Condo Association Management Blog

We recently changed from towing to booting. We use a local security company than puts a boot on any car parked in areas restricted for permit parking only, etc. The boot is much "friendlier" because it keeps the car there on the property, and the cost to have the boot removed is just a little more than half of what the cost is to retrieve the car from the towing company. Your towing company should only be doing what you ask. Do they have signs posted? Have them remove the signs and have a company that boots cars post their own notice. This has worked very well for us. Feel free to email me directly if you have further questions.

Warning signs should be put on the car first. Then they should escalate to the next level. A boot does sound better than towing but it really should only be for people who are always abusing the system.

This towing away behavior not only seems harsh, it IS harsh.  
 
Reasonable behavior would be to firstly put a warning notice on the vehicle. This will indicate that the association wants to and intends to enforce the rules and gives time for that to happen.  
 
An owner is expected to have read the rules, but not every visitor can be expected to have done that.  
 
 
 
I think that in Florida, the association can now impose fines for breaches. But any fine on an owner should be applied only after giving reasonable time to remedy the infringement.

This towing away behavior not only seems harsh, it IS harsh.  
 
Reasonable behavior would be to firstly put a warning notice on the vehicle. This will indicate that the association wants to and intends to enforce the rules and gives time for that to happen.  
 
An owner is expected to have read the rules, but not every visitor can be expected to have done that.  
 
 
 
I think that in Florida, the association can now impose fines for breaches. But any fine on an owner should be applied only after giving reasonable time to remedy the infringement.

A more friendler approach would be to scream at the person parked in that spot! NOT> 
 
 
 
This happened to me 2 years ago on Christmas day. A neighbor has a handicap spot in front of their house. Well with the holidays, she decided to go to her sons for the day and the night, returning the next day. I took it upon myself to allow a handicap person to use that spot for the day while visiting. She came home early and caused a big LOUD scene out front. 
 
Now that's the way to handle things. 
 
FYI anybody can park in a handicap spot it did not have her name on it. 
 
But we respect the fact that she parks there all the time.  
 
Now to the towing of vehicles..............maybe you should come live where I live....still LOL

In our complex we boot when it is in Permit Parking without a permit and towed when it is in a reserved numbered space. We have signs at the entrance of each parking area and parking garages. This seems to work well.

This just another reason why condos are the worst. If you parked on a public street in front of your own home or apartment, some petty neighbor neighbor could not impose towing on you. A handicapped friend visiting could park in a handicapped without fear of towing. 
 
 
 

One tactic that I have employed with some success is informing the towing company that if they touch one of my or my guests' vehicles, I would file a criminal complaint for larceny of a motor vehicle against all parties including the tow operators and and the trustees and would litigate the issue based on their l;ack of legal authority to tow my car from infront of my home parked on property that I pay condo fees and/or taxes to maintain. They have backed off. I should add new parking rules were foisted on us after I made the cardinal mistake of buying a condo.

~ Vehicles cannot be towed without warning of some kind... 
 
And I believe there must be postings somewhere that alude to the dangers of being towed.... 
 
Also, it should be stated within your condos By-laws.....that the complex reserves the right to tow.  
 
~ READ ALL YOUR CONDO DOCUMENTS....

If signs are posted indicating where parking is and is not allowed, then there is no "harshness" to towing illegally parked vehicles. If you park in a reserved or no parking area in a public street or parking lot, you are towed or ticketed. 
Our complex has 38 units and each unit has two marked reserved spots. Parking in a unit's spot without permission is a towable offense. Why should the unit owner (or the HOA) have to walk around to 37 other units to find out who the offending party is? As for people parking right in front of no parking signs, I have zero sympathy if they get towed. 
There are often reasons for no parking signs - in our complex is was to satisfy our insurance carrier who was concerned about the possibility of vehicles attempting to park in certain areas possibly striking pedestrians or structures. We were able to avoid installation of a very expensive concrete curb/parking bumper by simply posting signs prohibiting parking in those areas and agreeing to enforce through towing. Emergency vehicle access requirements and other issues are often involved.

Seriously, why can't people who live in a condo community just be responsible for THEIR ACTIONS? The rules are in place for a reason. If there were no laws or rules in society it would be a free for all out there in the already troubled world!