TIPS FOR L ANDLORDS OF RETAIL PREMISESPART 1

As a landlord of commercial premises it is impor tant to identify what business your tenant will be carr ying out from your premises so that you can prepare a lease that will comply w i t h t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e r e l e v a n t a c t i n v o l v e d I n Queensland commerc ial leases generally speak ing come under two distinct areas; the first being retail shops which are governed by the Retail Shop Leases Act and the second being non retail shops governed by provisions of the Proper ty Law Act. I shall concentrate my discussion on leases that come under the Retail Shop Leases Act.

When negotiating with your prospective tenant these are some impor tant tips to keep in mind:

D i s c l o s u r e - b o t h y o u a n d y o u r t e n a n t m u s t p r o v i d e disclosure in the par ticular format provided by the Retail Shop Leases Regulations As a landlord your disclosure must be in the form of a Lessor Disclosure Statement annexing a copy of the lease The Lessor Disclosure Statement gives information about the lease such as the term of the lease the option periods available, the rental payable, whether bond is payable etc Impor tantly note that this information must be given to the tenant at least seven days before the par ties enter into the Lease other wise the tenant will be at liber ty to terminate the lease at any time within the next six month period

Your tenant also has to provide you with disclosure to In the Lessee Disclosure Statement the tenant gives you disclosure of way of a Lessee Disclosure Statement as well proof of both legal and financial advice from their accountant and lawyer in a Financial Advice Repor t and a Legal Advice Repor t to say that they have been advised of their legal obligations as a lessee and had the financial implications of the tenancy explained

Term and Options - keep in mind what you want to do with your premises when you negotiate the term and any options (fur ther terms). An example is a lease that has an initial term of three years with two options each of three years' duration. I t is impor tant that you note that legally, as long as your tenant is not in breach, you have to honour the lease for the whole period of time until the end of the second option period - in this case a period of nine years

Early notice of the new Market Rent - prior to exercising the next option in the lease your tenant is entitled to request and be provided with the new market rental amount.

In par t 2 of this ar ticle I shall discuss Notices about option periods, Bond, legal costs and the Tenant as an incorporated entity

By NATALIE RICHY

In June last year, the Welcome to Maleny (W2M) group screened the documentary Freedom Street, directed by Alfred Pek; the showing was perfectly timed to coincide with Refugee Week.

The event was supported by a grant through the Maleny Credit Union’s Charitable Trust, and delicious food was on offer from Rua Haung Café from Brisbane, a family-owned business offering traditional Rohingya cuisine.

W2M’s emphasis on kindness shone through its banner of hope, set at the entrance of the hall and carrying the message, ‘Care without Fear, Compassion for Refugees’.

Alongside were prayer flags, painted at W2M fundraising and awareness-building stalls hosted around the Sunshine Coast. Each representing a single community voice which, when strung together, revealed the collective sentiment of unity and local support for the global issue.

The refugee advocacy group, Welcome to Maleny, began in 2016 through a ‘Community Conversation’ held at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre that year.

In response to the worldwide humanitarian emergency of forced migration, the theme centred on ways the local community could learn about people from refugee backgrounds and become more proactive in supporting people seeking asylum.

The group realised that doorways can be opened through information events, film screenings, music nights and regular pop-up stalls on the main street of Maleny.

Welcome to Maleny is a group of big-hearted people. W2M’s secretary, Ann Koenig, believes we need to talk about the refugee situation as a community.

“Raised by a family open to multiculturalism and influenced by my father who was always willing to help people,” Ann says, “I learned the importance of service to each other, where all members of society can contribute to their communities in a positive and meaningful way.”

President of W2M, Lisa McDonald, believes everyone deserves to be safe, experience a sense of belonging, and to have agency.

In 2014, Lisa had direct experience as a teacher in the Nauru detention centre. She currently creates online teacher training programs for refugee teachers who volunteer at refugee-run learning centres in Indonesia, and teachers struggling to educate students, especially girls, in Afghanistan.

Lisa acknowledges, “The ongoing generosity and support of the Maleny community, continues to inspire and expand Welcome to Maleny, ensuring the health, sustainability, and greater reach of the group.

“We have supported hundreds of people, in Australia and internationally, over the past seven years. Without the community’s support, W2M simply could not do this much needed work.”

Committee member, Robert Kann, says, “Coming from a family with a migrant mother who often suffered feelings of displacement, I learnt the importance of belonging from a young age. I have since come to realise and value how a sense of purpose affects longevity.”

Rob sees W2M encouraging a healthy connection of extended family on a local and global level. Rob naturally connects with people and enjoys networking. When Covid shifted the group’s focus from running events to expanding its fundraising efforts, he became a driving force.

Money raised by W2M goes directly to supporting people from refugee backgrounds living in Australia, and other countries throughout the world. It supports refugee-run schools in Indonesia and schools that promote the education of girls and empowerment of women in Afghanistan.

Sahar, a 24-year-old Hazara Afghan woman living isolated in Indonesia, was desperately in need of resettlement. The Hazara, an ethnic minority group directly persecuted by the Taliban, currently form one of the largest refugee communities in Indonesia.

Realising that single Hazara women are among the most vulnerable refugee groups sparked W2M to initiate, ‘Project Saleema’ at the beginning of 2020. ‘Saleema’, a female Afghan name meaning ‘healthy, safe, and protected’, became the central ethos of the project.

Due to the Australian Government’s policy prohibiting refugees who arrived in Indonesia after June 30, 2014, from being resettled in Australia, W2M helped Sahar apply to the Canadian Government for resettlement though its Community Settlement Program.

They ran an online fund-raising campaign and raised the required $20,000 to support Sahar in her first year in Canada. After two years in the application process, Sahar arrived in Ottawa, Canada, in November 2022. She is now a Canadian citizen.

In August 2021, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, W2M was approached by Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) to sponsor at-risk Hazara Afghans through the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Program.

Allocated the Naderi family (whose name is changed for their protection), W2M began the extensive application process required to sponsor the family of seven, which has since been acknowledged by the Australian government. W2M found a way to safely send funds to cover the family’s basic living expenses.

As time passed, it became clear to the Naderi’s that the Taliban were not permitting anyone, least of all Hazaras, to leave Afghanistan. When life became increasingly dangerous, they made the difficult decision to come out of hiding and become refugees.

W2M provided funds for them to obtain passports and visas to enter Pakistan. They fled over land to Pakistan, where they wait to see if their application for a humanitarian visa is accepted or rejected by the

MALENY COMMUNITY CENTRE

Sat 10 June 3.00 pm

Sun 11 June 3 00 pm

Sat 17 June 3.00 pm

Sun 18 June 3 00 pm

Short Dramatic Opera of Love and Betrayal with Story Narration

Australian government. W2M remain committed to supporting the family. As Refugee Week comes around again, W2M is busy organising its next community film event, awardwinning documentary, ‘Watandar, My Countryman’ in the Maleny Community Centre on Saturday June 10,, from 6pm. Details are in this HT issue’s Creative Cuts pages.

To find out more about W2M, visit Welcome to Maleny Facebook page, or email, welcome2maleny@gmail.com. ALWAYS BUYING