A condo resident woke up to find their car missing from the covered parking spot they pay extra for every month. It had been towed overnight for supposedly not having a visible permit, even though the permit was right where it was supposed to be.
A neighbor’s security camera caught the tow truck driver shining a flashlight on that permit before hooking up the car anyway. Now the tow company is demanding hundreds of dollars in cash and threatening to put a lien on the title.
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A Paid Covered Parking Spot
The resident lives in a gated condo complex where parking isn’t automatically included. They pay an extra $120 a month for an assigned, covered parking stall.
That’s about $1,440 a year just to guarantee a protected spot for their car. Paying for that space is supposed to mean they don’t have to worry about where they park or whether their car will be there in the morning.
A Permit on the Windshield
Every resident gets a reflective barcode sticker to show they’re allowed to park in the complex. The resident’s permit sits directly on the lower driver-side corner of their windshield, exactly where it’s meant to go.
It’s designed to be easy to spot. Anyone checking for permits would only need to glance at the windshield to see it.
An Empty Space at 6 A.M.
Yesterday morning at 6, the resident went out to their car and found the spot empty. Their first thought was that the car might have been stolen.
They called the complex management, who told them a private towing company had taken it around 2 a.m. The reason given was that the car didn’t have a visible permit.
$650 in Cash
When the resident called the tow company, they were told they’d need to pay $650 in cash to get their car back. The company wouldn’t accept any other form of payment.
Coming up with that much cash on short notice isn’t easy for many people. It could mean pulling from savings, borrowing money, or missing other bills just to get their own car back.
$85 a Day in Impound Fees
The tow company also said there’s an ongoing impound fee of $85 per day. That means every day the car stays at the lot, the cost keeps climbing.
Just a few days could add hundreds more dollars to the bill. Waiting to fight the tow could end up costing the resident far more than the original $650.
On top of that, they’re without their car. That can mean missing work, paying for rides, or scrambling to get to appointments while the dispute drags on.
Footage From a Neighbor’s Car
The resident checked a neighbor’s Tesla, which records footage through its security system. The video from that night shows the tow truck driver walking up to the car and shining a flashlight right onto the valid parking permit.
The light stays on the permit for about five seconds. Then the driver hooks up the car and tows it anyway.
To the resident, the footage proves the tow was wrong. The driver clearly saw the permit and still took the car.
A Lien Threat by Friday
The resident contacted the tow yard owner about the footage. The owner refused to look at it and said that if the resident doesn’t pay by Friday, the company will place a lien on the car’s title.
A lien could make it much harder for the resident to sell the car or keep clear ownership of it. If it goes far enough, they could risk losing the car altogether.
A Civil Matter, Not a Theft
The resident also called the local police. Dispatch told them it was a civil matter between a tenant and landlord and wouldn’t take a stolen vehicle report.
That leaves the resident feeling stuck. They have proof the permit was visible, but the tow company won’t review it, the police won’t step in, and every passing day adds another $85 to the bill, all for a parking spot they were already paying to use.
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