Gunnedah council auction 16 properties for outstanding charges dating back five years

The decision was made at February's ordinary council meeting, and the auction will take place in May.

A Boggabri property which appeared in the initial council business papers will not go under the gavel, however, having paid their debts in time. A number of the properties are deceased estates.

Unpaid council rates and charges means locals could snap up a bargain if almost 20 properties go to public auction in May.

The real estate market has exploded in the past 12 months as investors from Sydney and Melbourne home in on regional areas where rentals are at an all-time low.

Seventeen properties in Gunnedah, Curlewis, Breeza, Tambar Springs, Boggabri and Premer will be auctioned off if Gunnedah shire's councillors pass the motion at this afternoon's meeting. A number of properties are deceased estates.

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If the motion gets the tick, Lakeford Real Estate would facilitate the sales on Friday, May 27 at 11am at The Civic in Chandos Street.

Under the Local Government Act, 1993, the council has the right to sell any land on which a rate or charge has remained unpaid for more than five years from the date on which it became payable.

More than $140,000 was owed to the council as of January 5, 2022, and the council said all efforts to recover the outstanding monies had been unsuccessful.

In the meeting papers, the author wrote that the sale of land process was "certainly not undertaken lightly" and was "the last resort" to recover funds.

A financial review by staff has identified 38 long-term debtors who owe almost $290,000 in unpaid rates and over more than four years. Twenty-one accounts are subject to current legal action, repayment plans or subject to possessory title claims. The remaining accounts will go to auction.

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