Significant changes to Victoria’s property tax landscape have arrived following the enactment of the State Taxation Further Amendment Act 2025. These updates reshape how stamp duty and land tax apply to commercial property, residential ownership, and certain exemptions. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new. Commercial and Industrial Property Tax (CIPT) Takes Effect One of the...
ConveyancingEstate PlanningMortgageClient Success Story: The Power of Professionalism and Empathy in Reverse Mortgages
3 December 2025
At Hayton Kosky, our goal is to make complex legal processes as clear and straightforward as possible for our clients. We were delighted to receive a glowing 5-star review from a recent client, following the settlement of her new Gateway Bank Reverse Mortgage Access loan, introduced by Seniors First. The client’s feedback, which echoed...
ConveyancingEthicsThe Underquoting Playbook: Unethical Practices by Victorian Real Estate Agents
15 November 2025
Underquoting, the illegal practice of deliberately listing a property for less than its estimated value to attract more potential buyers, remains a systemic issue in the Australian property market, with Victorian agents employing a range of unethical tricks to circumvent the law. These practices contravene the Victorian Estate Agents Act 1980 and related professional conduct...
ConveyancingPropertyIs Your Paper Title Deed Still Valid? Victoria’s Shift to Electronic Titles Explained
20 August 2025
The humble paper Certificate of Title, for generations the ultimate symbol of property ownership in Victoria, is officially riding into the sunset. As of 3 August 2024, the Victorian Register of Land has gone fully digital, issuing only electronic Certificates of Title (eCTs). But what does this mean for you as a property owner? Is...
ConveyancingPropertyProperty Red Flags: Your Guide to Avoiding Costly Apartment Mistakes in Victoria
13 August 2025
Published by Hayton Kosky Lawyers Date: 13 August 2025 When the Great Australian Dream Becomes a Financial Nightmare It’s a story that sends a shiver down the spine of any aspiring property owner. A Melbourne mum recently made headlines after her dream apartment purchase left her $30,000 out of pocket. The culprit? A single, seemingly...
ConveyancingPropertyUnderquoting in Victoria: Why the Current Ban Isn’t Enough — and the Case for Disclosing Reserve Prices
11 August 2025
If you’ve ever fallen in love with a property at auction, only to discover the vendor’s reserve price was far higher than the advertised guide, you’re not alone. In Victoria, underquoting — advertising a property at a price lower than it is reasonably expected to sell for — has long been illegal under the Estate...
ConveyancingPropertyCan You Get Your Deposit Early? A Risky Shortcut for Victorian Property Sellers
8 August 2025
Selling property in Victoria can be a long game. From the day of sale to the settlement date, months can pass, and for many vendors, the deposit sitting in a trust account can feel tantalisingly close yet frustratingly out of reach. It’s no surprise that the question often arises: can we get that deposit released...
ConveyancingEstate PlanningPropertySuperannuationTrustSuperannuation’s $3 Million Tax: How Victorian Taxpayers Can Strategically Navigate Division 296
5 August 2025
The proposed Division 296 tax, targeting superannuation balances over $3 million, presents a significant challenge for many Australians. This additional 15% tax on investment earnings above the threshold effectively doubles the tax rate on those earnings to 30%, making sophisticated mitigation strategies a necessity for high-balance super members. While the legislation has lapsed and will...
A Practitioner’s Guide to High-Risk Conveyancing Encounters An Anonymous Perspective from the Legal Trenches Disclaimer: This post reflects the anonymous author’s professional observations and experience. It is intended for educational discussion only. No specific allegations are made against any individual or entity. There comes a moment in many practitioners’ careers when a contract lands on...
ConveyancingPropertySelling the Unsellable: How Full Disclosure Unlocked Value in Solomon Heights, Melbourne’s ‘Zombie Subdivision’
28 July 2025
A Century-Old Riddle: The Challenge of Selling “Unsaleable” Land In the complex tapestry of Melbourne’s property market, few areas present a more tangled and seemingly hopeless case than the Solomon Heights Estate in Sunshine North. Described in a recent feature by The Age as Melbourne’s “worst case of urban blight” and a “zombie subdivision,” it...
