The south-east runs from the established suburbs around Clayton and Springvale out through Dandenong to the Casey and Cardinia growth corridors. It carries Melbourne’s largest concentration of small and family-owned businesses alongside a very active residential market, and we act on both sides of that.
Business purchases and commercial property
Dandenong, Springvale, Clayton and Keysborough have a long history of family businesses changing hands — often between people who know each other, and often on a handshake before anyone speaks to a lawyer. That is exactly when things go wrong: undisclosed liabilities, plant that turns out to be leased rather than owned, a lease the landlord will not assign, restraint clauses that are unenforceable, and no clear allocation of the purchase price for tax. We document business sales properly and review them for buyers.
Industrial and warehouse leasing
The south-east’s industrial belt runs on leases with long terms, heavy make-good obligations and significant fit-outs. Make-good in particular catches tenants at the end of a term: drafted loosely, it can require stripping out racking, mezzanines and offices you paid to install. It should be defined against a photographic condition report taken at handover.
Residential growth corridors
Berwick, Narre Warren, Cranbourne, Officer and Pakenham are absorbing new estates at pace, with the same house-and-land structures, design guidelines and Section 173 agreements found in the north and west. We review both contracts together so the total commitment is visible in one place.
Wills and estate planning
Family businesses and multi-generational households make estate planning genuinely more complicated — a will that simply divides everything equally can force a business to be sold or leave one child running an asset the others own. Where a business or a shared property is involved, the will needs to be built around that, not bolted onto it.
Common questions
I am buying a small business. What is the biggest risk?
Two, usually. First, the lease — if the landlord will not assign it, or the remaining term is short, you may be buying a business with nowhere to operate. Second, what you are actually acquiring: assets and goodwill, or the company and everything it owes. The second option carries the seller’s history with it. Both need to be settled in writing before deposit.
Can you help if my business partner and I are splitting up?
Yes. Where there is a partnership or shareholders agreement it usually sets out the exit mechanism, and the fastest resolution is normally to follow it. Where there is no agreement — which is common — we work through valuation, transfer of the lease and assets, and a deed that ends the arrangement cleanly.
How we can help
Conveyancing
Fixed-fee residential, commercial, strata and off-the-plan settlements — contract reviews, searches and a settlement day that runs on time.
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Commercial, retail and residential leases drafted, reviewed and negotiated — plus tenancy disputes, VCAT and Small Business Commissioner matters.
Learn moreWills & Estate Planning
Wills, powers of attorney and advance care directives drafted or updated, so the people you care about are not left guessing.
Learn moreIntellectual Property & Trade Marks
Trade mark searches, IP Australia applications and brand protection strategy — so the name you built stays yours.
Learn moreOther Practice Areas
Commercial agreements, business structuring, disputes and the matters that do not fit a neat category. Ask us — we will tell you honestly.
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