? for you LEO's concerning my neighbors

[203Cree]

Allright, this is gonna sound silly and prolly pretty trivial, but I'm getting sick of it. I live in an apt. complex that offers carports to park in for a monthly fee. I have posted signs stating that it's reserved parking, but it seems like everytime I come home, somebodys parked in both of mine. ( i got two for the truck, they're kinda small and I didn't want some jerkoff parkin too close and dingin the crap outta my truck) I don't know who it is, and I've discussed the matter with the managers and they're at a loss, seems the violaters are not residents. My ? is what can I do. I wanna just wrap a chain around thier bumper and move em, but I know there's some liability issues there. Can I have them towed at their cost? I know this has to sound dumb, but it's really starting to bother me. I pay the rent for two of em and can't use em cuz some asshat is in my spot. Anyway, any input is appreciated.

Thanks
Rob

 

[jshen]

Depends on your state's/area laws.

In GA, the area has to be posted "no trespassing- violators will be towed at their expense." Baring that, it is up to apt mgr to move cars. If you have them towed...initially it will cost you the towing fee, and be liable for damages if car is damaged. The burden is on you to show they parked illegally & trespassed. The apt mgr...once you pay the fee, is under a responsibility to enforce your rights...one they will not like if you bring them to court as they will loose....Point that out, demand they make your paid for spaces available and remedy the situation if it isn't.

My advice..get your apt people to post " no trespassing- violators will be towed". Costs mgr nothing to do so and keeps you liability free.

Good luck...it happened to me years ago..and I came out on top...in many ways....

Added: I don't consider your issue "trivial"...it's a pain in the ass and you should not feel bad about expressing it. Dipsticks that park like that..deserve what they get. Apt mgrs who ignor rentors...deserve the legal implications....

 

[203Cree]

Thanks for the input Jshen, I guess I'll go have a talk with the managers tomorrow. :beer:

 

[Floridalawdog]

In Florida the police could not help you in this matter. It is private property and therefore not a police issue. You may be able to do a private property impound, which would mean calling any tow company and having the vehicle towed at the owners expense, but I dont know if that would fly since you dont own the property. I would call a tow company and ask them if that is possible.

 

[Vancouver83LTD]

all of the above
may sound dumb but did you try traffic cones?
Something so trivial often works - don't doubt the power of the little orange cones!

 

[speederdoc]

all of the above
may sound dumb but did you try traffic cones?
Something so trivial often works - don't doubt the power of the little orange cones!

Man, that is so true. I was leaving a prime parking space in a hotel parking garage one afternoon and saw an orange cone nearby. I put it in that space, and when I returned later, just moved the cone and got the sweet space back.

People usually just won't mess with the cones. :beer:

 

[wvmystichrome]

When I was a lot younger we had a big fenced in back yard with a large gate to pull our vehicles into. Well one of the local women who was sneeking to the local motel with a local sheriff (not our county sheriff.) Well my little sister and I got real tired of not being able to play in the back yard and my parents did not want to say anything to anyone about it because they knew both parties real well. So I get and idea. Now understand I was about 11 - 13 years old and my sister about 4 years younger. So I go get dads car jack. We went out and jacked up the car just enough to have all 4 tires off the ground. We then put block under it and also 2 x 4's and such to where the car was completely off the ground but you could not really tell. Well about 11:00 that night we hear the car start up and then revved up and revved up. Well dad came in the next morning and asked me what I did to this ladies car. I told him. He said that was really great but next time go just go ask them to move it. I told him I wasn't interested in seeing what they were doing. never knew how she got it off the blocks. It was a real good practical joke but she got the hint and didn't park in our yard again. BTW she was my 3 close friends, when growing up, mother. Lived a few houses up the road. What would these people think if their cars were jacked up and put on blocks or even had one of those tire boots on them. Just a thought. HA HA

 

[esqeddy]

Here is how I would suggest handling the problem:

1) Put up a very prominent sign as indicated by others in this post.

2) Talk to your neighbors and tell them to warn their friends that you WILL actually have them towed.

3) Go ahead and contact a tow company and get the tracks greased so that when it happens again, you can easily have the offending vehicle removed.

4) Before towing, pull up and park right behind the offending vehicle blocking it in. Also leave a note on their windshield so that they know which apartment to come find you in when they want to get their car out. That way they have to face you and you get to chew a little butt and warn them that you will tow the next time. The humiliation and/or warning will likely make them think twice.

5) If all else fails, ringy dingy dingy.... "Sir, there is a vehicle at my address that needs towing..."

Good luck!

 

[esqeddy]

Oh... I too do not consider it a trivial matter. When on the faculty at Ga. Tech I had a paid for reserved parking spot near my office on campus. If I didn't park there, I had to park in public parking half way accross campus.

On one occasion, I found someone in my spot, and I pulled out a chain, wrapped it around their axle, and actually pulled them from my spot with my 4x4. I left their vehicle sitting right there and parked my truck. I thought that would get the point across without costing them a tow and impound fee, which in Atlanta ain't cheap!

The next morning I pull into work, and what do I find? I couldn't believe it! The same idiot's car is parked in my space again!!! You know the saying: "No good deed goes unpunished."

So much for Mr. Nice Guy... He paid a towing and impound fee that day to get his car back. But guess what. He never parked in my spot again!

 

[mswaim]

It cannot be stressed enough that following the example above leaves you open to huge amounts of civil liability. If in the process of pulling a vehicle out of a parking stall you damage it even in the slightest way you will be liable. If you pull the vehicle out and leave it parked and it is struck or damaged in any way, you will be liable.

I also would not advise you block the vehicle in unless of course you are willing to risk damage to your vehicle. Since you do not know who the driver is and what they are capable of, why take the risk?

Just follow the advice jshen provided and you will be fine.

 

[203Cree]

Well, I'm gonna try and talk to the managers about it today. I have actually done the block them in thing before and It worked with that person, but the problem is it's never the same person twice. If it was, I would've handled it already by just talking to them, but I have no idea who it is most of the time. Thanks for the all the input guys. Somehow I see this being a bigger pain in the ass to take care of than it should be.

 

[jshen]

Another consideration

For not doing anything to move the car yourself..is that the offender will know "where you park and live" and may subject you to acts of vandalism or violence. Always better to have Apt Mgr be the "heavy". In my job I am ALWAYS armed...but my unattended car is not.

 

[MARK C]

Way back, about 25 years ago..we lived in some apts, with car ports. One of which was my dads. My dad had one hell of a temper, ex cop, prison guard. Anyways....the samething was happening to us. he worked nights and the prison. About 3 or 4 times a week someone would be in his spot. He tried the manager thing, could never find the driver to tell him to leave. My dad went as far as to make a saw horse and chain it to the pole of the car port!! You know they would actually get out of there car and MOVE the chained horse out of the way to take our spot!!!!!! So he parked in back of there car,(diff cars every time) and when the manager came to ask my dad to move his car in the morning so the a**hole could go to work....he flat out told the manager to get fu**ed and slammed the door in his face. I remember it like it was yesterday. About 2 hours later he finnally went out and moved his car. You know that only helped for a couple of weeks before someone else was parking there again!!! lol
Just thought I would share this story with you guys.
like allready stated:
I would try the manager and tell him to post some signs to say move it, or be towed. I would NOT take this lightly either...you PAY for that spot and to me it's worth fighting for!

 

[Lawfficer]

I would do the following and I think this would be the most effective:

1.) Distribute a fly to the neighors in the complex stating which spots are yours and that you have apid for them. Inform them that, if thier friends or themself park in those spots after (2 or 3 days out) you will have the cars removed at their expense.

2.) Put up a big sign stateing "Private Parking - Violaters will be towed at thier expense" in BOTH stalls.

3.) When you find a violation, take a digital picture of it with the date/tim stamp on the camera enabled.

4.) Find a GOOD tow truck company that will not mangle peoples car, but at the same time will do it "At the owners expense". Call them before and tell them the situation and ask if they will do it. If they will, chances are you're ok as I don't think the Towing Company wants to get charged for Auto Theft.

 

[203Cree]

Well, I talked to the manager and they've already got something in the works as far as a solution. Seems I'm not the only one with this problem ( gee, imagine that ). I guess they're gonna post signs and any violaters will have the monthly fee for the carport tacked onto their rent everytime they park in em ( they're only 15 a month ). I'm not too sure how that's gonna affect the guests that park in em too, but he said they had another idea for that situation, so I left it at that ( the managers here are good at their jobs and they owe me a few favors, so I take them at their word). Thanks again for the input guys. :beer:

 

[johnny-longtors]

A note purely for entertainment purposes:
Someone unknown parked in my driveway back in the mid-80s and we jacked up the car and grabbed a pair of junk car ramps I had - we faced one forward and one backward under the rear wheels. We left for the day.
When I got home the car was gone and I never saw it again.

 

[NVWSSV]

I like this idea that someone mentioned.

At least until the mgrs. get it resolved.

 

[Vancouver83LTD]

I like this idea that someone mentioned.

At least until the mgrs. get it resolved.

The thing about a chained sawhorse is that it doesn't look 'official' enough.
The thing about cones is you don't know what's going on, is there like wet cement or some shit? You just dunno. I mean the thing is, cones do have a power, and I will admit if I saw them I'd go a few spaces down and park in that stall instead myself...

 

[stanger133]

I like this idea that someone mentioned.

At least until the mgrs. get it resolved.

they will probably move the cones and park in the same spot

 

[Vancouver83LTD]

they will probably move the cones and park in the same spot

it's worth a shot
the difference between a sawhorse with a chain & traffic cones is that cones look so official. People don't want to mess with them... A sawhorse is easier to move and not be worried about