NSW Abandoned Property - Can I Take Ownership of Car?

[CathyC]

Hi,

A car has been abandoned on my rental property. It has rego plates on it, but I have no idea who it is registered to. Rego expired in March 2015.

I have 2 questions under property law. The car is currently not running and not roadworthy, but the mechanic has confirmed that it can be fixed.

1 - Can I take ownership of the abandoned property and repair it, and if so, how?
2 - If I cannot take ownership, can I remove the car from my property (surrender for scrap)?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[sammy01]

You don't own it. So, nope you can't take ownership of it. You should talk to the cops first and see what they can do.

If that doesn't work, I hope someone gives you better opinions than what I'd do. I'd roll it down the road and leave it. Why? Well, I reckon council would refuse to deal with it while on your land and when you want to leave the rental property, your landlord will charge you to get it towed.

 

[CathyC]

Thanks for the opinion, Sammy. I am the landlord, and I want the car removed, or be able to re-register and sell.

A previous housemate of my renter left it at the property when it stopped going. It now turns out that apparently he did not own it, but swapped a guy for it prior to moving to my place. We are trying to find the old owner to get written confirmation that they transfer ownership to me.

If we get this, do you think we can fix and re-register?

 

[Rod]

Ring NSW Fair Trading. They will know the rules around abandoned property. In Vic for instance, you can keep property below a certain value but there is a process to follow.

 

[Vivien]

You can pay a small fee and find out who the registered owner is...

The same checks should be done when you purchase a car.