Council moves to sell homes over tens of thousands in unpaid rates

The lawns are overgrown and the blinds are drawn at a house on a quiet suburban street in The Gap.

It’s one of eight homes Brisbane City Council moved this week to sell due to unpaid rates, with almost a quarter-of-a-million dollars owed between them.

Some debts date back a decade, and a deceased estate in Red Hill owes more than $64,000.

“There’s been property owners who have consistently not paid their rates, and it’s just not fair on other ratepayers who do the right thing,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told the council chamber on Tuesday.

He said council officers had repeatedly attempted to contact owners in person and taken the debt recovery process through court, but added in about 90 per cent of previous cases debts were paid once threat of sale was made.

“In the end we found that whenever we proceed to this step … the money magically appears, and things start to get real.

“We don’t take this step lightly … we’re not dealing with a temporary oversight.”

The properties are a mix of freestanding houses and apartments in Wakerley, The Gap, Red Hill, Ashgrove, Kelvin Grove, Albion, Darra and Forest Lake.

The Labor opposition endorsed the step.

“Ultimately, all of us have to pay rates, fees and charges,” leader Jared Cassidy said.

He added council staff needed to ensure there were no language barriers or other challenges that have caused rates to go unpaid unintentionally.

In 2018 council moved to sell nine houses, for overdue rates worth about $130,000.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.