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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 (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | April |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Every year, about half of the value of construction activity in Australia relates to the construction 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. These impact throughout the community. Despite this, residential construction law has, until recently, received relatively little attention from the majority of construction law practitioners. This subject seeks to address this deficiency and introduce students to an evolving area of construction law in a comparative context. Its focus is on Australia (primarily Victoria) but perspectives are offered from other members of the common law family of legal systems. The subject lecturers are Dr Matthew Bell (whose recently-awarded PhD was on residential construction regulation) and Suzanne Kirton (Judge of the County Court and Vice President of VCAT, with extensive practising experience in residential construction law).
Principal topics include:
- The regulatory problem of residential construction
- Common law rights and remedies
- The legislative and regulatory response
- The contractual matrix for residential construction
- Key issues in bringing residential construction claims
- How a residential building dispute is resolved in Victoria
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 residential developments
- Appreciate the impact within residential construction of special legal protection for parties treated by the law as weaker in bargaining terms
- Understand the impact and usefulness of applicable 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: 23 March 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Students must meet one of the following prerequisite options:
Option 1
Admission into a relevant Melbourne Law Masters program
Option 2
Admission into the MC-JURISD Juris Doctor
AND
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: 23 March 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Option 1: Take-home examination
| 21 - 24 June 2024 | 100% |
Option 2: Research paper on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 3 July 2024 | 100% |
Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Additional details
Note: Students must choose assessment from the options listed above. If an option contains parts, all parts must be completed if that option is chosen.
Last updated: 23 March 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- April
Principal coordinator Matthew Bell Coordinator Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 1 April 2024 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to the Reading Guide on the LMS subject page for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 29 April 2024 to 3 May 2024 Last self-enrol date 5 April 2024 Census date 30 April 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 7 June 2024 Assessment period ends 3 July 2024
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a 'first in' basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of waitlisted 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.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 23 March 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist materials will be made available via the LMS in the pre-teaching period.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Commercial Law Course Master of Laws Course Graduate Diploma in Construction Law Course Juris Doctor Course Master of Construction Law - Links to additional information
- 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-masters@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: 23 March 2024