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Feb 20, 2019

Are Your Company Secrets Safe?

Every company has proprietary and confidential information that they would not want to become publicly known.

It's not too hard keeping it safe from outsiders but what about employees who have insider knowledge?

Our free non-disclosure agreement helps to formalize the obligations of the employee to keep such information confidential.

Continue reading "Are Your Company Secrets Safe?"

Feb 18, 2019

Pet Information Sheet for Pet Sitters

All the information at your fingertips!

This form will come in handy should you ever need to leave your beloved pets in the care of someone else, whether it is a neighbor, family member or friend.

If you provide a professional service such as pet sitting or dog walking, it is imperative for you to have the relevant information.

We also supply free contract templates for these services.

Continue reading "Pet Information Sheet for Pet Sitters"

Feb 15, 2019

Are You an Independent Contractor or an Employee?

There are some financial benefits to both employer and contractor to have the service provider classified as an independent provider.

For this very reason, the Revenue Services has strict guidelines to prevent misuse of this status.

It all comes down to who is in control of:

• Where, when and how the work will be performed
• The earnings, expenses, deductions such as taxes, unemployment insurance, pension contributions etc.
• For whom work may be performed
  
  etc.

No single factor will determine the status, but when reviewed it will become clear whether the balance shifts to that of an independent contractor or not.

Continue reading "Are You an Independent Contractor or an Employee?"

Feb 13, 2019

Boat Bill of Sale - Free Legal Form

There are two very important reasons for recording your transaction in writing!

• You may be liable for taxes and therefore need proof of the price paid.
• You need to know exactly what the terms and conditions are insofar as the buyer and seller are concerned.

We've also added two optional clauses: making provision for a holding deposit and addressing the issue of any repairs that need to be done.

Continue reading "Boat Bill of Sale - Free Legal Form"

Feb 11, 2019

Eviction Notice to Quit

Regardless of the transgression or breach, it is a legal requirement to inform the tenant of your intention to evict and spell out the tenant's options to either remedy or vacate the premises voluntarily.

In many instances the mere act of issuing an eviction notice may be enough to get the tenant to remedy the situation.

For more serious offences such as criminal activity or the tenant being a danger to others, the only option given may be to vacate the property.

Continue reading "Eviction Notice to Quit"

Feb 08, 2019

Proxy Form - When and How to Use It

A simple proxy is perhaps the most often used Power of Attorney.

A person can be appointed to attend meetings (or just one specific meeting) and can vote either as he/she sees fit, or according to the instructions of the person issuing the proxy.

As landlords we've often given a tenant in good standing a proxy, because such a person has first-hand knowledge of that particular housing estate.

Continue reading "Proxy Form - When and How to Use It"

Feb 06, 2019

Power of Attorney for Managing Your Real Estate

This free power of attorney form is geared towards appointing an Agent to manage your real estate on an ongoing basis.

It does NOT empower your Agent to buy or sell properties and it does not give the broad powers as in a general power of attorney.

However, it dovetails perfectly with our Property Management Contract:

• The management contract spells out the payment terms, obligations, warranties etc. which are not normally catered for in a Power of Attorney
• You can revoke the power of attorney at any time and without having to give a reason.

Continue reading "Power of Attorney for Managing Your Real Estate"

Feb 04, 2019

Property Management Contract

A property management contract needs to detail the specific duties and obligations of both Landlord and Manager, how much the fees will be and when and how payments will be done.

There must also be clarity on how repairs and maintenance will be paid for and whether the Landlord wishes to put a limit on expenses.

A very important clause to consider is the limitation of liability and the Landlord’s obligation to have adequate insurance in place.

Work through our legal guidelines and edit our free property management contract to suit your requirements.

Continue reading "Property Management Contract"

Feb 01, 2019

What Can Make a Will Invalid?

There are some obvious requirements to render a will legal, such as having the correct signatures in place, having made it without undue influence and for the testator being of sound mind.

But there may be provisions in the will that could render the will invalid, such as:

• The will is made subject to a condition which cannot be fulfilled i.e. impossible to execute;
• The testator's marital status changed but the will was not changed to reflect this;
• A child was born or adopted after the will was made but no new will was made to mention the child,
  etc.

We take a look at the above instances and also provide information on when a person can be disqualified from inheriting.

Continue reading "What Can Make a Will Invalid?"

Jan 30, 2019

Commission Agreement for Sourcing Tenants

Our finder's fee / commission agreement is tailored for those instances where the Agent will only source a suitable tenant, without contracting to the whole range of property management services.

There are a few key points to clarify:

• Who has the final say whether a rental candidate is acceptable - landlord or agent?
• Should an agent be given sole mandate to market the property?
• Will there be another fee due should the tenant renew the lease?
• Who pays the agent's fee - landlord or tenant?
  and many more...

There are definite advantages to using a rental broker or agent. It's all covered in our article.

Continue reading "Commission Agreement for Sourcing Tenants"

Jan 28, 2019

Work Made for Hire Contract

In many countries it is a requirement to have an agreement in place that specifically designates commissioned work as work made for hire if the person/company who commissioned the work wants to claim the copyright in such work.

Even in an employment situation employers should not assume that they automatically own copyright in their employees' creative work.

In some jurisdictions the law is quite clear in defining work made for hire but elsewhere it may be open to interpretation.

The best approach is to have a written agreement in place regardless whether it appears obvious as to who owns the copyright!

Review our free template and the additional guidelines to assist you with your work for hire contract.

Continue reading "Work Made for Hire Contract"

Jan 25, 2019

Car Rental Agreement

When drafting your document you need to clearly identify the vehicle and, quite importantly, what the vehicle may NOT be used for.

You also need to specify all the costs the Renter will be liable for as well as the rental period. For example, would you charge extra to get rid of tobacco odors in the car?

Take a look at our free template and modify it to suit your requirements.

Continue reading "Car Rental Agreement"

Jan 23, 2019

Permission to Make Reprints of a Photographer's Work

If you hired a photographer to capture images of your wedding (for example) you may argue that since you paid for the work, you may make as many copies as you wish.

A lab or photo store may not agree with this and may demand a "copyright release form" for fear of being held liable when making unauthorized reproductions.

It's a good idea to get this document in place before your event!

If your photographer does not supply it, get a free copy here:

Continue reading "Permission to Make Reprints of a Photographer's Work"

Jan 21, 2019

Reduce the Risk When Extending a Loan

There are a couple of ways to help ensure the repayment of a loan:

• Enter into a Security Agreement where goods are pledged as collateral or security against a loan;
• Enter into a Guaranty Agreement with a third party who undertakes to assume full responsibility for the loan, should the original borrower(s) default.

We've drafted a variety of free promissory notes to make provision for collateral kept by either the borrower or lender, the co-signing of a loan agreement or a separate agreement with a guarantor.

Continue reading "Reduce the Risk When Extending a Loan"

Jan 18, 2019

Your Last Will and Testament

It may be confusing when looking at a standard template to decide exactly how to adapt it for your specific circumstances.

With that in mind, we've created a number of free legal will forms to cater for:

• Married people with minor children OR adult children OR both or with no children;
• Single people with adult children or no children;
  
  Etc.

Our templates also make provision for bequests to charitable organizations and non-family members as well as any special requests you may have regarding your remains.

Continue reading "Your Last Will and Testament"