Areas we serve / South-east Melbourne / Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes
Lawyers and solicitors for Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes
Units and townhouses, Patterson Lakes waterfront homes, wills and estates, and family law for clients from Edithvale and Chelsea Heights to Carrum, from our Frankston office about 10 to 20 minutes away.
How we help Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes clients
Choose what you need help with. Each one opens the detail further down this page.
Legal services for Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes clients
Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach and Carrum line the bay on land that was once the Carrum Carrum Swamp, drained by the Patterson Cut in the 1870s. The level crossing removals gave all four new stations, and many older houses have made way for units and townhouses: at the 2021 Census, 41.7% of Chelsea homes were flats or apartments and 47.6% of Bonbeach homes were townhouses or semi-detached. Inland, Patterson Lakes was built from the 1970s as a raised estate set around artificial lakes, canals and marinas.
We act for buyers and sellers of units, townhouses and waterfront homes, for owners subdividing an older block, and for families with wills, estates or a separation. Radek Dajer, our principal solicitor, acts personally on each matter, in English or in Polish. The Frankston line runs from Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach and Carrum to Frankston station, a short walk from our office, and we also meet by video.
Local note
In Patterson Lakes, Melbourne Water manages the lakes, waterways and tidal gates, and each standard residential property in the Tidal Waterways has been allocated a mooring, used under a lease with Melbourne Water.
Property, waterways, wills and family law in Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes
Choose a topic to see what it involves and how we help.
Buying, selling and subdividing in the bayside streets of Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach and Carrum, where units and townhouses now make up much of the housing.
- Before you sign: we check the contract, the section 32 statement and the planning controls on the land, including any overlay, and suggest changes while you can still negotiate.
- Cooling-off: for many private sales of residential property, you have 3 clear business days after signing to end the contract. There is none at a publicly advertised auction.
- Owners corporations: units and townhouses with common property are managed by an owners corporation. Read the rules, the fees and any special levies before you sign.
- Covenants: some older subdivisions carry restrictive covenants on title, for example limiting the number of dwellings. A covenant can prevent a subdivision unless it is removed or varied.
Waterfront homes on the Patterson Lakes canals come with a mooring and jetty arrangements with Melbourne Water that a buyer needs to understand before signing.
- Moorings: each standard residential property in the Tidal Waterways has been allocated a mooring at one of the jetty complexes. To use it, the owner must hold a current mooring lease with Melbourne Water and follow its jetty guidelines.
- Charges: Melbourne Water’s jetty access and jetty maintenance charges are spread over the quarterly water bills from South East Water. We check the mooring and these charges as part of reviewing the contract and the section 32 statement.
- Jetty additions: an addition to a jetty, such as a boat lifting device, needs Melbourne Water’s prior written approval, and may also need a planning permit from the council.
- Who manages what: Melbourne Water manages the lakes, the waterways and the tidal gates, and the council maintains the beaches.
Much of this area is low-lying former swamp beside the bay, the Patterson River and the Edithvale-Seaford Wetland.
- Flood overlays: in Kingston, the Land Subject to Inundation Overlay covers land affected by flooding from a waterway, and the Special Building Overlay covers overland flow from the drainage system. Buildings and works on affected land generally need a planning permit, and the relevant authority’s report and consent before a building permit issues.
- Coastal hazards: the council manages about 13 km of low-lying foreshore from Mentone to Carrum, and its coastal plan identifies erosion, storm tides and sea level rise as hazards.
- Before you buy or build: the planning property report shows the zone and overlays for an address. We check these controls as part of reviewing the contract, so ask us before you buy, build or extend.
Wills, powers of attorney and estates for families and long-term owners, and retirement village contracts.
- Wills: executors, gifts, guardians for young children and testamentary trusts, including for blended families.
- Enduring power of attorney: appoints someone to make financial or personal decisions for you, and continues if you lose capacity. Made under the Powers of Attorney Act 2014 (Vic).
- Executors: probate and administering the estate. Probate applications are filed online with the Supreme Court of Victoria.
- The contract: retirement village contracts in Victoria are governed by the Retirement Villages Act 1986 (Vic). Read the village’s information statement and the contract before you sign, especially the exit fee (deferred management fee), which is often deducted from what you get back when you leave. New rules that started on 1 May 2026 limit how that fee can be calculated and set a maximum time for paying out exit entitlements, so check which rules apply to your contract.
Separation, property settlement and parenting arrangements.
- Separation and divorce: are separate legal steps under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). You do not need to be divorced to settle property or parenting arrangements, and a divorce does not settle them for you.
- Time limits: married couples must apply to the court within 12 months after their divorce takes effect, and de facto couples within 2 years after the relationship ends.
- Parenting: before applying for parenting orders you generally need a certificate from a family dispute resolution practitioner, unless an exception applies, such as family violence, child abuse or urgency.
- Consent orders: once you agree, the court can make your agreement into binding orders, usually without anyone attending court.
Documents for use overseas?
Radek Dajer is also a notary public, in English or in Polish. Notarial appointments are held in person at our Frankston office, a short trip down the Frankston line.
Moving by the bay
Moving to a smaller home, step by step
From deciding to sell to settling into your new home. We handle both transactions and explain each step, in English or in Polish.
01
Plan the timing
Decide whether to sell first, buy first or do both together, and talk to your lender early if you may need bridging finance.
02
Prepare the sale
We prepare the contract of sale and the section 32 statement, and you apply for the tax clearance certificate most sellers now need by settlement.
03
Check the purchase
Before you sign for the new home, we review the contract, the section 32 statement and any owners corporation documents, and check the duty and any concession.
04
Line up settlements
We negotiate settlement dates so the sale settles on or before the purchase, and both go through an electronic platform such as PEXA.
05
Update your plans
A move is a good time to review your will, powers of attorney and superannuation nominations, so they match your new home and your family.
How we work
Visit us from Chelsea and Carrum
435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC 3199
Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm, by appointment
From Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes
About 10 to 20 minutes by car along the Nepean Highway.
By train
From Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach or Carrum station on the Frankston line to Frankston station, a short walk from our office.
Parking
Wilson Parking at 453 Nepean Highway, street parking on the Nepean Highway, and the car parks at McDonald’s across the road and at Dan Murphy’s.
Common questions
Can’t see your question? Call 1800 776 529 or send us a message.
Check the mooring and jetty arrangements as well as the house. Each standard residential property in the Tidal Waterways has been allocated a mooring, which is used under a lease with Melbourne Water, and Melbourne Water’s jetty charges are spread over the quarterly water bills. We check these, and the planning controls on the land, as part of reviewing the contract and the section 32 statement.
The planning property report for your address shows whether a Special Building Overlay or a Land Subject to Inundation Overlay applies. Building on affected land generally needs a planning permit. We check these controls as part of reviewing the contract, so ask us before you buy, build or extend.
A Magistrates’ Court matter generally goes to the court closest to where it arose or where the other party lives, which for Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes is usually Frankston, and for some inland addresses may be Dandenong. Objector appeals and appeals about permit conditions in Kingston are usually heard at VCAT Frankston, near our office.
Yes, review it promptly. Separation alone does not revoke your will or a gift to your former partner. Divorce revokes gifts to a former spouse and their appointment as executor, but only once the divorce takes effect. Check your superannuation nominations too.
Our office is at 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston, about 10 to 20 minutes by car from Chelsea, Carrum and Patterson Lakes, or a short train ride on the Frankston line. Much of the work can be done by phone, video and email.
Yes. Radek Dajer speaks Polish and can take your instructions and explain your documents in Polish. See our Polish-language page.
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Talk to us about your Chelsea, Carrum or Patterson Lakes matter
Tell us briefly what has happened or what you are planning. We reply to every enquiry within one business day, by phone, email or text, whichever you prefer.
What happens next
- Send the form.
- We reply within one business day.
- We arrange a time to talk, or ask for any information or documents we need first.
Prefer to talk? Call 1800 776 529, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm.