Pursell v Eversham Close Pty Ltd [2020] NSWDC 372

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Pursell v Eversham Close Pty Ltd [2020] NSWDC 372 Hearing dates: 9, 10, 11 October 2019 Plaintiff's Supplementary Submissions – 15 October 2019 Defendant's response to Supplementary Submissions – 21 October 2019 Date of orders: 13 February 2020 Decision date: 13 February 2020 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Hatzistergos DCJ Decision: Verdict for the Plaintiff (see [224]) Catchwords: LEASES AND TENANCIES — Strata title — Leasehold strata scheme — Common property — Maintenance and repair of common property — Obligations of owner and occupiers — Continual water damage — Renewal of lease despite water damage RESIDENTIAL AGREEMENT — Purported breach of lease — Failure to fix damaged property — Whether defendants failed to act reasonably in the circumstances — Whether making an application under s 140 of the SSMA Act 1996 would have been a reasonable step in fixing property Legislation Cited: Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), ss 3, 13, 43(2), 63(2), 65 Residential Tenancies Regulation 2010 (NSW) Strata Schemes Management Act 1996 (NSW), ss 62, 138, 140, 150 Cases Cited: Craig Kentell v Oliver Steele; Oliver Steele v Craig Kentell [2014] NSWCATCD 102 Edex International Holdings Pty Ltd v Marmalade Films Pty Ltd [2003] NSWCA 8; (2003) 56 NSWLR 63 Italia Ceramics International Super Ltd and Anor v CM Corporation Pty Ltd [2019] SASCFC54 Lee v Fuzessery [2010] NSWCTTT 205 Matthew Hanney and Belinda Smiley v Lachlan McCabe and Amanda Toshack [2014] NSWCATCD 239 Northern Sandblasting Pty Ltd v Harris (1997) 188 CLR 313; (1997) 146 ALR 572 Reiss v Helson [2001] NSWSC 486 Timms and Simpson v Adams [2012] NSWCTT 53 Wang v Abdel-Messih [2017] NSWCATCD 11 Texts Cited: Anforth, Allan, Peter Christensen, Christopher Adkins, Residential Tenancies Law and Practice New South Wales (Federation Press, 7th ed, 2017) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Bruce Alan Pursell (Plaintiff) Eversham Close Pty Ltd (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr S.J. McMahon (Plaintiff) Mr J McKenzie (Defendant)