structure decision. The Court did not rewrite lease law. What it did was support administrators trying to...
GGPG Pty Ltd (Receiver and Manager Appointed) v Golden Eagle Property Group Pty Ltd (No 2)
Business owners should read this as a case about litigation discipline in a complex property development dispute. If your position is that the wrong entity has...
Kanevsky, in the matter of M.A Services Group Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed)
Read this case as an early administration procedure decision with a strong lease-management angle. The Court did not say leases stop mattering in administration. It...
Keybridge Capital Limited v Kirant Regional Media Investments Pty Ltd
If your business is putting money into an acquisition through another entity, document the commercial position precisely at the start. State who is the beneficial...
Mansfield (Trustee), in the matter of Frugtniet v Frugtniet (Stay Applications)
Business owners should read this case as a procedural enforcement decision. The applicants were residential tenants, and the Court was not deciding ordinary leasing...
Weston (Trustee) v Sanna (No 7)
Read this case as a sale-proceeds and secured-creditor dispute, not just a property fight. The court was prepared to approve a negotiated split of the remaining...
Wight (liquidator), in the matter of Responsible Entity Services Limited (in liquidation)
If your business is negotiating with a secured creditor in liquidation, get clear early on four things. First, is the creditor actually bound by the restructuring...
Yeo (liquidator), in the matter of Tuftex Carpets Pty Ltd (in liquidation)
Read this case as a process and risk-management decision. It does not tell you that the former director or holding company would have lost at trial. It tells you...