12 Jul Selling a Franchised Business? Check the Franchise Agreement First!

Dealing firstly with whether it is possible to franchise your business.
If your business:
then you are probably not ready to franchise.
When a retailer purchases from a wholesaler or a manufacturer the retailer must ensure that they know the limitations of the goods purchased. If the goods are faulty then the retailer may be liable to any subsequent buyer.
Whenever a retailer sells goods to a consumer there is a sale agreement and conditions are implied into that agreement. Consumers may make use of these conditions to successfully claim against a retailer.
The stakes can be high! If a product is not fit for a purpose it may cause damage and necessitate rectification works the cost of which may go well beyond the cost of the goods supplied.
The Australian Personal Property Security Register was due to commence in May, then October this year and now, will commence in early 2012. It will affect most businesses and it is worthwhile looking at the impact of these new laws as soon as possible. Financiers, Lessors and Suppliers will need to make sure that they do not lose their rights over assets which they have secured. Buyers will need to make sure that no-one else has an interest in the item they are buying.
The new register will replace most traditional securities including bills of sale and company charges.
So what should you do to ensure that you are not affected?
The cost of preparing legal documentation to turn a business into a franchised system is between $8000 and $20,000 plus GST . This cost may be recovered by the sale of franchises. Once the template documents are prepared the franchisee should pay the franchisor's costs to prepare and issue the documents, as well as the cost of negotiations. We set up franchise systems for clients throughout Australia. Please contact us for an instant quote. The task of preparing this documentation is a routine legal engagement for us however it is a lengthy process where each step in the process must be respected. We can usually provide draft franchise documentation within 2 weeks of receiving instructions.