Immer (No 145) Pty Ltd v The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)

The dispute in *Immer (No 145) Pty Ltd v The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* [1992] NSWCA 112 concerned the interpretation of a lease agreement and the enforceability of a notice to exercise an option to renew. The parties were Immer (No 145) Pty Ltd, the lessee, and The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW), the lessor. The case came before the New South Wales Court of Appeal.

The primary legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the notice to exercise the option to renew the lease was validly served in accordance with the terms of the lease agreement. Specifically, the court had to determine if the notice, which was sent by registered post to the lessor's registered office, constituted effective service when it was not actually received by the lessor's designated agent for receiving such notices.

The Court of Appeal held that the notice was not validly served. The lease agreement stipulated that notices were to be served on the lessor's agent for the time being. While registered post to the lessor's registered office was a method of service, it was not the exclusive method, and the lease required service on the designated agent. The court applied the principle that where a contract specifies a particular method of service for notices, that method must be strictly adhered to for the notice to be effective. As the notice was not served on the designated agent, the option to renew was not validly exercised.

Consequently, the Court of Appeal dismissed Immer (No 145) Pty Ltd's appeal, upholding the primary judge's decision that the notice to renew the lease was ineffective.