In general tenancy agreements, goods valued at less than $2,500 can be sold or disposed of straight away if they would:

• be unhealthy or unsafe to store
• reduce in value if stored
• cost more to remove, store or sell than they are valued at.

Goods valued at $2,500 or more (e.g. cars, furniture, caravans) must be stored for one month, after which they can be sold at auction. You must make reasonable efforts to contact the owner of the goods to notify them of the auction, which includes contact methods as outlined above.

You can deduct the cost of the removal, storage and sale of the goods from the money raised at the auction. Any remaining money must be paid to the Public Trustee. You must apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) if you are owed any other money.

If the tenant wishes to reclaim their goods before you dispose of them, they must put this request in writing and pay you for the cost of removal or storage.

You cannot hold onto a tenant's possessions in lieu of rent or other money owed.

In moveable dwelling tenancy agreements, goods valued at less than $2,500 can be sold or disposed of straight away if they would:

• be unhealthy or unsafe to store
• reduce in value if stored
• cost more to remove, store or sell than they are valued at.

Goods valued at $2,500 or more (e.g. cars, furniture) must be stored for one month, after which they can be sold at auction.

Caravans, their contents, and other goods used for occupation must be stored for 2 months before any sale can take place. You must make reasonable efforts to contact the owner of the goods to notify them of the auction, which includes contact methods as outlined above.

If the tenant is renting the site only, the threshold value is $5,000. In these cases, any goods left behind that are valued at $5,000 or more must be stored for 2 months before they can be sold. You are still required to make reasonable efforts to contact the owner during this time.

You can deduct the cost of the removal, storage and sale of the goods from the money raised at auction. Any remaining money must be paid to the Public Trustee, to be held in the name of the tenant. You must apply to QCAT if you wish to make a claim against the money held by the Public Trustee.

If the tenant wishes to reclaim their goods before you dispose of them, they must put this request in writing and pay you for the cost of removal and storage.

You are not allowed to withhold a tenant's possessions (goods) from them because they owe you an amount for rent, electricity, damage, storage etc. These amounts should be claimed against the bond, or through a civil claim for compensation process at QCAT.

In rooming accommodation agreements, if money was left behind and there is an amount owed under the agreement, you may keep the amount owed before passing the remaining cash and personal documents to the Public Trustee.

All goods left behind must be kept for 28 days unless they are perishable, worth less than $250 or unhealthy to store, in which case you may dispose of them.

After 28 days you must continue to store the unclaimed property, or if the goods are valued at less than $900 you may donate them to charity. If the goods are valued at $900 or more you may sell them.

If you sell the goods, you can deduct the cost of their removal, storage, and sale. Any remaining money must be paid to the person who owned the property (if you have been able to locate them) or the Public Trustee.

If a resident wishes to reclaim their goods before they are disposed of, they must put their request in writing and pay you for the cost of removal or storage.