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Residential Construction Law (LAWS70329)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
November
Lecturer/s
Matthew Bell, Coordinator
Suzanne Kirton
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | November |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Every year, about half of the value of construction activity in Australia relates to the building, conversion and renovation of dwellings. The law relating to this activity is complex and multi-layered, involving difficult policy questions and significant statutory and regulatory intervention impacting on millions of people throughout the community. Despite this, residential construction law has, until recently, received relatively little attention from the majority of construction law practitioners, and not just in Australia. This innovative subject, taught by Matthew Bell and Suzanne Kirton, seeks to address this deficiency and introduce students to an evolving area of construction law in a comparative context, with material from Australasia (including Victoria) and from other members of the common law family of legal systems. Practitioners will make a significant contribution as guest lecturers.
Principal topics include:
- Legislation specifically applicable to residential construction
- Legal protection for ‘consumers’ in relation to residential construction
- Legal obligations undertaken by the seller in relation to the quality of a new residential building
- Means by which an off-plan buyer of a new residential house or unit may be protected against the financial failure of a project party
- Remedies in relation to defects in the structure or common parts of multi-unit developments
- Rights of successors in title to enjoy the remedies against the developer or any other project party responsible for defects
- The impact of limitation periods upon remedies for different categories of defects
- The role of insurance in protecting home-owners against the costs of repairs or defects claims
- The impact of mandatory or voluntary registration or accreditation systems for residential developers and suppliers of construction services
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Understand in a comparative context the aims and methods of the law as it applies to the delivery of residential construction projects
- Be familiar with the interaction between private and public law in regulating the process of construction in a residential context
- Have a detailed understanding of the problems of bringing legal actions for defects in the context of multi-occupation residential developments
- Appreciate the impact of special legal protection for parties treated by the law as weaker in bargaining terms
- Understand the impact and usefulness of sectoral insurance and warranty schemes and their effect in ensuring quality of construction and in offering claims resolution systems
- Be familiar with the procedural, funding and management issues which impact on litigation for housing defects
- Be aware of legal and quasi-legal governmental interventions in relation to housing construction, repairs and improvements via registration and accreditation schemes
- Be able to contribute meaningfully to ongoing debates about optimal ways of dealing with these matters at a policy level.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Melbourne Law Masters Students: None
JD Students: Successful completion of the below subject:
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50029 | Contracts | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- Take-home examination (6,000 words) (100%) (13-16 December)
or - 10,000 word research paper (100%) (30 January 2020) on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
A minimum of 75% attendance is a hurdle requirement.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- November
Principal coordinator Matthew Bell Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 24-34 hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 9 October 2019 Pre teaching requirements The pre-teaching period commences four weeks before the subject commencement date. From this time, students are expected to access and review the Reading Guide that will be available from the LMS subject page and the subject materials provided by the subject coordinator, which will be available from Melbourne Law School. Refer to the Reading Guide for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 6 November 2019 to 12 November 2019 Last self-enrol date 14 October 2019 Census date 6 November 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 13 December 2019 Assessment period ends 13 January 2020 November contact information
Lecturer/s
Matthew Bell, Coordinator
Suzanne KirtonEmail: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a first come, first served basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of places in subjects will be given as follows:
- To currently enrolled Graduate Diploma and Masters students with a satisfactory record in their degree
- To other students enrolling on a single subject basis, eg Community Access Program (CAP) students, cross-institutional study and cross-faculty study.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist printed materials will be made available free of charge from the Melbourne Law School prior to the pre-teaching period.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Construction Law Course Master of Commercial Law Course Master of Laws Course Graduate Diploma in Construction Law Course Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies Course Juris Doctor - Links to additional information
law.unimelb.edu.au
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022