Quest Rose Hill Pty Limited v The Owners Corporation of Strata Plan 64025 and Anor [2012] NSWSC 1548

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Quest Rose Hill Pty Limited v The Owners Corporation of Strata Plan 64025 and Anor [2012] NSWSC 1548 Hearing dates: 8, 9 August 2012, plaintiffs supplementary submissions 10 August, first defendants supplementary submissions 10 August, further written and oral submissions 22 October 2012, further written submissions on 23 and 25 October 2012 Decision date: 13 December 2012 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Sackar J Decision: Paragraphs 313 - 323 Catchwords: Strata Schemes (Freehold Development Act) 1973 (NSW), Strata Schemes Management Act 1996 (NSW), serviced apartment, strata title apartment, whether lease or licence, construction of lease, validity of lease of common property, whether void, whether executed ultra vires, whether indefeasible, s 42 Real Property Act 1900 (NSW), unauthorised affixing of company seal, requirements of fraud, relation to indoor management rule, extent of indefeasibility, indefeasibility and certain personal covenants, proper construction of lease, delegation of functions, reasonable directions on voting rights, dealing with common property, whether valid exercise of right to be granted new leases, whether in contravention of relevant legislation, whether void or unenforceable, contravention of terms of lease, estoppel, specific performance of lease Legislation Cited: Commercial Arbitration Act 1984 (NSW) Strata Schemes (Freehold Development) Act 1973 (NSW) Strata Schemes Management Act 1996 (NSW) Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Cases Cited: Apollo Shower Screens Pty Ltd v Building and Construction Industry Long Service Payments Corp (1985) 1 NSWLR 561 Assets Co Ltd v Mere Roihi [1905] AC 176 Australian Guarantee Corporation Ltd v De Jager [1984] VR 483 Bahr v Nicolay (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 604 Blatch v Archer (1774) 1 Cowp 63 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 Broadlands International Finance Ltd v Sly (1987) 4 BPR 9420 Butler v Fairclough (1917) 23 CLR 78 Chan v Cresdon Pty Ltd (1989) 168 CLR 242 Davis v Williams [2003] NSWCA 3713 DTR Nominees Pty Ltd v Mona Homes Pty Ltd (1978) 138 CLR 423 Email Ltd v Robert Bray (Langwarrin) Pty Ltd [1984] VR 16 Eventang Development (Pyrmont) Pty Ltd v The Owners Strata Plan 51573 [2001] NSWSC 452 Fitzgerald v Masters (1956) 95 CLR 420 Frazer v Walker [1967] 1 AC 569 Gillett v Halwood Corp Ltd [1998] NSWCA 281 Grgic v Australian and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd [1994] 33 NSWLR 202 Gumland Holdings v Duffy Bros (2008) 234 CLR 237 Jones v Sutherland Shire Council [1979] 2 NSWLR 206 Karacominakis v Big Country Developments Pty Ltd [2000] NSWCA 313 King v Poggioli (1923) 32 CLR 222 Lee v Ferno Holdings Pty Ltd [1993] 33 NSWLR 404 Lym International Pty Ltd v Marcolongo and Another [2011] NSWCA 303 Mehmet v Benson (1965) 113 CLR 295 Mercantile Credits Ltd v Shell Co of Australia Ltd (1976) 136 CLR 326 National Commercial Banking Corp of Aust Ltd v Hedley (1984) 3 BPR 9477 Northside Developments Pty Ltd v Registrar-General (1990) 170 CLR 146 Owners - Strata Plan No 43551 v Walter Construction Group Ltd [2004] NSWCA 429 Owners - Strata Plan No 44999 v Premier Holdings Corp Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 171 Owners - Strata Plan No 56443 v Regis Towers Real Estate Pty Ltd [2003] NSWCA 274 Ponsford v HMS Aerosols Ltd [1979] AC 63 PT Ltd v Maradona Pty Ltd [1992] 25 NSWLR 643 Pyramid Building Society (in liq) v Scorpion Hotels Pty Ltd [1998] 1 VR 188 Quest Rose Hill Pty Ltd v White [2010] NSWSC 939 Radaich v Smith (1959) 101 CLR 209 Russo v Bendigo Bank Ltd and Another [1999] 3 VR 376 Stolfa v Owners Strata Plan 4366 [2009] NSWSC 589 Telado Pty Ltd v Vincent (1996) 7 BPR 14,874 Tenstat Pty Ltd v Permanent Trustee Australia Ltd [1992] 28 NSWLR 625 The King v Darling Island Stevedoring and Lighterage Co. Ltd.; Ex parte Halliday and Sullivan (1938) 60 CLR 601 The Owners - Strata Plan No 44999 v Premier Holdings Corp Pty Ltd and Anor [2012] NSWSC 171 Travinto Nominees Pty Ltd v Vlattas (1973) 129 CLR 1 TX Australia Pty Ltd v Broadcast Australia Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 4 Vetter v Lake Macquarie City Council (2001) 202 CLR 439 Waldorf Apartment Hotel, The Entrance Pty Ltd v Owners Corp SP 71623 [2010] NSWCA 226 Walsh v Lonsdale (1882) LR 21 Ch D 9 Westpac Banking Corporation v Sansom (1994) 6 BPR 13,790 Wicks v Bennett (1921) 30 CLR 80 Wilson v Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway Co (1873-74) LR 9 Ch App 279 Texts Cited: Peter Butt, Land Law (4th ed., Lawbook Co, Sydney, 2001) Fry on Specific Performance (6th ed., Stevens and Sons, London, 1921) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Quest Rose Hill Pty Limited - plaintiff The Owners Corporation - strata plan 64025 - first defendant Keith Bernard White (representing the lot owners referred to in the amended schedule 4 in the further amended second cross claim) - second defendant Keith Bernard White - third defendant Representation: Counsel: D E Grieve QC, J Van Aalst - plaintiff M Ashhurst SC - first defendant P W Gray SC, P Koroknay - second & third defendants Solicitors: David Le Page - plaintiff J S Mueller & Co - first defendant Lodhia lawyers - second and third defendants File Number(s): 2010/342330