Finding an abandoned car on your Brisbane property without permission can be annoying and frustrating. Getting rid of unwanted vehicles is essential, but there are legal steps that need to be followed in Queensland before removing cars left on your land.
This guide will walk through the process step-by-step to ensure you legally remove the abandoned car from your property in Brisbane.
Assess If the Car is Truly Abandoned
Before taking any action, you need to confirm the car left on your land in Brisbane is genuinely abandoned and not just parked there temporarily by someone.
Indications a car is abandoned include:
- Flat tires and build-up of dirt/dust on the exterior
- Accumulation of cobwebs, leaves, and debris under or on the car
- Missing number plates or expired registration stickers
- Damage, rust, or vandalism indicating the car has sat for extensive periods
- No response when knocking on doors of nearby properties to find the owner
If the car has been left untouched in the same spot for several weeks, it’s safe to assume it’s abandoned and can proceed with the removal process.
Provide Notice to the Owner
Even if the owner seems uncontactable, you must make reasonable attempts to notify them before removing the abandoned car on your Brisbane property. This is a legal requirement under Queensland law.
First, place a warning notice on the car’s windscreen stating your intent to remove it if not collected in 14 days. Ensure you write down the exact date and time you placed the notice.
Take photographs showing the position of the notice in the car as evidence you completed this step.
Also, send a letter to the car’s registered owner at their last known address if you can find it via a license plate search. Specify the same 14-day collection period.
Making these reasonable efforts shows you have allowed the owner to retrieve their vehicle if it was not indeed abandoned.
Call Your Local Council
The next step is contacting your local Brisbane City Council to inform them about the abandoned car on your property.
Explain to the council representative that you have already placed a 14-day warning notice on the vehicle as required. They will advise you to submit a formal complaint or application to organize a council inspection.
Having the council review and approve the vehicle as abandoned provides further legal backing to remove it yourself. If the owner tries to dispute your actions later, you have proof the council was also involved.
Hire a Brisbane Car Removals Service
After 14 days from placing the initial warning notice, you can proceed with organizing to get the abandoned car taken away if the owner has not collected it.
The easiest and safest option is hiring a professional Brisbane car removal service. Reputable companies like Cars Wreckers can handle the entire end-to-end process legally and efficiently.
Their experienced team will come to your property and confirm the vehicle is suitable for removal under Queensland’s laws. They’ll safely tow the car away and handle all responsibility.
This prevents you from having to coordinate towing or waste disposal yourself. Car removal companies also take on any liability for correctly scrapping and recycling the abandoned vehicle.
Transfer Ownership & Deregister the Car
To fully finalize the removal of the abandoned car found on your land, you’ll need to transfer ownership and deregister it legally.
As the Brisbane property owner initiating the process, you can claim ownership rights over the unwanted vehicle.
Visit a Queensland Department of Transport office with evidence of the notice period given and a council complaint to cancel the abandoned car’s registration. This transfers ownership to you.
You can then sign ownership to the car removal company that took it away to absolve yourself of any further responsibility. The car will be correctly handled as scrap from there.
Removing abandoned cars from your property can be challenging, but following these steps helps ensure you stay on the right side of Queensland laws. Being patient and diligent with notices minimizes any risk of complaints or legal issues arising.
Leaving removal to professional Brisbane car wreckers is recommended for seamless abandoned vehicle collection with full liability coverage. If you’ve found an unwanted car on your Brisbane land, don’t hesitate to call Cars Wreckers on 0401213250 for fast, legal removal services.
