Tips for Protecting Yourself When You Need to Have a Car Towed From Your Property

Automotive Blog

If you own an apartment complex or commercial facility, you may one day find what appears to be an abandoned vehicle or vehicle illegally parked in your lot. Your first instinct may to be to have it towed, but you need to ensure you've protected yourself first. If a car is illegally towed from an area, this can result in litigation and other unpleasantness that can make the situation much worse for you. An attorney can advise you on your rights when it comes to abandoned or illegally parked vehicles, but note a few simple tips to consider as well.

1. Ensure your lot is properly marked

If the problem is that someone has parked a boat, trailer, or commercial truck on your property, you need to ensure that your lot is properly marked so that people know this is not allowed. A tenant in an apartment complex may assume that they can simply park their trailer or boat in the lot since they live there, or a commercial truck driver may not realize that their truck is blocking traffic in your store parking lot. Before you can have a vehicle towed, make sure your lot is properly marked, tenants know any restrictions about what they can and cannot park in the lot, and so on.

2. Mark the vehicle with a warning

It's good to mark a vehicle with a warning before you have it towed. This can be done with a type of sticker you put on the window or a warning you put under the windshield wiper. Be sure it's very visible so the owner of the vehicle doesn't overlook it, and let the warning sit on the vehicle for a day or two before you call a towing service. This gives the owner time to move the vehicle and also protects you, as you can then rightly say that the owner was properly warned that their vehicle would be towed.

3. Use a reliable towing service

A towing service should make record of the vehicle's identification and ensure you know where the vehicle will be stored, in case the owner confronts you about retrieving it. They should also be familiar with laws about towing illegal or abandoned cars and be very transparent about when they will tow the vehicle and how much it will cost you. Don't use a towing service that simply tows the vehicle away without leaving you with sufficient paperwork that tells you where the vehicle is, how long they will store it before reselling it, and so on. 

For more information on towing, contact a company like Barnes Towing & Salvage Qld Pty Ltd.

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29 December 2015

Keeping Your Auto Safe and Secure

Hey! My name is Damian and this blog contains some very important information about caring for and protecting your auto. I am not an automotive expert but I do have some experiences which have taught me some important lessons. When I bought a new car a couple of years ago, I was so happy. However, that happiness turned to anger when someone broke into my car. They didn't manage to drive it away but I was super mad. My friend who works in an auto shop recommended that I buy some accessories to improve the security of my car. He also gave me some great tips on how I could keep my car secure.