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Unit of study_

LAWS2017: Land Law

2025 unit information

Land law (or the law of real property) plays an important role in Australian economic, social and political life. Australian real property law draws common law principle from historical English real property law; but over the last 100 years, the Australian law of real property law has developed its own unique character. This is particularly evident in two key aspects of modern Australian law: the Torrens system of land registration (which forms a large part of this unit of study) and the developing law of Indigenous title to land at common law, and under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). This unit considers the following topics: systems of title to land; the Torrens system of land registration; priorities between competing interests in land; co-ownership of land (joint tenancies and tenancies in common); leases and licences; mortgages, and easements. The course introduces statutory regulation of land use and considers the law of covenants in that context. The unit aims to develop problem solving skills, and skills in interpreting complex statutory provisions in the Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) and the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW).

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Sydney Law School

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
LAWS2012
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
LAWS5012
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. know the fundamental legal principles of key areas of land law and be able to apply that knowledge to typical and hypothetical land law problems
  • LO2. understand the historical, social and economic context in which property rules operate so as to critically evaluate existing law
  • LO3. articulate relevant legal principles and effectively communicate available arguments raised in the context of real property disputes, using appropriate sources to support those arguments
  • LO4. apply knowledge creatively to develop innovative solutions to real-world property problems

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2024
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2020
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive June - July 2020
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Intensive June - July 2021
Block mode Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Intensive June - July 2022
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2023
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.