It didn’t take long for the Red Rock Realty agent to get her seller’s signature on the buyers’ offer.
An email to buyers Joshua Long and Vanessa Wilson followed shortly after with a copy of the contract at around 2 pm.

The reference schedule for the Springwood sale amended the usual requirement for payment of the deposit from “on the day the buyers sign” to “on acceptance” of the contract.

With that in mind, Vanessa notified their solicitor to transfer the deposit to the agent’s trust account that day.
That occurred at 8:30 pm but the funds did not land into Red Rock’s trust account until the following day.

It was uncontroversial that the contract was formed once acceptance had been communicated to the buyer.
And because Red Rock had cautioned that if a deposit was to be paid by Internet banking or credit card, payment should precede the due payment time by 48 hrs, the seller contended it had not been paid as required, thereby entitling the seller to terminate.

On the other hand, Wilson and Long argued they should be entitled to specific performance of the contract that seller Milize Hijazi had repudiated by way of wrongful termination.

For information regarding contracts, go to: Contract Disputes

Judge Julie Dick in Brisbane’s District Court agreed. She noted the contract did not require the deposit to be paid contemporaneously with acceptance. Neither was there any specification for payment “by close of business” or within “banking hours”.

She had no difficulty in holding that there was no failure to pay the deposit by the due date and thus specific performance of the contract should be allowed.

The seller also argued she had been pressured into the sale without any legal advice or the opportunity to consult family. That argument gained no traction given that the Form 6 Appointment stated in clear terms that “the client is advised to seek independent legal advice before signing this form”.

In any event within 7 days of her purported termination, her solicitors notified the buyers that “she agrees that contract was still on foot and withdraws her termination”.

Thus if she were wrong as regards the validity of the deposit payment’s timing, Judge Dick reasoned the purported termination had been clearly and unambiguously withdrawn and therefore the contract had been validly reinstated.

It would therefore be unconscionable, she ruled, to allow the seller to rely upon any earlier breach by the buyer to avoid the contract.

Long and Wilson succeeded in their application that they be entitled to finalise their purchase of the property.


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