Abandoned car on private property. Advice please.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on this issue? Very nice car (between $30K to $40K value) has been parked in the carspace of one of my tenants since May this year. Police advised that there's nothing they can do as the vehicle's owner has not reported it stolen, although the chassis number comes from a stolen vehicle. Car has obviously been rebirthed. Does anyone have experience with valuable vehicles being abandoned on their rental properties? What did you do? I now have vehicle, waiting for owner to come and collect it (if they come and collect it).

 

I'm assuming this is in an apartment complex?

 

Get it towed? It's private property you or tenants shouldn't have to suffer because someone has trespassed

 

How do you know that? be odd if cops informed you, then didn't act on it.
Perhaps go to the local station and discuss that point with a sergeant or higher, if no luck get in-touch with local/state commissioner.

 

Yes, police know chassis number. First they said it was stolen; then they said it's a very professional job; lastly their advice was that they couldn't do anything as the registered owner would not respond to their phone calls. We spent three days liaising with police.

Initially no towing company would touch the car without owner's permission (which of course we didn't have). Finally someone moved it but was careful touching it.

Yes, it's an apartment complex. Underground secure parking. My suspicion is that tenant knows about the car but had to feign ignorance when she was asked whether she had sublet her car space (lease says she can't do that). She then proclaimed she did not know how owned the car. But how did it know to move into a car space whose tenant has no vehicle?

 

Legally there is nothing that can be done. However, should the vehicle makes it way to council property i.e. the footpath or street, then they have a responsibility to move it.

 

I find it strange that nothing can be done. It is private property. Say someone parked their car under your carport at your house overnight. You wake up the next morning and you see it there. Are you saying there is nothing that can be done to remove the car? Even after 6 months?

 

The police and council do not care because it is on private property and will only deal with it when it is on public property as it is a civil issue (trespass) and not a criminal offence.

The police can contact the owner advising them of the situation but cannot make the owner do anything.

 

It means you handle things privately then... Slash tyres, smash windows, find a cash towie... Just don't get caught

That's the down side of unit life I guess. Big properties in the bush would have a lot of "missing items"

 

OK. I can understand it being a civil issue. But what about common sense?

 

If its an apartment complex I'd tow it out to the street. Its a council / police matter then

 

Part it out

 

Slightly confused, VIN is from a stolen car, so it's a stolen car then?

Without damaging, you could go buy 2 dollies from bunnings, put them under the rear wheels (assuming rear wheel drive) and push it out to the street. Public street, not your problem.

 

Had the same issue with an abandoned Lexus. Tenant came back from holiday to find it and wanted it gone, police brushed it off, and the owners corp refused to look into it.

I left notes and door knocked the complex, but achieved nothing. Apparently a 4wd similar to mine dragged it sideways into the middle of the road one night

 

Legal advice just received on this subject is that you are able to tow any vehicle on private property to the street but the cost is to be borne by you.

 

yo!