Author Topic: Had my car towed - recourse?  (Read 18965 times)

jeromedawg

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Had my car towed - recourse?
« on: May 24, 2017, 03:29:39 PM »
Hey all,

So one of my friendly neighbors (he's on the board and lives in front of the space where my car was parked) had my car towed yesterday apparently because it was parked there for too long. I had parked it there for about 3-5 days, went out, saw the space and parked in it again but I guess he wasn't happy about that. Probably about 8-10 days max it was sitting there. Board association rules apparently state you must move the car ever 3-5 days?

At this point it seems there's no recourse right? It's gonna cost $174 to retrieve the piece of junk too and I have to get it by 5pm PST today. I have thought about donating it cause I barely drive the thing.

Any advice/pointers on what to do next if it's not to go retrieve the car?
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 10:31:37 AM by jeromedawg »

Orvell

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2017, 03:33:50 PM »
I would check your local laws. Many places do have 72 hour maxes for street parking-- it's quite possible you were towed legally, in which case, pay the fine, get your car, make sure you move it every couple of days.

Mr. Green

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2017, 03:38:40 PM »
I'm curious because I don't live in a place like that, what do you do if you simply don't go out often? Do you simply have to move your car just because? I'm assuming the OP lives in a condo or apartment type place where there aren't private driveways or garages.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2017, 03:41:31 PM »
I would check your local laws. Many places do have 72 hour maxes for street parking-- it's quite possible you were towed legally, in which case, pay the fine, get your car, make sure you move it every couple of days.

So this is private parking in our community. I guess the bylaws/rules state something about not parking for more than X amount of hours in any given spot before moving it, otherwise you're at risk of getting towed - I need to review the bylaws to find out exactly.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2017, 03:43:13 PM »
I'm curious because I don't live in a place like that, what do you do if you simply don't go out often? Do you simply have to move your car just because? I'm assuming the OP lives in a condo or apartment type place where there aren't private driveways or garages.

I think you just have to move your car often - apparently I didn't move it often enough in this case. I've left it sitting in other spots for just as long or longer but I guess the board member who lives in front of that spot was fed up? There are no private driveways and we have a 2-car garage but I try to leave it empty for when we have my in-laws or other friends visit because parking can sometimes be a pain. I just got so used to parking outside and moving around out of habit, that I overlooked moving it sooner this time around.

Mr. Green

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2017, 03:46:05 PM »
I would check your local laws. Many places do have 72 hour maxes for street parking-- it's quite possible you were towed legally, in which case, pay the fine, get your car, make sure you move it every couple of days.

So this is private parking in our community. I guess the bylaws/rules state something about not parking for more than X amount of hours in any given spot before moving it, otherwise you're at risk of getting towed - I need to review the bylaws to find out exactly.
I wonder what the legal definition of "moved" is. I'd be tempted to throw the car in neutral and roll it six inches, while taking video as proof. Beats driving around the block for no reason.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2017, 03:47:47 PM »
I would check your local laws. Many places do have 72 hour maxes for street parking-- it's quite possible you were towed legally, in which case, pay the fine, get your car, make sure you move it every couple of days.

So this is private parking in our community. I guess the bylaws/rules state something about not parking for more than X amount of hours in any given spot before moving it, otherwise you're at risk of getting towed - I need to review the bylaws to find out exactly.
I wonder what the legal definition of "moved" is. I'd be tempted to throw the car in neutral and roll it six inches, while taking video as proof. Beats driving around the block for no reason.

LOL, I think if it's remained in a spot for more than X amount of time. I just read a CCR highlight from 2015 and it says "vehicles parked within the association for more than 96 hours are subject to towing at the owners expense" - so it seems like they make an umbrella statement for the entire complex

Catbert

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2017, 03:51:05 PM »
Next time you could try following the rules or at least parking in front of your home since you don't want to park in your 2 car garage.

Mr. Green

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2017, 03:53:58 PM »
Next time you could try following the rules or at least parking in front of your home since you don't want to park in your 2 car garage.
lol. how do you know the OP has a garage or even private parking? Doh! Just saw the OP's response about the garage. :P

Mr. Green

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2017, 03:55:55 PM »
I'm curious because I don't live in a place like that, what do you do if you simply don't go out often? Do you simply have to move your car just because? I'm assuming the OP lives in a condo or apartment type place where there aren't private driveways or garages.

I think you just have to move your car often - apparently I didn't move it often enough in this case. I've left it sitting in other spots for just as long or longer but I guess the board member who lives in front of that spot was fed up? There are no private driveways and we have a 2-car garage but I try to leave it empty for when we have my in-laws or other friends visit because parking can sometimes be a pain. I just got so used to parking outside and moving around out of habit, that I overlooked moving it sooner this time around.
Aw man and your garage is empty?! That stings.

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2017, 03:59:22 PM »
I would check your local laws. Many places do have 72 hour maxes for street parking-- it's quite possible you were towed legally, in which case, pay the fine, get your car, make sure you move it every couple of days.

So this is private parking in our community. I guess the bylaws/rules state something about not parking for more than X amount of hours in any given spot before moving it, otherwise you're at risk of getting towed - I need to review the bylaws to find out exactly.
I wonder what the legal definition of "moved" is. I'd be tempted to throw the car in neutral and roll it six inches, while taking video as proof. Beats driving around the block for no reason.

LOL, I think if it's remained in a spot for more than X amount of time. I just read a CCR highlight from 2015 and it says "vehicles parked within the association for more than 96 hours are subject to towing at the owners expense" - so it seems like they make an umbrella statement for the entire complex

Go to the next HOA's meeting and bring up your grievance.  It might not come to anything, but you could at least argue that it was parked for <96 hours, moved, then towed when you parked it again.
Formally request the $174 back. Maybe you'll get it, maybe it will be denied, but at least it'll be in the meeting notes that ____ is an a-hole who had someone's car towed just for S&G.

SnackDog

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2017, 04:02:52 PM »
You have recourse galore.

Why not ring the doorbell of the jackass who towed your car instead of asking you to move it? Give him a piece of your mind.

Then go to the next board meeting and tell them what you think of their parking rules. 

Then take them all to small claims and see if they can prove to the judge you broke the rules.

human

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #12 on: May 24, 2017, 04:09:50 PM »
You have a two car garage so use it. Problem solved. You're lucky you can park more than 24 hours, in many cities you can park in residential areas only with a permit and only for so long. Pay the fine, get your car and move on, what's so complicated?

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #13 on: May 24, 2017, 04:24:43 PM »
Haha I opened a can of worms with this one. Most of the people in the community use their garage for storage and park in all the guest spots (which are unmarked btw), so it's a pretty 'regular' thing. Yes, I could have avoided this by just parking in our garage - noted and I will probably do that again. I just got in the habit of parking outside and moving the car around that it slipped my mind. And of course, I haven't had an issue like this up until now. In any case, based on what my neighbors are saying, it sounds like the board member who approves towing is the one who's "space" I parked in so it sounds like that was the real catalyst. I'm pretty sure others in the community have parked in other spaces much longer than I have without recourse, it's just that they are either in the know (as to where to park to get away with it) and/or haven't gotten towed yet themselves. Who knows though - maybe the tow truck makes regular visits out here, but I don't see it too often. I don't know how many people here are aware of the 96 hour rule and even in the enforcement policy it talks about a courtesy letter going out before any towing (with a contingency that none will be left if the vehicle is subject to "immediate" tow - but it's also not clear if vehicles in violation of the 96-hour rule are actually subject to "immediate" tow. There's no criteria that I could find that defines when a vehicle would be subject to that).

Anyway, I'll be getting my car soon and will start parking in the garage again or will move it around if we plan to have guests staying with us (my parents in a few days, actually)
« Last Edit: May 24, 2017, 06:05:47 PM by jeromedawg »

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2017, 06:00:53 PM »
So yea, unfortunately it looks like a notice was left but I wouldn't have seen it from passing by on the way to getting the mail since I had my windshield protector screen thing up. I should have been more vigilant in checking the front and seeing if any notices were left - whenever I go out there I usually do check on the car though so maybe I just wasn't thorough enough or something and completely missed it. Sometimes I'll go around to the front of the car to check and sometimes I'll just pass by. Maybe I only passed by when the notice was left on the windshield. Interestingly, the warning/notice they left isn't dated so who knows when it was left. It looks like it's 'weathered' though but possibly from getting wet and drying overnight (and this did happen yesterday).

The board member could have slapped it on right before or as it was being towed away...*shrug*

At this point I know it's the treasurer of the board who did this because his address is the recorded address impound authorization form. They can't disclose his name but looking up the address in the resident directory reveals it, and I know he's the treasurer because of recent newsletters/board meeting minutes. The spot is right in front of his door and I often see him parking there, so I'm pretty sure that was a big part of all this.

Anyway, lesson learned with this... I usually switch spots and check on my car more often but this one slipped out of my mind - it's always that one time that gets you too.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2017, 06:04:30 PM by jeromedawg »

JoeBlow

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2017, 07:31:57 PM »
I would park there again and move it once a day or two.  Document each time you move the car.  Make him pay the next time.

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2017, 07:35:40 PM »
HOw many units in the complex? How do they even know who has been in the spot for 96 hours as opposed to 95 hours?? Do they have a parking attendant that goes around all day and night? What if you leave and come back and coincidentally park in the same spot (i believe that is what you did)?

bacchi

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2017, 07:41:56 PM »
HOAs and busybodies...they're like flies and shit.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2017, 07:47:03 PM »
HOw many units in the complex? How do they even know who has been in the spot for 96 hours as opposed to 95 hours?? Do they have a parking attendant that goes around all day and night? What if you leave and come back and coincidentally park in the same spot (i believe that is what you did)?

I have no idea - I'm assuming this board member perhaps took some pictures of my car to get a timestamp? At least, if I were that irritated by someone parking in my spot, I'd probably think to do the same. There's no parking attendant that comes around, so I don't know if it's based on personal account or if they actually do document this stuff by taking pics or whatever.

I did go out for an hour or two, and when I came back the spot was open and I parked in it - that was my mistake. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be in this position. As far as the 96 hours, when I look at my Google location history, I was there for over 96 hours I think, so either way it's a moot point because I broke code and it's ultimately my bad and a lesson learned. That said, I've parked in other spaces for well over 96 hours as well though and this is the first time it happened. I just didn't realize that this particular board member (who apparently maintains sole authorization to tow) lives in front of that exact space; now I know hahaha. So part of it was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had I parked elsewhere, I'm 99.9% sure this wouldn't have happened.

I think there are over 200 condo units in the complex, and parking is spread throughout. Parking generally isn't a problem either except at night - there are enough spaces to park for everyone; it's just that some are closer than others. I think this guy lives alone and has one car, so why I see him parked in that spot pretty often makes me wonder if he himself is violating the CCRs and bylaws about residents using their garages as storage space.

HOAs and busybodies...they're like flies and shit.

LOL, I see the guy walking his dog every now and then, and he seems friendly. But he keeps to himself and has never come up to introduce himself - somewhat stand-offish in that way (I guess you could say the same about us? We don't particularly go out of our way to reach out to the neighbors around us, but I have gotten to know a few of them). I've been here for 10 years and he's been here longer. I've had the same car too, and it recently has stuck out even more so like a sore thumb because the driver's side door and fender are different colors from the rest of the car (ask me about this another time... I actually posted a thread about it in the DIY section or something). That said, I would be surprised if he didn't know it was my car - if he did, a letter at my door would have been nice, considering he's literally right across the way. Oh well, he's a board member with authorization to tow peoples' cars - I'm sure it feels good to put your powers to use every now and then, right? My mom reiterated the importance of getting to know my neighbors in light of this little mishap....

I would park there again and move it once a day or two.  Document each time you move the car.  Make him pay the next time.

That's an interesting idea - not sure if I'd want to try baiting him like that. He'll probably get really agitated if I park in "his" spot again LOL!  But it sure makes for some good drama... if it were to get towed again though, that would be my time and I'd rather not go back to the towing place, which is right around the corner from our local landfill (it smelled *awful* driving around there)
« Last Edit: May 24, 2017, 07:59:01 PM by jeromedawg »

SnackDog

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #19 on: May 25, 2017, 03:17:32 AM »
Buy a wretched looking clunker at a local auction. Spray paint it neon pink. Swap it every 72 hours with your car in the same two spots. See how the Treasurer likes that.

MommyCake

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #20 on: May 25, 2017, 04:32:29 AM »
Donate the car as you mentioned.  This will solve your problem, and you will be doing something nice for someone as well. 

If you parked in front of my house for 8-10 days when you have a perfectly good two-car garage and driveway, it would annoy the hell out of me too.  Think of it from the point of view of the "a-hole". 

Rollin

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #21 on: May 25, 2017, 05:46:36 AM »
Welcome to life in a condo. Not for me that's for sure.

Mgmny

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #22 on: May 25, 2017, 07:00:44 AM »
Your car was parked in front of his space, and his address was listed on the citation. Couldn't that just have been the address your car was found at?

Also, I don't think he's an "a-hole" as you describe him.You have an empty garage, and you broke the rules YOU decided you would follow when you moved in there.


Quick Anecdote: My brother lives in a city with even-odd parking (meaning cars can only be parked on 1 side of the street overnight, and it alternates sides every night), and he had a car that didn'ts' run without a garage or driveway. He literally had to push his car across the street EVERY day for something like 3 months before he got it running again to avoid citations.

Blueskies123

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #23 on: May 25, 2017, 07:15:46 AM »
Hey all,

So one of my friendly neighbors (he's on the board and lives in front of the space where my car was parked) had my car towed yesterday apparently because it was parked there for too long. I had parked it there for about 3-5 days, went out, saw the space and parked in it again but I guess he wasn't happy about that. Probably about 8-10 days max it was sitting there. Board association rules apparently state you must move the car ever 3-5 days?

At this point it seems there's no recourse right? It's gonna cost $174 to retrieve the piece of junk too and I have to get it by 5pm PST today. I have thought about donating it cause I barely drive the thing.

Any advice/pointers on what to do next if it's not to go retrieve the car?

So you are clogging up guest parking while not using your own garage.  Give me a break.  You are in the wrong.

UnleashHell

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #24 on: May 25, 2017, 07:55:31 AM »
your bad.
option a- go to the guy. apologize for the inconvenience you caused , say it wont happen again and ask him just to knock on your door if he needs a car moving and you'll sort it out immediately. could get the guy in a position of power on your side.

option b. Buy a POS car. park it in "his" space for 80 hour then switch it for another POS for the next 80 hour. Repeat until his head explodes. take pictures with a time stamp to prove you change it.

Option c (combine with b) go to HOA meeting and spend the entire time asking about how many times cars are towed, who checks on them, what the procedure is and if the only car towed was outside of this guys house and make sure everyone knows he's abusing his position. Go for his job on the board and crush him.





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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #25 on: May 25, 2017, 08:00:57 AM »
I'm surprised at how many people seem to agree with the OP. Such an odd lack of empathy in this thread.

1. OP lives in an HOA.
2. HOA's have rules.
3. Moving in constitutes acceptance of HOA rules.
4. OP states he's been notified previously about the specific parking limit. He's used up his "courtesy" warnings.
5. He saves his garage for occasional guests?
6. He doesn't even park in front of his own home?
7. What about the guests of the people whose homes he's parking in front of?
8. Why would he park his car where he can't even see it when he has other options?
9. Why did he specifically overpark in front of the home of a board member?

I could go on, but it's completely clear who is the "a-hole"  (to quote the OP) in this case.
Why do you think it's okay to be so selfish? What does it really cost you to comply with the rules you've already agreed to?

Pay the fine. Read and start complying with the rules today. Apologize to this neighbor in person. Go to a board meeting and apologize for your lack of consideration to the rest of your community. Clean the slate and resolve to be a better neighbor. Get the target off your back.

Here's the easiest way to live in an HOA community: Be cool, mind the rules, and fly under the radar. It's not really that difficult. It's probably even easier than moving, but that's another option that's always open to you.
 


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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #26 on: May 25, 2017, 08:06:02 AM »
your bad.
option a- go to the guy. apologize for the inconvenience you caused , say it wont happen again and ask him just to knock on your door if he needs a car moving and you'll sort it out immediately. could get the guy in a position of power on your side.

option b. Buy a POS car. park it in "his" space for 80 hour then switch it for another POS for the next 80 hour. Repeat until his head explodes. take pictures with a time stamp to prove you change it.

Option c (combine with b) go to HOA meeting and spend the entire time asking about how many times cars are towed, who checks on them, what the procedure is and if the only car towed was outside of this guys house and make sure everyone knows he's abusing his position. Go for his job on the board and crush him.

Slightly cheaper than buying two POS cars: Order a load of stone and have it delivered to 'his' parking spot.

Reynolds531

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #27 on: May 25, 2017, 08:44:35 AM »
your bad.
option a- go to the guy. apologize for the inconvenience you caused , say it wont happen again and ask him just to knock on your door if he needs a car moving and you'll sort it out immediately. could get the guy in a position of power on your side.

option b. Buy a POS car. park it in "his" space for 80 hour then switch it for another POS for the next 80 hour. Repeat until his head explodes. take pictures with a time stamp to prove you change it.

Option c (combine with b) go to HOA meeting and spend the entire time asking about how many times cars are towed, who checks on them, what the procedure is and if the only car towed was outside of this guys house and make sure everyone knows he's abusing his position. Go for his job on the board and crush him.

Slightly cheaper than buying two POS cars: Order a load of stone and have it delivered to 'his' parking spot.

I'm desparately trying to not suggest parking a POS out front loaded with rotting fish....and you guys aren't helping me be a nice reasonable person.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #28 on: May 25, 2017, 10:17:53 AM »
I'm surprised at how many people seem to agree with the OP. Such an odd lack of empathy in this thread.

1. OP lives in an HOA.
2. HOA's have rules.
3. Moving in constitutes acceptance of HOA rules.
4. OP states he's been notified previously about the specific parking limit. He's used up his "courtesy" warnings.
5. He saves his garage for occasional guests?
6. He doesn't even park in front of his own home?
7. What about the guests of the people whose homes he's parking in front of?
8. Why would he park his car where he can't even see it when he has other options?
9. Why did he specifically overpark in front of the home of a board member?

I could go on, but it's completely clear who is the "a-hole"  (to quote the OP) in this case.
Why do you think it's okay to be so selfish? What does it really cost you to comply with the rules you've already agreed to?

Pay the fine. Read and start complying with the rules today. Apologize to this neighbor in person. Go to a board meeting and apologize for your lack of consideration to the rest of your community. Clean the slate and resolve to be a better neighbor. Get the target off your back.

Here's the easiest way to live in an HOA community: Be cool, mind the rules, and fly under the radar. It's not really that difficult. It's probably even easier than moving, but that's another option that's always open to you.

Yea, I realize when I posted the thread I had a hot-head and "a-hole" probably isn't the right term. Shall I change the title to remove that? [I went ahead and changed it :)]

To clear things up though - there are no parking spots in front of my place (no driveway). The spot I parked in is the closest spot to where my place is; it's just that it's closer to the guy who had me towed. And I had no idea this guy was on the board until all this happened. I believe more of why I was towed was because I happened to be parked in his favorite and most convenient guest spot; the leverage was in the fact that it was over 96 hours - had I been parked anywhere else, this *more than likely* would not have happened (in fact, I have left my car in other spots for as long as I did this one and never had a problem - and I'm pretty sure many of my neighbors have done the same). Anyway, it was a dumb overlook on my part and the lesson has been learned - put a calendar event on Google to move my car every 3-4 days if I park it outside.

Hey all,

So one of my friendly neighbors (he's on the board and lives in front of the space where my car was parked) had my car towed yesterday apparently because it was parked there for too long. I had parked it there for about 3-5 days, went out, saw the space and parked in it again but I guess he wasn't happy about that. Probably about 8-10 days max it was sitting there. Board association rules apparently state you must move the car ever 3-5 days?

At this point it seems there's no recourse right? It's gonna cost $174 to retrieve the piece of junk too and I have to get it by 5pm PST today. I have thought about donating it cause I barely drive the thing.

Any advice/pointers on what to do next if it's not to go retrieve the car?

So you are clogging up guest parking while not using your own garage.  Give me a break.  You are in the wrong.

It's unofficially considered "guest" parking - the parking is really for residents AND their guests. Just have to comply with the 96-hr rule, and more-so if it's in front of a board member's house. I'm pretty sure most other residents are leaving their cars around for 96hrs+, it's just that they are doing it in the spaces that board members don't care for. But yea, I'll make sure to move my car around and comply whenever I park outside now; and tell my guests the same thing.

Donate the car as you mentioned.  This will solve your problem, and you will be doing something nice for someone as well. 

If you parked in front of my house for 8-10 days when you have a perfectly good two-car garage and driveway, it would annoy the hell out of me too.  Think of it from the point of view of the "a-hole".

Yea, I still may donate it at some point since I don't drive it around all that much. BTW: there's no driveway, and a majority of residents use their second garage space as storage and/or park outside spots (maybe they have 3rd or 4th cars) - it's just that they're either complying OR if not, they're parked where nobody cares that they're not complying.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 10:32:19 AM by jeromedawg »

Dicey

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #29 on: May 25, 2017, 10:30:13 AM »
Yay!

I'd still recommend an apology to the guy. Hell, I'd even make him cookies. Good ones, not funny stuff. I assure you, he's not expecting it. Diffusing his anger could really pay off. And attending board meetings, even if you're a renter can really have dividends. The more people know you, the more you get the benefit of the doubt.

One final point is that most HOA Board positions are voluntary and thankless. Be different, in a positive way.

P.S. I get really pissed at myself if I do something like this and have to waste that many dollars, but blaming it on the other guy isn't really a very good solution. Thanks for your thoughtful response.

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #30 on: May 25, 2017, 10:44:41 AM »
Yay!

I'd still recommend an apology to the guy. Hell, I'd even make him cookies. Good ones, not funny stuff. I assure you, he's not expecting it. Diffusing his anger could really pay off. And attending board meetings, even if you're a renter can really have dividends. The more people know you, the more you get the benefit of the doubt.

One final point is that most HOA Board positions are voluntary and thankless. Be different, in a positive way.

P.S. I get really pissed at myself if I do something like this and have to waste that many dollars, but blaming it on the other guy isn't really a very good solution. Thanks for your thoughtful response.

Haha so I changed the title but all the replies still have it :T

So the funny thing about all this is that the guy is *supposed* to remain anonymous and I shouldn't even know that he's the one who authorized it. His name was not disclosed by the towing company or the property management company. I'm assuming for his own safety due to potential retaliation (in the form of Ex-Lax Chocolate Chip Cookies...jk). The only way I found out about it was from his immediate neighbors who were pulling out of their garage as I was trying to figure out what happened to the car. I stopped them and asked if they happened to see a different car there the day before and what happened, and that's when I found out that he was the one who called it in. So I think he might get a little freaked out that I found out that it was him AND I go knock on his door and offer him my delicious fresh-baked cookies. He'll also probably not be happy knowing that one of his other neighbors ratted him out. I suppose I could leave him a friendly note from "anonymous" apologizing for parking his favorite spot for too long :P Anyway, my mom was alluding to what you are suggesting, in terms of building "capital" with the neighbors. It makes sense... maybe one of these days.

From what I've seen/heard, people wanting to be on the HOA board often want to be on it more out of self-interest than for the greater interest of their neighbors. I noticed this guy has been on the board (in different positions) for MANY years. I think in some associations, it really is a political power play to stay on the board as long as possible for the 'prestige', ownership and power aspects. I think there should be rules against this as it can lead to conflicts of interest and ultimately abuses of power. There should be a rule instituted that board members can only serve for a specific term. But perhaps the issue here is that nobody else volunteered and they were the only ones left? I doubt it... there is a ballot sent out every several years to vote for board members and I'm pretty sure there were at least 2-3 other candidates. I'll have to start being proactive about voting for the HOA board (before I wasn't involved because I either wasn't aware, didn't care, or nothing like this happened to make me care until now hahaha). But the fact that a board member can serve for that long is a little disturbing when it seems there aren't really any balances/checks. Maybe that's normal though?
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 11:00:09 AM by jeromedawg »

jeromedawg

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #31 on: May 25, 2017, 10:54:52 AM »
Buy a wretched looking clunker at a local auction. Spray paint it neon pink. Swap it every 72 hours with your car in the same two spots. See how the Treasurer likes that.

It's funny you mention this - my car might be considered an eye-sore by some because of the mismatched white fender, blue door, and grey/gold rest of the car. It also has become weather-beaten. So this coupled with violation of the 96hr rule AND being parked in front of a board member's door (again, unknowingly) probably didn't help anymore. Although, I'm sure if anyone else parks in 'his' spot for that long, he'll exercise his powers again regardless of how the car looks. Either way - this is a surefire way to get the guy to come by and have code inspections done on my yard/exterior/etc and to try getting cited for various other violations hahahaha!

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #32 on: May 25, 2017, 11:01:24 AM »
It's probably not worth contesting the towing fee, but if you could prove that you had been out in the car in the middle of the period for which you were towed rather than being there throughout, I would be tempted to point that out to the board - if you were gone for a short period they might easily has missed your going but it's still not right.

As to who is on the board and for how long, I wouldn't fuss about it.   As owner or occupier, you are in a much worse position if the HOA collapses through lack of volunteers than if it carries on as is, and finding people willing to take on these roles is getting harder and harder for most organisations.

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #33 on: May 25, 2017, 11:22:41 AM »
It's probably not worth contesting the towing fee, but if you could prove that you had been out in the car in the middle of the period for which you were towed rather than being there throughout, I would be tempted to point that out to the board - if you were gone for a short period they might easily has missed your going but it's still not right.

As to who is on the board and for how long, I wouldn't fuss about it.   As owner or occupier, you are in a much worse position if the HOA collapses through lack of volunteers than if it carries on as is, and finding people willing to take on these roles is getting harder and harder for most organisations.

I was still in the wrong because I was parked there for more than 96hrs regardless, and this was *after* leaving/returning that one day. I just felt like it was shorter - I realized this after checking Google location though. In either case, as I've mentioned, I think this happened more so because of the visibility of the spot - being parked anywhere else this likely wouldn't have resulted in this, not to justify doing that (now I will make a calendar reminder every time I decide to park outside).

I'm starting to wonder if it takes incidents like these to get residents more interested in being on the board LOL. I could swear most ppl in my community don't care or have little interest of being on the board and they have no clue as to what the rules/CCRs are. Even the neighbor I spoke with thought it was a 72hr "move your car" policy. But I think quite a few units are being rented out as well, so the non-resident owners probably don't care as much as long as they're getting their rent checks.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 11:25:17 AM by jeromedawg »

pigpen

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #34 on: May 25, 2017, 11:38:52 AM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?




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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #35 on: May 25, 2017, 11:45:26 AM »
We once had a neighbor leave a note on our street parked car telling us it was illegally parked for far too long, it was blocking her view, and we had to move it.  She was absolutely in the wrong.

1) The car was actually parked about 2/3 in front of our property, 1/3 in front of their yard.

2) We were in the process of installing a fence.  Between tools and our helpers' cars, we were using all the street parking in front of our house, but the situation was clearly unusual and temporary.

3) Our city does not recognize that residents own the street in front of their property.  As long as it's not abandoned property, anyone could legally park there.

4) The car was there for no more than two days when we found the note.  The weekend had just started, so we weren't driving so much anymore.  Such hardship for her.

5) This same neighbor rarely mowed her lawn.  She had a huge patch of overgrown grass around a tipped over birdbath and Christmas decorations (it was late spring).  This unsightly patch was directly in the line of sight between her window and our car.  Our car was hardly making her view worse than it already was.

6) We had seen each other just the night before.  We tried to apologize for the noise and retrieve the wandering family dog*.  She literally just scowled at us.  Definitely no mention of the car at that time.

We moved the car anyway.  By then we had some space on the other side of the driveway and we didn't actually NEED to park in that spot anymore.  Plus I was not about to escalate with someone who was so petty and less than friendly.  For all I knew, her next step was to key the car.

You gotta pick your battles.


*Note: A dog wandering on a stranger's yard is not okay, but we rectified the situation immediately and took steps to not let it happen again.  Her hostile, mute scowl was way out of proportion to the severity of crime.

pigpen

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Re: A-hole had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #36 on: May 25, 2017, 11:56:07 AM »
I'm surprised at how many people seem to agree with the OP. Such an odd lack of empathy in this thread.

1. OP lives in an HOA.
2. HOA's have rules.
3. Moving in constitutes acceptance of HOA rules.
4. OP states he's been notified previously about the specific parking limit. He's used up his "courtesy" warnings.
5. He saves his garage for occasional guests?
6. He doesn't even park in front of his own home?
7. What about the guests of the people whose homes he's parking in front of?
8. Why would he park his car where he can't even see it when he has other options?
9. Why did he specifically overpark in front of the home of a board member?

I could go on, but it's completely clear who is the "a-hole"  (to quote the OP) in this case.
Why do you think it's okay to be so selfish? What does it really cost you to comply with the rules you've already agreed to?

Pay the fine. Read and start complying with the rules today. Apologize to this neighbor in person. Go to a board meeting and apologize for your lack of consideration to the rest of your community. Clean the slate and resolve to be a better neighbor. Get the target off your back.

Here's the easiest way to live in an HOA community: Be cool, mind the rules, and fly under the radar. It's not really that difficult. It's probably even easier than moving, but that's another option that's always open to you.

This is America.  We don't like arbitrary rules by power hungry tyrants.  And HOA's can change the rules after you move in by the way - how is that fair and a good use of your time to argue that?

If the HOA says you must only wear pink pants, would you bow down to the dictator and comply?

What is the "that" that he shouldn't argue? That people should follow rules? Is your contention that people shouldn't follow rules? That they shouldn't have to follow the ones that you deem "arbitrary"? How does that square with one of America's other values, the rule of law?

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2017, 12:07:02 PM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?

I suppose I'd "feel better" but then I'd also question why my car was singled-out when it seems this type of thing happens often with people being parked in other spaces for more than 96h hours. Why are they making a fuss about this spot vs any other spots? If you were truly being a "busybody" why wouldn't you go around the rest of the community and track how long everyone else is parked in their respective spots? Who knows, maybe there were several tows that occurred in the past week due to violations. But unless some outside-hired party is recording time in spot and time out, it seems a bit subjective. I'd understand more if these were actually labeled as "guest" specific spots but I've always understood these spaces to be for both residents and guests of residents. Perhaps there should be signs posted around or perhaps all the spots should be marked with "96 hours only" to make it very clear in case someone doesn't know (and I'm fairly certain many residents don't know that). This touches on UnleashHell's suggestion about scrutinizing the HOA's process and procedure for marking and towing cars, as well as the 'statistics' in terms of how many past-occurrences of this there have been and in what parking spots - if there's a trend that this kind of thing happens only in specific spots, then it's obvious the 'enforcement' is biased and there's a potential conflict of interest (e.g. neighbors thinking that open spot nearest to them is "theirs")

I've reported a neighbor for dumping their trash in my bin but that's a little different. We are each responsible for our own bins and what goes into them, and neighbors who encroach to dump stuff on our property are illegally dumping which is a violation of city-wide ordinance.   I would tend to think the equivalent to this example would be if I knowingly parked in someone else's assigned spot.

pigpen

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #38 on: May 25, 2017, 12:34:08 PM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?

I suppose I'd "feel better" but then I'd also question why my car was singled-out when it seems this type of thing happens often with people being parked in other spaces for more than 96h hours. Why are they making a fuss about this spot vs any other spots? If you were truly being a "busybody" why wouldn't you go around the rest of the community and track how long everyone else is parked in their respective spots? Who knows, maybe there were several tows that occurred in the past week due to violations. But unless some outside-hired party is recording time in spot and time out, it seems a bit subjective. I'd understand more if these were actually labeled as "guest" specific spots but I've always understood these spaces to be for both residents and guests of residents. Perhaps there should be signs posted around or perhaps all the spots should be marked with "96 hours only" to make it very clear in case someone doesn't know (and I'm fairly certain many residents don't know that). This touches on UnleashHell's suggestion about scrutinizing the HOA's process and procedure for marking and towing cars, as well as the 'statistics' in terms of how many past-occurrences of this there have been and in what parking spots - if there's a trend that this kind of thing happens only in specific spots, then it's obvious the 'enforcement' is biased and there's a potential conflict of interest (e.g. neighbors thinking that open spot nearest to them is "theirs")

I've reported a neighbor for dumping their trash in my bin but that's a little different. We are each responsible for our own bins and what goes into them, and neighbors who encroach to dump stuff on our property are illegally dumping which is a violation of city-wide ordinance.   I would tend to think the equivalent to this example would be if I knowingly parked in someone else's assigned spot.

When you reported the person for dumping the trash in your bin, did you first take it up with that person and give him/her a chance to rectify the situation? Did that person fill up your bin to the extent that you couldn't dispose of your own trash, or was the content of his/her trash particularly objectionable to you or dangerous in some way?

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #39 on: May 25, 2017, 12:59:41 PM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?

I suppose I'd "feel better" but then I'd also question why my car was singled-out when it seems this type of thing happens often with people being parked in other spaces for more than 96h hours. Why are they making a fuss about this spot vs any other spots? If you were truly being a "busybody" why wouldn't you go around the rest of the community and track how long everyone else is parked in their respective spots? Who knows, maybe there were several tows that occurred in the past week due to violations. But unless some outside-hired party is recording time in spot and time out, it seems a bit subjective. I'd understand more if these were actually labeled as "guest" specific spots but I've always understood these spaces to be for both residents and guests of residents. Perhaps there should be signs posted around or perhaps all the spots should be marked with "96 hours only" to make it very clear in case someone doesn't know (and I'm fairly certain many residents don't know that). This touches on UnleashHell's suggestion about scrutinizing the HOA's process and procedure for marking and towing cars, as well as the 'statistics' in terms of how many past-occurrences of this there have been and in what parking spots - if there's a trend that this kind of thing happens only in specific spots, then it's obvious the 'enforcement' is biased and there's a potential conflict of interest (e.g. neighbors thinking that open spot nearest to them is "theirs")

I've reported a neighbor for dumping their trash in my bin but that's a little different. We are each responsible for our own bins and what goes into them, and neighbors who encroach to dump stuff on our property are illegally dumping which is a violation of city-wide ordinance.   I would tend to think the equivalent to this example would be if I knowingly parked in someone else's assigned spot.

When you reported the person for dumping the trash in your bin, did you first take it up with that person and give him/her a chance to rectify the situation? Did that person fill up your bin to the extent that you couldn't dispose of your own trash, or was the content of his/her trash particularly objectionable to you or dangerous in some way?

The second or third time I actually returned a bag of trash they placed in our bin to their door with a note asking them to please not dump trash in our bin. But it happened again, and on several occasions. This particular neighbor would just toss food items, etc in our bin *after* the garbage truck came by to empty the bins and would do it often. I only found out because I actually saw some torn envelopes where they tried to tear out the address so I wouldn't know who it was, but I found out from the partial name and part of the address that was still visible. Keep in mind, these bins are supposed to be stored in our garages and only brought out every Monday for garbage/recycling collection. Some people have dumped dog crap in our empty bins (after the garbage pickup was done for the day) while walking their dogs, so bringing that back into the garage to store for another week would result in an awful smell. Same with rotting food. We'd have to dig out the bag of crap and toss it in a public trash can across the street.
Other neighbors, who we never identified, have dumped trash in our bin too, once filling it to the brim with huge bags from a pizza party after the garbage truck came by, so this was a recurring issue. The main issue is that we live on the corner unit of where one of the entrances is, so neighbors found it super-convenient to dump trash while on the way out of the community and if they filled up all the space in their bins.

After all this, I wrote the property mgmt company (the former property mgr was much more helpful than the current one, who doesn't give a rat's A about anything going on in the community here), and also contacted the city code enforcement and haven't had issues since then. They had to send out letters to the community asking neighbors not to illegally dump trash in each others' bins. But it wasn't until I contacted city code enforcement officials that my problems were fully taken care of.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 01:03:15 PM by jeromedawg »

pigpen

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #40 on: May 25, 2017, 01:19:56 PM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?

I suppose I'd "feel better" but then I'd also question why my car was singled-out when it seems this type of thing happens often with people being parked in other spaces for more than 96h hours. Why are they making a fuss about this spot vs any other spots? If you were truly being a "busybody" why wouldn't you go around the rest of the community and track how long everyone else is parked in their respective spots? Who knows, maybe there were several tows that occurred in the past week due to violations. But unless some outside-hired party is recording time in spot and time out, it seems a bit subjective. I'd understand more if these were actually labeled as "guest" specific spots but I've always understood these spaces to be for both residents and guests of residents. Perhaps there should be signs posted around or perhaps all the spots should be marked with "96 hours only" to make it very clear in case someone doesn't know (and I'm fairly certain many residents don't know that). This touches on UnleashHell's suggestion about scrutinizing the HOA's process and procedure for marking and towing cars, as well as the 'statistics' in terms of how many past-occurrences of this there have been and in what parking spots - if there's a trend that this kind of thing happens only in specific spots, then it's obvious the 'enforcement' is biased and there's a potential conflict of interest (e.g. neighbors thinking that open spot nearest to them is "theirs")

I've reported a neighbor for dumping their trash in my bin but that's a little different. We are each responsible for our own bins and what goes into them, and neighbors who encroach to dump stuff on our property are illegally dumping which is a violation of city-wide ordinance.   I would tend to think the equivalent to this example would be if I knowingly parked in someone else's assigned spot.

When you reported the person for dumping the trash in your bin, did you first take it up with that person and give him/her a chance to rectify the situation? Did that person fill up your bin to the extent that you couldn't dispose of your own trash, or was the content of his/her trash particularly objectionable to you or dangerous in some way?

The second or third time I actually returned a bag of trash they placed in our bin to their door with a note asking them to please not dump trash in our bin. But it happened again, and on several occasions. This particular neighbor would just toss food items, etc in our bin *after* the garbage truck came by to empty the bins and would do it often. I only found out because I actually saw some torn envelopes where they tried to tear out the address so I wouldn't know who it was, but I found out from the partial name and part of the address that was still visible. Keep in mind, these bins are supposed to be stored in our garages and only brought out every Monday for garbage/recycling collection. Some people have dumped dog crap in our empty bins (after the garbage pickup was done for the day) while walking their dogs, so bringing that back into the garage to store for another week would result in an awful smell. Same with rotting food. We'd have to dig out the bag of crap and toss it in a public trash can across the street.
Other neighbors, who we never identified, have dumped trash in our bin too, once filling it to the brim with huge bags from a pizza party after the garbage truck came by, so this was a recurring issue. The main issue is that we live on the corner unit of where one of the entrances is, so neighbors found it super-convenient to dump trash while on the way out of the community and if they filled up all the space in their bins.

After all this, I wrote the property mgmt company (the former property mgr was much more helpful than the current one, who doesn't give a rat's A about anything going on in the community here), and also contacted the city code enforcement and haven't had issues since then. They had to send out letters to the community asking neighbors not to illegally dump trash in each others' bins. But it wasn't until I contacted city code enforcement officials that my problems were fully taken care of.

That is obnoxious. I'd have turned them in too. To your original issue, I think I agree with the person who suggested picking your battles. Whether or not the guy did something wrong/uncool, you did break a rule, however unnecessary and/or inconsistently enforced it may be, so trying to argue that it shouldn't have happened may be a tough sell. I'd let it go, take the lesson about what you can expect from the guy, and worry about other things.

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #41 on: May 25, 2017, 01:49:09 PM »
A few questions to consider. Would you feel better about the whole thing if the person who had turned you in had been someone other than the person whose condo the space is in front of? Or would you still be mad in that case because someone was being a "busybody," as another poster put it? Do you have a fundamental problem with the rule itself? If so, have you ever brought that up with anyone?

If someone did something against the rules that you felt ran counter to your own interests -- e.g., leaving a smelly bag of garbage by your door/blocking your garage door/letting their dog crap in your petunias/whatever-it-might-be-that-would-particularly-annoy-you -- would you feel that it was unjust to turn that person in, or if someone else did?

I suppose I'd "feel better" but then I'd also question why my car was singled-out when it seems this type of thing happens often with people being parked in other spaces for more than 96h hours. Why are they making a fuss about this spot vs any other spots? If you were truly being a "busybody" why wouldn't you go around the rest of the community and track how long everyone else is parked in their respective spots? Who knows, maybe there were several tows that occurred in the past week due to violations. But unless some outside-hired party is recording time in spot and time out, it seems a bit subjective. I'd understand more if these were actually labeled as "guest" specific spots but I've always understood these spaces to be for both residents and guests of residents. Perhaps there should be signs posted around or perhaps all the spots should be marked with "96 hours only" to make it very clear in case someone doesn't know (and I'm fairly certain many residents don't know that). This touches on UnleashHell's suggestion about scrutinizing the HOA's process and procedure for marking and towing cars, as well as the 'statistics' in terms of how many past-occurrences of this there have been and in what parking spots - if there's a trend that this kind of thing happens only in specific spots, then it's obvious the 'enforcement' is biased and there's a potential conflict of interest (e.g. neighbors thinking that open spot nearest to them is "theirs")

I've reported a neighbor for dumping their trash in my bin but that's a little different. We are each responsible for our own bins and what goes into them, and neighbors who encroach to dump stuff on our property are illegally dumping which is a violation of city-wide ordinance.   I would tend to think the equivalent to this example would be if I knowingly parked in someone else's assigned spot.

When you reported the person for dumping the trash in your bin, did you first take it up with that person and give him/her a chance to rectify the situation? Did that person fill up your bin to the extent that you couldn't dispose of your own trash, or was the content of his/her trash particularly objectionable to you or dangerous in some way?

The second or third time I actually returned a bag of trash they placed in our bin to their door with a note asking them to please not dump trash in our bin. But it happened again, and on several occasions. This particular neighbor would just toss food items, etc in our bin *after* the garbage truck came by to empty the bins and would do it often. I only found out because I actually saw some torn envelopes where they tried to tear out the address so I wouldn't know who it was, but I found out from the partial name and part of the address that was still visible. Keep in mind, these bins are supposed to be stored in our garages and only brought out every Monday for garbage/recycling collection. Some people have dumped dog crap in our empty bins (after the garbage pickup was done for the day) while walking their dogs, so bringing that back into the garage to store for another week would result in an awful smell. Same with rotting food. We'd have to dig out the bag of crap and toss it in a public trash can across the street.
Other neighbors, who we never identified, have dumped trash in our bin too, once filling it to the brim with huge bags from a pizza party after the garbage truck came by, so this was a recurring issue. The main issue is that we live on the corner unit of where one of the entrances is, so neighbors found it super-convenient to dump trash while on the way out of the community and if they filled up all the space in their bins.

After all this, I wrote the property mgmt company (the former property mgr was much more helpful than the current one, who doesn't give a rat's A about anything going on in the community here), and also contacted the city code enforcement and haven't had issues since then. They had to send out letters to the community asking neighbors not to illegally dump trash in each others' bins. But it wasn't until I contacted city code enforcement officials that my problems were fully taken care of.

That is obnoxious. I'd have turned them in too. To your original issue, I think I agree with the person who suggested picking your battles. Whether or not the guy did something wrong/uncool, you did break a rule, however unnecessary and/or inconsistently enforced it may be, so trying to argue that it shouldn't have happened may be a tough sell. I'd let it go, take the lesson about what you can expect from the guy, and worry about other things.

Haha yea, the joys of living in a condo w/ the attached HOA. But yea, I'm not going to take any further action at this point. If I see the guy walking his dog I'll politely smile (and then scorn him and his dog behind his back...half-jk: i won't scorn his dog). At least now I know what to expect of him, as you say, though. I wonder what happens when board members themselves 'break the rules'

Reynolds531

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #42 on: May 25, 2017, 03:22:16 PM »
I would recommend backing into the space in front of his door after installing a bumper sticker that says "my other ride is your mother".

Dicey

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #43 on: May 25, 2017, 03:37:24 PM »
We once had a neighbor leave a note on our street parked car telling us it was illegally parked for far too long, it was blocking her view, and we had to move it.  She was absolutely in the wrong.

1) The car was actually parked about 2/3 in front of our property, 1/3 in front of their yard.

2) We were in the process of installing a fence.  Between tools and our helpers' cars, we were using all the street parking in front of our house, but the situation was clearly unusual and temporary.

3) Our city does not recognize that residents own the street in front of their property.  As long as it's not abandoned property, anyone could legally park there.

4) The car was there for no more than two days when we found the note.  The weekend had just started, so we weren't driving so much anymore.  Such hardship for her.

5) This same neighbor rarely mowed her lawn.  She had a huge patch of overgrown grass around a tipped over birdbath and Christmas decorations (it was late spring).  This unsightly patch was directly in the line of sight between her window and our car.  Our car was hardly making her view worse than it already was.

6) We had seen each other just the night before.  We tried to apologize for the noise and retrieve the wandering family dog*.  She literally just scowled at us.  Definitely no mention of the car at that time.

We moved the car anyway.  By then we had some space on the other side of the driveway and we didn't actually NEED to park in that spot anymore.  Plus I was not about to escalate with someone who was so petty and less than friendly.  For all I knew, her next step was to key the car.

You gotta pick your battles.


*Note: A dog wandering on a stranger's yard is not okay, but we rectified the situation immediately and took steps to not let it happen again.  Her hostile, mute scowl was way out of proportion to the severity of crime.
Do you live in a HOA? I feel your pain on this tale, but I suspect it had little to do with trying to exist under HOA rules. Apple vs. orange. We have neighbors who bought a house on a corner and promptly put up barriers so no one can park in "their" space. They're completely wrong, but nobody gives enough of a shit to bother with them. A single complaint to the city and the barriers would be vanquished. Living anywhere with a HOA means you're subject to (and worse, agree to abide by) their rules, even if they supercede the City Code, which they typically do.

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #44 on: May 25, 2017, 03:47:37 PM »
We once had a neighbor leave a note on our street parked car telling us it was illegally parked for far too long, it was blocking her view, and we had to move it.  She was absolutely in the wrong.

1) The car was actually parked about 2/3 in front of our property, 1/3 in front of their yard.

2) We were in the process of installing a fence.  Between tools and our helpers' cars, we were using all the street parking in front of our house, but the situation was clearly unusual and temporary.

3) Our city does not recognize that residents own the street in front of their property.  As long as it's not abandoned property, anyone could legally park there.

4) The car was there for no more than two days when we found the note.  The weekend had just started, so we weren't driving so much anymore.  Such hardship for her.

5) This same neighbor rarely mowed her lawn.  She had a huge patch of overgrown grass around a tipped over birdbath and Christmas decorations (it was late spring).  This unsightly patch was directly in the line of sight between her window and our car.  Our car was hardly making her view worse than it already was.

6) We had seen each other just the night before.  We tried to apologize for the noise and retrieve the wandering family dog*.  She literally just scowled at us.  Definitely no mention of the car at that time.

We moved the car anyway.  By then we had some space on the other side of the driveway and we didn't actually NEED to park in that spot anymore.  Plus I was not about to escalate with someone who was so petty and less than friendly.  For all I knew, her next step was to key the car.

You gotta pick your battles.


*Note: A dog wandering on a stranger's yard is not okay, but we rectified the situation immediately and took steps to not let it happen again.  Her hostile, mute scowl was way out of proportion to the severity of crime.
Do you live in a HOA? I feel your pain on this tale, but I suspect it had little to do with trying to exist under HOA rules. Apple vs. orange. We have neighbors who bought a house on a corner and promptly put up barriers so no one can park in "their" space. They're completely wrong, but nobody gives enough of a shit to bother with them. A single complaint to the city and the barriers would be vanquished. Living anywhere with a HOA means you're subject to (and worse, agree to abide by) their rules, even if they supercede the City Code, which they typically do.

A friend of mine told me about his neighbor a few doors down (single family homes) and how she has gotten people ticketed for parking too long in front of her house on the street. One time there was a power outage and the electrical company rolled a generator in front because that's where the best place for a hookup was. She called the cops on them and threatened them...lol doesn't sound like it went over too well.

BTW: that space I was towed out of is currently empty. It seems like our friendly neighbor scared the sh*t out of the rest of the neighbors. It must feel good to be in a position of power where you can call the towing company immediately and have a car disappear like magic. I really wonder what would happen if he started parking in the space and abusing the rule. Would other neighbors call him out on it? Since he has sole-authority to call the towing company, it doesn't seem like much could be done if he wanted to reserve "his" space - I can imagine the phone call from property management:

Rat Property Mgr: "Hey Dick [not his real name, for the sake of anonymity of course], one of the neighbors has been complaining about a black hummer parked in the same spot for 96.5 hours - please investigate and contact the towing company. And please don't call or email me back - I hate my job."

Dick: "You got it boss, I'll take care of the problem"

**Dick then proceeds to put his feet back up on his fancypants coffee table and smoke his cuban cigar...**
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 04:03:20 PM by jeromedawg »

Dezrah

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #45 on: May 25, 2017, 05:04:30 PM »
We once had a neighbor leave a note on our street parked car telling us it was illegally parked for far too long, it was blocking her view, and we had to move it.  She was absolutely in the wrong.

1) The car was actually parked about 2/3 in front of our property, 1/3 in front of their yard.

2) We were in the process of installing a fence.  Between tools and our helpers' cars, we were using all the street parking in front of our house, but the situation was clearly unusual and temporary.

3) Our city does not recognize that residents own the street in front of their property.  As long as it's not abandoned property, anyone could legally park there.

4) The car was there for no more than two days when we found the note.  The weekend had just started, so we weren't driving so much anymore.  Such hardship for her.

5) This same neighbor rarely mowed her lawn.  She had a huge patch of overgrown grass around a tipped over birdbath and Christmas decorations (it was late spring).  This unsightly patch was directly in the line of sight between her window and our car.  Our car was hardly making her view worse than it already was.

6) We had seen each other just the night before.  We tried to apologize for the noise and retrieve the wandering family dog*.  She literally just scowled at us.  Definitely no mention of the car at that time.

We moved the car anyway.  By then we had some space on the other side of the driveway and we didn't actually NEED to park in that spot anymore.  Plus I was not about to escalate with someone who was so petty and less than friendly.  For all I knew, her next step was to key the car.

You gotta pick your battles.


*Note: A dog wandering on a stranger's yard is not okay, but we rectified the situation immediately and took steps to not let it happen again.  Her hostile, mute scowl was way out of proportion to the severity of crime.
Do you live in a HOA? I feel your pain on this tale, but I suspect it had little to do with trying to exist under HOA rules. Apple vs. orange. We have neighbors who bought a house on a corner and promptly put up barriers so no one can park in "their" space. They're completely wrong, but nobody gives enough of a shit to bother with them. A single complaint to the city and the barriers would be vanquished. Living anywhere with a HOA means you're subject to (and worse, agree to abide by) their rules, even if they supercede the City Code, which they typically do.

Nope, no HOA.  Glad for it too.

We've since moved away but I still miss the neighborhood. Roughly a third of the houses were unoccupied when we moved in during the housing crisis.  Eventually the houses sold, mostly to Hispanic families.  Of those, numerous folks had landscaping businesses and put significant effort into beautifying their own yards.  I've also seen a pair of hens with about two dozen chicks running around our bushes.  Someone else had a goat in their fenced off yard.  There was a pair of wild Mallards that would quack at our door until we fed them and then sleep in our back yard.  It was a downright charming place to live. 

Sure an HOA could have removed Neighbor's GD Christmas decorations, but then I wouldn't get the joy of surprise chickens roaming the neighborhood.

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #46 on: May 26, 2017, 12:35:17 PM »
So I finally heard back from the property manager about the process, and it's slightly ambiguous.

He states:
Quote
The process is that a car would have to be observed either by myself or a board member for a period  which is usually a minimum of 4 days.   Notes may or may not be placed on car.  The only policy in place is that cars have to be moved every 96 hours.   There are no current provisions for notes or citations etc. and is currently at the discretion of the Board and management.   WE do not keep track of vehicle information so there is currently no way to provide a courtesy call.   If such information was available I would have called and given you the heads up.

Then he went on to say that they're apparently changing the rules again in July AND implementing a parking permit program and patrol. Supposedly they're sending out the rules regarding that new measure. I expect our HOA dues to go up in light of all this (especially the patrol part). I guess we'll find out what the new rules are soon. He states
Quote
This will help with the process both in terms of available parking and also that there will be consistent enforcement so that no one feels singled out.
- the fact that he mentioned "so that no one feels singled out" makes me a little suspicious that things like this have happened before. I'm not sure how the interactions with the board and property mgmt association go either e.g. if enough residents complain about the board to the property mgmt company, does the property mgmt company step in and override what the board is doing? If so, I wonder if this whole parking situation is a result of that (maybe there are more residents around here who have gotten their cars towed than I know or am aware of...?)

Coming to the *actual realization* that HOAs are awful (besides just hearing about how awful they are) is kind of like stepping on an anthill without knowing it, or walking too close to a hornets nest and getting stung. I fully regret not looking for a single-family home *not* part of an HOA back then... oh well, yet another lesson learned. Of course, if you have stickler neighbors, it doesn't really matter where you live I suppose.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2017, 12:46:34 PM by jeromedawg »

ohsnap

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #47 on: May 26, 2017, 04:04:48 PM »
This conversation has me wondering if you think what my son is doing is a jerk move or not:  We don't live in an HOA, but live on a culdesac which has no street parking because of the way the lots are shaped.  We have enough driveway and garage parking for our vehicles, but it's more convenient for my son to park on the street so none of us get blocked in to the driveway and have to move cars around.  The house at the start of the culdesac is on sort of a corner-shaped lot, so TONS of street parking in front and on the side.  It's enough for 5-6 cars, and at night there are always at least 5 cars lined up in front of/beside their house.  (no more than one of those belong to the resident of that house). I just looked out the window, and even during the day when most neighbors are at work, there's a neighbor's car in front.

So, is it a jerk move for all of us in the culdesac to park there, even though theoretically most of us could fit the extra cars in our driveway or garage?  I've thought we should make the effort to keep my son's car on our property, but it just means 4-5 cars would be parked across the street every night instead of 5-6.  (or maybe someone from further up the street would fill in the gap, who knows?).  What do you think?  Can we continue to park on the street guilt-free, or do we need to make a change? 

jeromedawg

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #48 on: May 26, 2017, 04:15:06 PM »
This conversation has me wondering if you think what my son is doing is a jerk move or not:  We don't live in an HOA, but live on a culdesac which has no street parking because of the way the lots are shaped.  We have enough driveway and garage parking for our vehicles, but it's more convenient for my son to park on the street so none of us get blocked in to the driveway and have to move cars around.  The house at the start of the culdesac is on sort of a corner-shaped lot, so TONS of street parking in front and on the side.  It's enough for 5-6 cars, and at night there are always at least 5 cars lined up in front of/beside their house.  (no more than one of those belong to the resident of that house). I just looked out the window, and even during the day when most neighbors are at work, there's a neighbor's car in front.

So, is it a jerk move for all of us in the culdesac to park there, even though theoretically most of us could fit the extra cars in our driveway or garage?  I've thought we should make the effort to keep my son's car on our property, but it just means 4-5 cars would be parked across the street every night instead of 5-6.  (or maybe someone from further up the street would fill in the gap, who knows?).  What do you think?  Can we continue to park on the street guilt-free, or do we need to make a change?

I'd say a lot of it has to deal with how well you know your neighbors - if you have existing relationships that are in good standing then it's probably fine. If you don't know them and of course if you are on bad terms with any of them, then you may not want to, even if there are no rules explicitly stating you can't park on the street for more than X hours/days/etc

ditheca

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Re: Had my car towed - recourse?
« Reply #49 on: May 27, 2017, 03:07:22 AM »
BTW: that space I was towed out of is currently empty. It seems like our friendly neighbor scared the sh*t out of the rest of the neighbors. It must feel good to be in a position of power where you can call the towing company immediately and have a car disappear like magic... Since he has sole-authority to call the towing company, it doesn't seem like much could be done if he wanted to reserve "his" space...

Obviously it would be open season to make impersonating phone calls to the tow company, asking them to come tow his car.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!