HOA tows resident's car while he's out of town, leaving him with an ever-increasing $813 fee to get his car back: 'The tow yard is demanding $683 plus $65/day in storage'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 30, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Everyone loves to hate on their HOA.

But, it's worth remembering that just because you don't like someone (or something, but you get the point) doesn't mean they're automatically wrong all the time. That might be a hard pill to swallow for us when we've spent most of the last 10 years hating on HOAs, but some equivocation is essentially the point of this post.

The original poster of this topic seems to think that they're a victim here, and "My HOA towed my car with no notice" certainly invites sympathy. However, beyond surface level, it is quickly revealed that the car in question was uninsured, unregistered, damaged with a smashed-in windscreen, and hadn't been moved in four years. While their car doesn't seem to be the only quasi-abandoned car in the lot, it certainly isn't a surprise that someone might have come across this particular car and decided that it had been abandoned, because, well, it had been in every sense of the word.

While selective enforcement of the rules is an issue here, and one has to wonder if it's just bad luck or if they were targeted for another reason, it's important to remember that if you do something wrong and get caught, you're not going to be absolved for your wrongdoing just because others were doing it too. I feel like this is the sort of lesson that classically you learn in your teens, when you get caught doing something you know you shouldn't be doing just because your peers were.

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  • 01
    An abandoned car in a parking lot
    via Red Shuheart

    The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    "HOA Towed My Car While I Was Out of Town"

    HOA Towed My Car While I Was Out of Town - No Notice, No Sticker, Nothing.
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  • 03
    just got back from being out of town on Saturday night to pick up a package before heading back out.
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  • 04
    (I'm currently house-sitting a couple of towns over for about a month), And my car was gone.
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  • 05
    I thought it was stolen, and I contacted the state police, but it turns out my HOA had it towed.
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  • 06
    Here's the part that's making me crazy: I received no individual notice at all. No sticker on the car, no letter on my door, no phone call.
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  • 07
    Nothing. I've lived in this complex for 6 years. I own my unit. There is no assigned parking or a fee to register a car to be parked in the lot outside my home.
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  • 08
    When I moved in in 2019, I registered the car and the license plate with the head of the HOA at the time.
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  • 09
    It was just a formality, and I assume she just wrote down my name and number so that somebody could contact me if something came up.
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  • 10
    (Which nobody ever did) In 2022, I started a new job where my company gave me a company vehicle.
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  • 11
    I work out in the field so much that I only ever drive my company car, and if I have any errands or things I need to run, I typically do them while I'm out and about, and for weekends and things we just use my wife's car because it's an SUV, and then we can get more utility out of it.
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  • 12
    So I do not drive the car. The car is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, ~160k miles.
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  • 13
    It runs, but it needs a new windshield (from where I had it parked, a tree branch fell on it sometime this summer, I don't know exactly what day, but I was planning on getting that fixed when I had the money), and my registration and insurance have expired.
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  • 14
    It's been parked in the same spot for years, and the HOA has my vehicle info on file.
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  • 15
    It's a large, open- air lot with no assigned parking spaces. There is plenty of parking; over half the lot is empty.
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  • 16
    I parked my car right u p against the tree line in a parking space that wasn't blocking anything, and as I mentioned, it's been there for about four years (I've lived in the condo complex for six).
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  • 17
    It's not derelict. I keep it clean, and I put air in the tires. However, I don't drive it because I don't need it at the moment.
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  • 18
    I just put a battery in it in July because I was planning on fixing the windshield and getting it inspected, but now my HOA has just about totaled it.
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  • 19
    The tow yard is demanding $683 plus $65/day in storage. I'm currently unable to afford it until I get paid on Wednesday, at which point the fee would be $813.
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  • 20
    Legal aid won't handle HOA disputes, the local bar referral wants a fee I can't pay today, and private attorneys keep telling me their hourly rate is more than what I owe the tow yard.
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  • 21
    I walked the lot after I have not yet been given any reason by the homeowner's association as to why my vehicle was towed, but I must assume it has something to do with the expired tags, as I observed 7-8 other cars with expired inspection/registration stickers that hadn't been towed.
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  • 22
    So... selective enforcement. I've emailed the HOA twice. Crickets. I'm deciding whether to incur the cost of recovering a car that might be worth around $1,500 on a good day, or let it go and deal with whatever fallout comes from that.
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  • 23
    Specifically, I'm thinking about just handing the title over to the tow yard and being done with it.
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  • 24
    If anyone has dealt with a similar situation, do I have any real leverage here due to the lack of notice and uneven enforcement, or is this how these individuals typically operate?
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  • 25
    Any advice or "been there, survived that" stories welcome. My biggest problem is that I do not have the balance to deal with this today, and as the clock keeps ticking, this is only going to get more expensive.
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  • 26
    I literally spent four hours on the phone this morning, cold- calling legal aid, pro bono, and private law offices to see if there would be anyone who would hear me and help me, but I haven't gotten any help.
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  • 27
    The way I see it, I pay the HOA fees and property taxes; as far as I'm concerned, that car was sitting in my driveway.
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  • 28
    At this point, it feels like my car has been stolen, and now I'm being extorted for an exorbitant amount of money to get it back.
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  • 29
    I'm not even sure if I have a copy of the title at this point, so I am in full panic mode.
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  • 30
    TL;DR: Out of town HOA towed my car with zero individual notice. The tow yard wants $683 + $65/day.
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  • 31
    Other cars with expired stickers weren't towed. HOA is ignoring me. Worth fighting, or cut losses and walk?,
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  • 32
    Fake BobPoot Can you prove that this was selectively enforced and that they have allowed other unregistered cars to live in that lot without towing them? If so, going to an HOA meeting and pleading your case along those lines is probably your best approach. The HOA has the right to enforce the rules in your covenants. But they can get in hot water if they are giving some owners preferential treatment. One other thing -- It's not clear how they'd have known to warn you, if you were out of town an
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  • 33
    OP Acrobatic-Regular-62 I have photos of every single car in the lot with expired tags on the day I discovered my car was towed. There are seven in total. These seven other cars are all also cars that have not been moved in months to years (potentially legally abandoned). As you can tell from the general reception of the rest of the comments on this post, I'm not exactly pursuing vindication at this point. I've opted to scrounge together the money to pay the fee, pick up the car tomorrow, and mo
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  • 34
    LVDirtlawyer First, fuck your HOA. I'm sorry they towed your shitbox. Second, dude. You left an unregistered shitbox long-term in an open parking lot that you don't control. It's gonna get towed. The open-air parking lot is not your driveway. Now, whether they provided proper notice with a sticker on the shitbox, and you just didn't notice because, as you say, you don't drive the car, no idea.
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  • 35
    Snarky75 and my registration and insurance have expired. This is all on you. This isn't a F the HOA. You have an unregistered and damaged car in the parking area. It hasn't been moved in months/years and look abandoned. There are probably rules about not having unregistered cars in the lot.
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  • 36
    Atlanta_Q_Ball You're not going to get any help from any of the organizations you contacted. You are in the wrong here. Your vehicle had an expired trash and registration and a damaged windshield. If you read your CC&R's, you'll almost certainly find that they were within their rights tow what appeared to be an abandoned vehicle. A little advice, if you don't drive the vehicle, sell it.
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  • 37
    ailish Looks wrecked and left in one spot for months? Yeah, this is on you.
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  • 38
    mccoybog ya man, this is on you. Take care of your car and stop hogging a parking spot for so long.
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  • 39
    Bebinn Your car was considered abandoned. Same spot for months. Cracked windshield. No reg, no ins. Cops could have towed it just for the no reg. You don't use it, just go down to the yard and sign it over so they can get a clean title.
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  • 40
    YonderingWolf As much as I despise H.O.A.s, this one is all on you, and your own failures. It wouldn't matter if it weren't in an H.O.A., your car would have still been towed, even if it were in a public parking area, or in an apartment complex. The ONLY PERSON here to blame is yourself. Legitimately speaking you have nothing on which to build a case with. No lawyer worthy of their BAR license would take such a case. They'd tell you you have nothing and as soon as you were well out off earshot,
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  • 41
    Far-Good-9559 Expired registration. Automatic tow. That one is a no brainer. Can't blame anyone for that.
    via Acrobatic-Regular-62

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