Accounting and legal under one roof

Who it is for

• Home buyers and sellers who need conveyancing
• Business owners signing, renewing or ending a lease on their premises
• Individuals and families making or updating a will
• People buying into a franchise or franchising their own business
• Businesses chasing unpaid invoices or caught up in a dispute about money

Your one-stop shop

Whether you are buying a house, leasing a business, making a will, franchising or collecting a debt, Ross Accounting has you covered. You save money and you are not caught between two different practices.

Geoff Versace is an experienced solicitor practising from the offices of Ross Accounting, so you have one stop for all your accounting, conveyancing and litigation needs. Why not ask Geoff to update your will for a fixed fee?

Most legal matters have a money side as well: a property sale can trigger capital gains tax, a lease locks in years of rent, and a will has to deal with trusts, companies and super. Because the solicitor and the accountants share an office, both sides can be worked through together.

Conveyancing: buying or selling property

Conveyancing is the legal work involved in transferring property, including the contract for sale, the mortgage documents and the steps through to settlement. The NSW Government notes that you can do your own conveyancing, but most people use a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor, and both are equally qualified to do the work.

In NSW, conveyancing work generally includes:

• Reviewing the contract for sale, and any strata inspection report for a unit or townhouse
• Exchanging contracts and paying the deposit
• Arranging payment of stamp duty and checking for unpaid land tax or other arrears
• Searching for council, water or transport interests in the land and any proposals that could affect it
• Working out adjustments for council and water rates
• Overseeing the change of title with NSW Land Registry Services and attending settlement

Solicitors and conveyancers must give clients certain information, including about their costs, generally before or when they are engaged. Disbursements such as title searches and registration fees are usually charged on top of professional fees.

If the property is an investment, the sale or purchase also has tax consequences. Our guides on capital gains tax and rental property tax explain the basics.

Wills and estate planning

A will sets out who inherits your estate, who acts as executor, and who you nominate as guardian for children under 18. According to the NSW Government, a will in NSW must be in writing, signed by you (or by someone else at your direction and in your presence), and witnessed by 2 adults who are present when you sign. The NSW Government also says the witnesses cannot be beneficiaries.

Some things you may think of as yours do not automatically pass under your will. The NSW Government gives these examples:

• Superannuation and life insurance: in many cases these may not form part of the estate, because a super fund is a trust and its trustee is the legal owner
• Jointly owned property: an asset held as joint tenants generally passes to the surviving joint owner
• Trust assets: these are held for the trust's beneficiaries under the trust deed, so they usually sit outside your estate
• Company assets: these belong to the company, although your shares in it may form part of your estate

That is where accounting and legal advice meet. If you run a family trust, a company or a self-managed super fund, your will is only one part of the plan.

The NSW Government recommends reviewing a will every 5 years and after major life events such as marriage, separation or divorce, having children, a change in finances, moving overseas, or the death of a beneficiary or executor. Geoff can update your will for a fixed fee.

Business leases

A lease on business premises is a serious financial commitment. The NSW Small Business Commissioner points out that tenants agree to pay rent for the whole term, generally cannot get out of the lease early, and that a landlord does not have to reduce the rent if trade is poor. The Commissioner recommends getting legal advice before signing.

For retail shops covered by the Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW), the landlord must give the tenant a written disclosure statement at least 7 days before the lease is entered into, covering matters such as the term and any option to renew, rent and rent reviews, fit-out works, outgoings and trading hours. The tenant then has 7 days to give its own disclosure statement or ask for more time.

It is also worth checking with the local council whether the business needs consent to operate from the premises, and whether a fit-out needs approval, because rent may start before you can trade. We can look at the lease alongside your cash flow and business plan so the numbers stack up.

Franchising

Buying a franchise means paying to run a business under another company's brand, systems and suppliers, under a legally binding franchise agreement. business.gov.au lists the main laws that apply as the Franchising Code of Conduct, the Australian Consumer Law, the Fair Work Act and general contract law.

Before signing, business.gov.au suggests reading the information statement, disclosure document and franchise agreement, checking the franchisor's financial position, and comparing franchisors on the free Franchise Disclosure Register. It also stresses getting advice from an accountant, a lawyer and a business adviser with franchising experience.

On the tax side, business.gov.au notes that some franchise payments, such as training fees, loan interest and ongoing franchise fees, can be deductible, and that tax can apply when a franchise is bought, sold, transferred or ended. The right business structure matters here too.

Debt collection and litigation

When customers do not pay, the first step is usually a letter of demand. If that fails, civil claims in NSW about money or property, such as unpaid bills or loans, can go to the Local Court.

• The Local Court of NSW hears civil claims of up to $100,000
• Its Small Claims Division hears claims of up to $20,000 and is less formal
• Its General Division hears claims over $20,000, up to the $100,000 limit
• For amounts over $10,000, the Court suggests getting legal advice before starting proceedings

Not every dispute needs to go to court. The NSW Small Business Commissioner offers low-cost mediation for lease disputes, franchise disputes and other disagreements between businesses.

Good records make debts easier to recover. Our bookkeeping service keeps invoices and payment histories up to date, which helps if a matter ends up with Geoff.

The court limits above are those published by the Local Court of NSW, checked in October 2026. Other states and territories have their own courts and limits.

How it works

1. 1
   Call Geoff

   Ring Geoff Versace directly on (02) 9938 3799 to talk through your matter.

2. 2
   Bring your paperwork

   Bring the contract, lease, will, franchise documents or invoices that relate to the matter.

3. 3
   Legal and tax together

   Where a matter has tax consequences, the accounting team can look at it at the same time.

What to bring

• Property: the contract for sale and any strata or inspection reports
• Wills: your current will (if any) and a list of assets, debts, super funds and insurance policies
• Leases: the draft lease and the landlord's disclosure statement
• Franchising: the disclosure document, information statement and draft franchise agreement
• Debts: invoices, contracts, statements and any correspondence with the debtor

Call Geoff Versace, our in-house solicitor, directly on (02) 9938 3799.