Authorization to Impound/Tow

[tmkent23]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington

Who is authorized to impound or tow a vehicle that is parked in a reserved spot in an apartment building complex?
Does the owner of the reserved parking space (apartment tenant) have authorization to have the car towed?

 

[The Occultist]

Are you the "owner" of the spot? or the guy who got towed?

Anyways, tows off of private property are not legal unless authorized by the property owner or an officer.

 

[tmkent23]

Authorization to Tow

We were towed.
The LONG story...we live in Portland, OR....our 18-yr-old son drives (our truck, which he ALWAYS drives) up to Monroe, WA to visit his cousin for the weekend. He gets into his apartment complex (1st time there) LATE Saturday night. There is no visitor parking available by cousin's apartment, tons of reserved spaces open (no "towing" signs by entrance, only posted throughout complex, and none by where he parks, of course he doesn't notice them in the dark), dummy-him, decides to park in reserved space because "there are TONS of them"! He shouldn't have. Wakes up next morning (SUNDAY!) to find truck gone. Calls Towing Company, they meet him at the Tow yard, then proceed to tell him that he cannot get the truck due to the fact that he is not the legal owner. He calls us, we call Tow Yard "property manager" (only person on-call on Sunday). She tells us the only way to release the truck to him is if we get Notarized Power of Attorney. It's Sunday...he has to be back to Portland to work first thing Monday morning. We ask her if we send her a copy of the title, our driver's licenses, the insurance declaration showing his name on the policy, and our written consent/authorization to release the truck to him, can he have it? She says no, that is breaking the law. We drive up---10 hrs and 400 miles and $100 in gas(back and forth) later -- we get the truck back to our son, and pay a $608.16 towing bill! Just wondering what our options might be.....

Thank you for the hep!!!

 

[asiny]

Anyways, tows off of private property are not legal unless authorized by the property owner or an officer.

As a tenant, as the above quote states, the owner/officer/apartment manager would have that authority.

Your son is an idiot - even if he never noticed the signs, he never thought of asking his cousin if he can park there? Seeing as he has a job - have him pay you back over time... lesson learnt.

 

[Antigone*]

We were towed.
The LONG story...we live in Portland, OR....our 18-yr-old son drives (our truck, which he ALWAYS drives) up to Monroe, WA to visit his cousin for the weekend. He gets into his apartment complex (1st time there) LATE Saturday night. There is no visitor parking available by cousin's apartment, tons of reserved spaces open (no "towing" signs by entrance, only posted throughout complex, and none by where he parks, of course he doesn't notice them in the dark), dummy-him, decides to park in reserved space because "there are TONS of them"! He shouldn't have. Wakes up next morning (SUNDAY!) to find truck gone. Calls Towing Company, they meet him at the Tow yard, then proceed to tell him that he cannot get the truck due to the fact that he is not the legal owner. He calls us, we call Tow Yard "property manager" (only person on-call on Sunday). She tells us the only way to release the truck to him is if we get Notarized Power of Attorney. It's Sunday...he has to be back to Portland to work first thing Monday morning. We ask her if we send her a copy of the title, our driver's licenses, the insurance declaration showing his name on the policy, and our written consent/authorization to release the truck to him, can he have it? She says no, that is breaking the law. We drive up---10 hrs and 400 miles and $100 in gas(back and forth) later -- we get the truck back to our son, and pay a $608.16 towing bill! Just wondering what our options might be.....

Thank you for the hep!!!

Have your son pay you the money you're out.

 

[tmkent23]

Towing Authorization

The "Authorization to Impound or Tow & Vehicle Inventory" form lists the person who authorized its title as "Occupant" and checked "Private property custodian" (don't know what that means), but not Private property owner.
If she is just the person who the parking place belonged to, just the apartment occupant, not the apartment manager, or maintenance person, is that okay for her to authorize that??

 

[tmkent23]

Our son is DEFINITELY paying for it--already paid both financially and emotionally! I KNOW it's a lesson learned! I think he was more upset we had to spend our day driving up there than we were. But we were pretty mad too!

 

[tmkent23]

Yes, he is an 18-year-old idiot...as most of them are....

 

[asiny]

Yes, he is an 18-year-old idiot...as most of them are....

The "Authorization to Impound or Tow & Vehicle Inventory" form lists the person who authorized its title as "Occupant" and checked "Private property custodian"

Their development bylaws might allow the occupant the power to authorise a tow. It's not going to be an argument worth fighting.

 

[Antigone*]

Yes, he is an 18-year-old idiot...as most of them are....

Guess you are one of the unlucky ones. I guess he is unlucky too. Maybe he turned out just like his parents. I NEVER have referred to one of my children as an idiot, but then again that is just me.

 

[asiny]

Guess you are one of the unlucky ones. I guess he is unlucky too. Maybe he turned out just like his parents. I NEVER have referred to one of my children as an idiot, but then again that is just me.

I would never want to refer to my child as an idiot - but when they do something idiotic.... yes, idiot is the word that comes to mind to describe them in regards to that situation.

 

[Antigone*]

I would never want to refer to my child as an idiot - but when they do something idiotic.... yes, idiot is the word that comes to mind to describe them in regards to that situation.

Kids do stupid things, but would call your kid stupid

I sure hope not. We have to remember that our kids' behaviours are learned.

 

[asiny]

Kids do stupid things, but would call your kid stupid

I sure hope not. We have to remember that our kids' behaviours are learned.

I didn't say I call my child stupid.. I said when describing the situation what they did was idiotic.. hence making them an idiot at that time.

And believe me when I say, what my child did was not a learned behaviour... it was idiotic (i've never argued with a friend on the phone, told them I just cut my wrists to commit suicide) . Lesson learnt.

 

[The Occultist]

What the heck people? Everybody jokes about kids being dumb. This thread is not about that. Take the 'tude back to the family law forums. If the OP were being horrible to us, that'd be one thing, but the OP has been quite polite and agreeable. Please knock it off.

 

[asiny]

What the heck people? Everybody jokes about kids being dumb. This thread is not about that. Take the 'tude back to the family law forums. If the OP were being horrible to us, that'd be one thing, but the OP has been quite polite and agreeable. Please knock it off.

My OT was with Antigone*of*Greece - not the OP.