Pisano and Anor v Williams

The case of *Pisano and Anor v Williams* concerned a dispute between the appellants, Mr Pisano and his wife, and the respondent, Ms Williams, regarding a contract for the sale of residential property. The primary issue before the court was whether the appellants had validly terminated the contract due to a failure by the respondent to comply with a notice to complete.

The central legal question was whether the notice to complete served by the appellants was valid and effective in law. This required the court to consider the requirements for a valid notice to complete under the relevant contract and, by extension, the general principles of contract law concerning time for performance and the consequences of default.

Bell J found that the notice to complete was invalid because it did not specify a reasonable time for completion. The judge reasoned that a notice to complete must allow a party a reasonable period to remedy the breach, and in this instance, the period stipulated was insufficient given the circumstances. Consequently, the appellants were not entitled to terminate the contract on the basis of the purported notice.

The court therefore held that the termination of the contract by the appellants was wrongful.