Councils and unpaid rates

 Stuff reports: “Millions of dollars in unpaid council rates have been taken directly from property owners’ mortgages in the past year. A little-known clause of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 [Section 62] gives councils the power to force people’s banks or finance companies to cover unpaid rates… If a rates defaulter owns a property outright, and thus has no mortgage, a council will use in-house rates chasers, or debt collectors to get payment. If that doesn’t work, councils have the power to go to the high court for an order to sell or lease a property to recover the rates.”

Photo credit: Stuff