Queensland hotel lost property law: Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967

How long must a hotel keep lost property in Queensland?

If the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967 (Qld) applies, the hotel gives the guest written notice that the item is ready to collect, then waits six months before a sale. A notice of intention to sell goes in the newspaper at least 28 days before a public auction, and a court order is needed if the hotel's charges are over $110. The Act was written for goods taken in for custody, storage or repair, so check with a lawyer before relying on it for a guest's forgotten item.

The Act written for hotels: Traveller Accommodation Providers (Liability) Act 2001

The Traveller Accommodation Providers (Liability) Act 2001 (Qld) covers property a guest brings into a hotel. It limits the hotel's liability for loss to $250 for each accommodation unit provided for the guest on the day of the loss (section 12(2)). The hotel must display the notice in Schedule 1 at reception or the main entrance and in each unit, or give guests a copy at check-in (section 15). Property placed in safe custody has a higher cap of $50,000 per unit per day (section 14(3)).

The same Act lets the hotel exercise an innkeeper's lien over a guest's property (section 16(2)). It does not set a procedure for disposing of unclaimed goods, so before keeping or selling a guest's forgotten item, take legal advice on how the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967 applies to it.

Does the uncollected goods Act cover guest property?

The Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967 applies to goods a business accepts for inspection, custody, storage, repair or treatment. Goods held for custody or storage with no agreed period are treated as ready for re-delivery seven days after they were accepted (section 3). The business can only sell if the owner fails to pay the charges or take delivery (section 5), and the sale must follow the Act's notice steps. Whether a guest's forgotten item counts as goods accepted for custody is not clear from the wording.

Notice and holding periods

Where the Act applies, its steps run in order:

• Written notice that the goods are ready for re-delivery goes to the guest, and to anyone else the hotel knows has an interest. It must state that the guest has six months to pay or collect before the goods can be sold (section 6).
• After six months, a notice of intention to sell is published in a statewide Brisbane newspaper and a local newspaper, and must be given at least 28 days before the sale (section 6).
• The sale must be by public auction, in a lot containing no other goods (section 6).
• If the charges claimed exceed $110 when the notice is given, a court order is needed before any sale (section 6).

Records and surplus money

A record of each sale must be made within 7 days and kept for 6 years (section 9). Any surplus left after the hotel's charges is paid to the Public Trustee within 14 days of the sale (section 20).

In practice: log each item the day it's found with a photo, room number and date, email the guest from the details on their booking, keep a copy of every notice and keep the sale record for six years.

How Homebound handles this for QLD properties

Homebound gives every logged item a timestamped history — intake photo, guest notification, courier collection — so a QLD property always has the record this guide describes. Guests enter their own shipping address and pay for courier return themselves, and it costs the hotel nothing.