New South Wales Consolidated Acts

RETAIL LEASES ACT 1994 - SECT 31

31 Determination of current market rent

(1) A retail shop lease that provides for rent to be changed to current market rent or that provides an option to renew or extend the lease at current market rent is taken to include provision to the following effect--

(a) The current market rent is the rent that would reasonably be expected to be paid for the shop, as between a willing lessor and a willing lessee in an arm's length transaction (where the parties are each acting knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion), determined on an effective rent basis, having regard to the following matters--

(i) the provisions of the lease,

(ii) the rent that would reasonably be expected to be paid for the shop if it were unoccupied and offered for renting for the same or a substantially similar use to which the shop may be put under the lease,

(iii) the gross rent, less the lessor's outgoings payable by the lessee,

(iv) rent concessions and other benefits that are frequently or generally offered to prospective lessees of unoccupied retail shops.

The current market rent is not to take into account the value of goodwill created by the lessee's occupation or the value of the lessee's fixtures and fittings on the retail shop premises.

(b) If the lessor and the lessee do not agree as to what the actual amount of that rent is to be, the amount of the rent is to be determined by valuation carried out by a specialist retail valuer appointed by agreement of the parties to the lease, or failing agreement, by the Registrar.

(c) The matters set out in paragraph (a) are to be taken into account by a specialist retail valuer appointed under paragraph (b) in determining the amount of the rent.

(d) The lessor must, not later than 14 days after being requested to do so by a specialist retail valuer appointed under paragraph (b), supply the valuer with information (where reasonably available to the lessor) requested in a list provided by the valuer to assist the valuer to determine the current market value, including the following information about leases for comparable retail shops in the same building or retail shopping centre--

(i) current rental for each lease,

(ii) rent free periods or any other form of incentive,

(iii) recent or proposed variations of any lease,

(iv) outgoings for each lease,

and including any other information prescribed by the regulations.

(e) A valuation for the purposes of paragraph (b) is to be in writing and to contain detailed reasons for the specialist retail valuer's determination and to specify the matters to which the valuer had regard for the purposes of making his or her determination.

(f) The parties to the lease are to pay the costs of a valuation by a specialist retail valuer appointed under paragraph (b) in equal shares.

Note : The procedure provided by this section can be avoided if the parties can come to an agreement as to what the rent is to be.

(1A) A party to a lease may apply to the Registrar for the appointment of a specialist retail valuer for the purposes of subsection (1) (b).

(1B) A party to a lease may make written submissions to a specialist retail valuer to assist in the valuer's consideration of the valuation, and the valuer must consider any such written submissions.

(2) A specialist retail valuer must make a valuation of a current market rent for the purposes referred to in this section not later than 1 month after receiving the information referred to in subsection (1) (d).

(3) A specialist retail valuer may apply to the Tribunal under Part 8 for an order that a lessor comply with a request referred to in subsection (1) (d) to supply relevant information about leases for retail shops situated in the same building or retail shopping centre to assist the valuer to determine the rent.

(4) The reasons and matters included in a valuation as referred to in subsection (1) (e) must not be set out in a way that discloses information identifying other leases or parties to other leases or relating to the business of parties to other leases. This subsection does not apply to leases between the parties to the lease for which the valuation is made or to leases whose parties consent to the disclosure of the information.