Sydney, NSW — Councils around Sydney have been leaning harder on the Public Spaces (Unattended Property) Act 2021 and the regulation that came with it in November 2022, and it's catching out a lot of drivers who didn't realise an old car parked on the street could land them with a fine. NSW Auto Wreckers says the easiest fix is usually to just sell the car rather than let it sit.
Under the rules, an unregistered car parked on a road can be fined at any time. A registered car that's damaged or can't be driven can be actioned by council rangers within a few days of being reported. And even a car that's registered and parked legally can still be treated as unattended if it stays in one spot too long - most councils use something around the 28-day mark. Once that notice period runs out, the council can tow the car away and bill the owner for the removal and storage on top of the fine itself.
A lot of the vehicles this catches are cars people have more or less written off already - old, damaged, or just not worth the hassle of fixing. NSW Auto Wreckers says the mistake most owners make is assuming a car like that isn't worth anything.
"If a car hasn't moved in weeks, that's exactly the kind of vehicle councils are looking for," a spokesperson for the company said. "Most people don't realise they can just get it picked up and paid for the same day instead of waiting for a fine to show up."
NSW Auto Wreckers collects vehicles for free across the Sydney metro area and pays cash for cars, utes, vans and 4WDs in any condition - running or not, registered or not.
About NSW Auto Wreckers
NSW Auto Wreckers buys unwanted, damaged, and end-of-life vehicles from owners across Sydney and greater NSW, offering free towing and same-day payment as an alternative to letting old cars sit unattended on public land.