Unpaid Rates Saga Ends: 33 Outback Homes Sold at Auction
The sale of 33 outback homes has brought an end to a months-long unpaid rates saga, but uncertainty remains for tenants. The properties, owned by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services, were sold at auction for a total of $4.95 million.
After months of uncertainty, the future of 33 outback homes has been decided, with all properties selling at auction for a total of $4.95 million.
Kerry Major, one of the tenants, had been wondering how she would find out if her Mount Isa home had been sold. The answer came when two women arrived at her doorstep, introducing themselves as the new owners.
"I didn't get the phone call," Ms Major said.
"The two ladies pulled up at my house and, when they introduced themselves, one said she was the one who purchased the house at the auction."
Ms Major's home was one of 25 properties owned by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services (ATSICFWS) that had been caught up in an unpaid-rates saga. The corporation had accrued almost $1 million in unpaid rates, leading the Mount Isa City Council to put the properties up for auction.
The homes were sold over three days, with a mix of investors and owner-occupiers buying the properties. According to Council director of corporate services Kelvin Tytherleigh, about 60 per cent of successful buyers were locals, while others came from Townsville, Brisbane, New South Wales and Victoria.
"It's a matter now for the purchaser, the new owner, to liaise with the tenant, if there is one and, following the tenancy laws that exist in Queensland, come to an arrangement," Mr Tytherleigh said.
Some residents have already moved out, while others remain and want to stay. Settlements are expected across October. Ms Major tried to keep her home off the auction block, offering to pay the $27,000 in outstanding rates.
"As a tenant, I was keen to draw from my super to try and pay my rates, which was $27,000 at that time," she said.
However, she was told a caveat was on the property title, making it not viable. The house remained on the auction list.
Council expects to recover about $2.2 million from the process, with the final figure dependent on auctioneer, legal and other recovery costs. For Ms Major, the sale has brought a different kind of uncertainty, but she believes an agreement with the new owner may be possible.
"It's a big reprieve," she said.