Short answer
Furniture and other goods dumped in a shared bin room are goods left on common property, and the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) sets out how an owners corporation may deal with them — including notice requirements before disposal, with a shorter path where the goods obstruct access or pose a safety risk. The removal cost usually comes out of the scheme’s administrative fund in the first instance, so every owner effectively pays. Committees should follow the Act’s process rather than acting on impulse.
The legal baseline
Items left on common property without authority are treated as abandoned or uncollected goods. The Act contains a specific process (s 125) for an owners corporation to dispose of goods left on common property, which generally involves giving notice before disposal and allows a faster response where goods block access or create a hazard. The exact notice periods and steps depend on the type of goods and the circumstances, so check the current provisions before acting — don’t assume you can bin someone’s belongings immediately. Where large or valuable items are involved, the broader uncollected-goods rules may also be relevant.
A practical strategy that stays lawful
Committees get the best results by combining the legal process with prevention:
- Follow the Act’s disposal process. Use the notice-and-disposal steps in s 125 rather than removing goods on the spot, unless they are obstructing access or creating a genuine safety hazard.
- Check any camera footage. Many bin rooms have security cameras. If footage identifies who dumped an item, that helps the committee address the specific resident — though whether the cost can be recovered from that owner depends on the scheme’s by-laws and the Act, so take advice before charging it back rather than assuming you can.
- Make the right way easy. Set a clear policy asking residents to keep bulky items in their own lot until a booked council bulk-waste collection, and to notify the secretary before booking, so goods don’t pile up in the shared room.
Handling it as a self-managed committee
A self-managed committee deals with dumped goods itself — the notice, the removal, the cost, and the follow-up with residents. Straita helps a committee run that cleanly: logging the incident, tracking the notice and disposal steps, and keeping the record of costs and any resident follow-up, so the process is documented if it’s ever questioned and repeat offenders are visible.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — s 125, disposal of abandoned goods on common property.
- NSW Government — Strata schemes (Fair Trading) — by-laws and common property.
- NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) — orders relating to by-law breaches and common property.