Land Law (LAWS2017/5012) – 85 HD | 394 Pages | Full Topic Notes + Mid-Sem & Final Exam Copy/Paste Scaffolds 2025

Description

These are my Land Law notes from Semester 2 2025 (USYD LAWS2017/5012). I scored 85 (HD) using this document. 394 pages. Land Law is a subject where a lot of students struggle to find clarity, the doctrines overlap, the terminology is dense, and the reading guide alone does not give you a structure to actually write an exam answer. These notes were built to fix that. Every topic is broken down with headings and sub-headings well beyond what the reading guide gives you, so each doctrine is isolated and explained in plain terms before you get to the case law. Cases are colour-coded blue throughout, with full case notes in blue boxes wherever the case needs more than a passing mention. Legislation is colour-coded red, with red boxes setting out the applied wording of the section, not just the number. The case coverage also goes beyond the reading guide itself, pulling in the cases used in lectures and in Butt's Land Law, so nothing examinable is missing just because it wasn't on the formal list. A note on scope: Topics 1 and 2 (tenures and estates, legal and equitable interests) are not included in these notes and were not separately assessable, since they are treated as assumed knowledge carried over from Property and Commercial Law in Semester 1. The exception is native title, which was assessed as an essay question and is covered in full. Everything from Torrens title onward is covered comprehensively. The course is split across two exams, a mid-semester test and a final, and this document is structured to match. The mid-semester exam was a Torrens problem question, and the mid-sem scaffolds are built specifically around that format. The final exam scaffolds cover everything examined in the final. WHAT IS INSIDE Pages 1–260: Full topic notes Every examinable topic from the reading guide, broken down lecture by lecture, with the case law extended beyond the reading guide's own list to cover everything raised in lectures and in Butt. Lectures 8 and 9 (Leases) are merged into a single set of notes, consistent with how they were actually delivered. Topics covered: Lecture 3: Native title (Mabo principles, the Native Title Act, extinguishment and validation, determinations, compensation) Lecture 4: Torrens title: the Register, eConveyancing, indefeasibility, unregistered interests Lecture 5: Exceptions to indefeasibility: fraud, in personam claims Lecture 6: Torrens title: the Assurance Fund, caveats, priority notices, priorities between unregistered interests Lecture 7: Co-ownership: joint tenancy vs tenancy in common, rights between co-owners, severance, s 66G applications Lectures 8–9: Leases: essential characteristics, types of tenancies, certainty of term, exclusive possession, statutory leases Lecture 10: Mortgages: creation, mortgagor and mortgagee rights and remedies, power of sale Lecture 11: Easements: creation, characteristics, construction, extinguishment Lecture 12: Profits à prendre Lecture 13: Freehold covenants: passing the burden and benefit, Tulk v Moxhay, schemes of development, s 88(1) and s 88B What the notes give you: - Doctrine explained in plain terms before the case law, so you understand the principle before you see how it was applied - Full case notes for every important authority, not just a one-line rule - Legislation broken down section by section in applied form, so you know exactly how to use it rather than just what it says Pages 261–300: Mid-semester exam scaffolds (copy/paste) Built specifically around the Torrens problem question format used in the mid-semester exam. These scaffolds walk you through indefeasibility, the fraud exception, in personam claims, priorities between unregistered interests, and the Assurance Fund, with rule paragraphs and application templates using placeholders. Pages 301–394: Final exam scaffolds (copy/paste) Covers everything examined in the final: co-ownership, leases, mortgages, easements, profits à prendre, and freehold covenants. Each scaffold includes a core rule statement, a checklist of elements, and a full template with bracketed placeholders you fill in with the problem's facts, so you go from spotting the issue to a complete applied paragraph without having to build structure from scratch. The covenants scaffolds in particular break down benefit and burden at law and in equity separately, formalities under s 88(1) and s 88B, and schemes of development, since this is usually the area students find hardest to structure under time pressure. WHY IT IS HELPFUL - Built for a subject that is genuinely difficult to structure, with headings and sub-headings that go further than the reading guide to make every doctrine clear on its own - Case coverage beyond the reading guide, pulling in lecture and textbook cases so you are never caught short - Colour-coded cases (blue) and legislation (red) with detail boxes, so you can navigate the document fast in an open-book exam - Two separate scaffold sets matched to the actual structure of assessment, mid-sem and final, so you are never working through content that isn't relevant to the exam in front of you - Every scaffold uses placeholders and full application templates, so you are applying law to facts, not building an answer structure from nothing