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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    9

    Default What to Do About a Parked Car that Has Not Moved for the Past Few Months

    My question involves towing laws for the State of: California
    In the city of Arcadia

    I live in an apartment complex of 12 units. Everyone has their own 2 car garage and there are 5 spaces provided for guest parking. If the tenant has additional cars, overnight parking permits are required by the city to park on the streets.The problem is that these spaces are being abused by a few of the tenants who refuse to park their cars on the streets and pay for the overnight permit. My guests that come over and stay overnight have nowhere to park. In addition, there is a car that has been parked in one of the guest spaces for over 3 months without moving and spider cobbs are building around it. Housing manager does is not on-site and does not return my phone calls. I've left multiple notes on cars that abuse the guest parking slots. What is my next step? Would it be possible to call the city and have the car that has been parked for over 3 months towed? I'm not even sure if it belongs to one of our tenants. I'm thinking it's a friend of a tenants that needs to park their car for long term.

  2. #2

    Default Re: What to Do About a Parked Car that Has Not Moved for the Past Few Months

    The city can't have such vehicles towed off of private property (which includes apartment complexes) unless they are in violation of some city or county ordinance (i.e. sitting on blocks, sitting dormant without an engine or otherwise obviously derelict - cobwebs alone won't be enough). Cities/counties can tow when THEIR rules are broken, but on private property, it's up to the property owner or their designee to enforce parking rules.

    A few things you could do are:

    1) Call your local police department and ask for the traffic division. Let them know about the "parking without city permit" problem and ask them to step up patrols on the public street(s) in question. They actually do listen to citizen complaints on these things (and why not, it's easy ticket revenue for the city - like shooting fish in a barrel).

    2) Typically, complexes contract with one or more local tow companies, and those companies can patrol looking for vehicles that should be removed from the premesis based on complex rules (where you can/can't park, etc.). You might try grabbing the phone book and calling a few local companies and asking them if your complex is part of their "route". With only 5 guest spaces, it may just be that your complex doesn't provide decent "hunting" for them like larger areas might so it's not getting their attention. If there's no standing agreement between apartment management and a tow company however, management must specifically authorize the tow.

    3) Apartment complexes are notorious dumping grounds for stolen vehicles. You could call police and report an apparantly abandoned vehicle - if there's nothing amiss you're out nothing but the time for the phone call - but if the car is sitting for some other reason (i.e. it's a stolen vehicle, or the owner is afraid to be driving it for reasons of warrants or something else interesting to law enforcement) it might peak their interest. Is the tag on the vehicle current?

    4) If phone calls to management are failing, try stapling a written complaint and a photo of the vehicle in question to your rent check.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    9

    Default Re: What to Do About a Parked Car that Has Not Moved for the Past Few Months

    Thank you for your advice. I will try the stapling of the picture to my rent check. If that fails, I'll report a suspicious vehicle that has been parked in my complex that has not moved for the past few months to the local authorities.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    20,594

    Default Re: What to Do About a Parked Car that Has Not Moved for the Past Few Months

    Quote Quoting sohcpunk
    View Post
    I live in an apartment complex of 12 units. Everyone has their own 2 car garage and there are 5 spaces provided for guest parking. If the tenant has additional cars, overnight parking permits are required by the city to park on the streets.The problem is that these spaces are being abused by a few of the tenants who refuse to park their cars on the streets and pay for the overnight permit. My guests that come over and stay overnight have nowhere to park. In addition, there is a car that has been parked in one of the guest spaces for over 3 months without moving and spider cobbs are building around it. Housing manager does is not on-site and does not return my phone calls. I've left multiple notes on cars that abuse the guest parking slots. What is my next step? Would it be possible to call the city and have the car that has been parked for over 3 months towed? I'm not even sure if it belongs to one of our tenants. I'm thinking it's a friend of a tenants that needs to park their car for long term.
    In CA the city will have no real ability to deal with the issue unless they have an abatement program and the vehicle in question is in violation of those related ordinances. So, you can check with the city and see if the vehicle might be considered for possible abatement.

    Ultimately, the management has to deal with the issue, not the city.

    - Carl

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    20,594

    Default Re: What to Do About a Parked Car that Has Not Moved for the Past Few Months

    Quote Quoting sohcpunk
    View Post
    Thank you for your advice. I will try the stapling of the picture to my rent check. If that fails, I'll report a suspicious vehicle that has been parked in my complex that has not moved for the past few months to the local authorities.
    And, unless it's stolen, they will simply clear after running the plate. The police have no authority to remove a vehicle from private property in this circumstance (unless it is subject to abatement, and that will likely be the job of someone else and not the beat cop).

    - Carl

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