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Updated about 3 years ago, 11/12/2021
How to tell past tenant to remove his car
I have a tenant who voluntarily terminated his tenancy and moved out on 11/2. I'm currently doing owner move-in after he left. On the night after he left, I asked him when he will remove his two cars parked on the street directly in front of my home on my side of the curb and he replied "soon". On 11/4, he removed one of his cars. However, he still left his older vehicle parked in front of my home and the sticker decal on the license plate on the back of this vehicle dates back to 2019 and was never renewed. On 11/8, he moved this older vehicle a parking spot behind where he originally parked, but it is currently still parked on the street in directly front of my home on my side of the curb. How can I legally remove his car? Thank you.
Contact him and tell him that if the car isn't gone by X you will be calling to have it towed at his expense. If not gone, call non emergency police line and they will handle it for you.
Originally posted by @Ishmael Johnson:
@Scott M. I’ve never heard of non emergency police. What type of matters do they handle and how does someone contact them?
They handle non-emergencies (noise disputes, safe passage into a home to remove items, etc). Call the non-emergency police number. It should be listed on their website.
If it's on a public street with expired tags just let the police know and they will tow it.
Put a tow sticker on it bright green or orange and proceed to having it towed 10 days later
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#2 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
I agree with Jim. Call the non-emergency number and report it.
Sorry if I misspoke. Not a non emergency police force : ) Just a non emergency police phone number. Meaning don't call 911, find the non emergency phone line for the local PD
Originally posted by @Scott M.:
Contact him and tell him that if the car isn't gone by X you will be calling to have it towed at his expense. If not gone, call non emergency police line and they will handle it for you.
Does moving the car a parking spot behind the original location considered actually "moving the car?" and not considered abandoned and not moved at all? My tenant may say he moved his car and why I'm still calling the police non-emergency line to tow it away?
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Report it to the police. They will tag it and notify the owner. If not removed within a certain number of days, they'll tow it. One phone call, no work, and no cost on your part.
- Nathan Gesner
What everyone else said. Call the police non emergency line and they will take care of it.
I've called this number before for a tenant/squater related issue before and three police officers arrived in about 30 minutes.
The difference is that this is not an emergency therefore you don't dial 911. The police will come when they have an opening, they just won't come down with their sirens blaring, etc.
- Luka Milicevic
Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:
Report it to the police. They will tag it and notify the owner. If not removed within a certain number of days, they'll tow it. One phone call, no work, and no cost on your part.
So does that mean neighbors can call the police on each other's cars and have them tow away too?
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Originally posted by @Jacky Johnson:
Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:
Report it to the police. They will tag it and notify the owner. If not removed within a certain number of days, they'll tow it. One phone call, no work, and no cost on your part.
So does that mean neighbors can call the police on each other's cars and have them tow away too?
I don't think you understand the process. When he reports this vehicle, the police will typically run the plates and attempt to contact the owner. They'll let them know it's being tagged and that it will be removed in three days (or whatever time limit your city has in place). If the vehicles not removed, then they'll pick it up.
If the vehicle is operational, properly registered, and belongs to you neighbor two doors down, the cops aren't going to play that game.
- Nathan Gesner
@Jacky Johnson tow it.
You are NOT NOT NOT "entitled" to any particular parking spot on a public street. People mistakenly think they have special privileges to the parking spot in front of "their" house. Nope. You don't own the land, you didn't install the asphalt, it is a PUBLIC right-of-way. Anyone can park anywhere. Your ex could park in front of your house every single day just to annoy you if they wanted to, and it's not illegal.
As far as not moving it "far" enough, your tenant can drive it, then park it back in the same place, the same as anyone else (you do that all the time, btw, when you run to the grocery store and park back in front of your house, leave for work and park back in front of your house, etc). Depending on your local laws, the expired tags might get him ticketed and towed, or just ticketed.
@Ishmael Johnson every police department has a non emergency number. Just Google your police department and it should come up. It'll still send you to the dispatcher but just won't come in as 911
@Ishmael Johnson when you search for your local police’s website they will provide two numbers to contact them - one is for emergency and the other is non emergency
@Ishmael Johnson if you go to your local police’s website they will show two numbers to contact them directly - one is emergency and the other is non emergency. Some you’ll end up getting dispatch and then you’ll tell them what’s going on and that it’s non emergency and they’ll direct your call
@Jacky Johnson just tow it
As a landlord, REI investor and having 30 years experience in Law Enforcement as a Police/Fire Dispatcher, you cannot simply tow a car off the street, in fact the towing companies will refuse to do it you're not the owner of the vehicle. Likewise, you do not own the parking spots in front of your house, as mentioned above they are public streets and anyone is allowed to park there whether they live in your house, live 100 miles away or down the block. Can't tell you how often I've taken these type of calls at work, it's a city street and anyone is allowed to park on it or drive down it as they choose (barring any city ordinance/parking sticker requirements).
With that being said, once the vehicle is there without being moved for a certain amount of time it can be considered abandoned, that time frame varies based on your state/city laws. In Illinois it is seven days, after that the police can come out and may attempt notify the owner to move the vehicle and/or place a tow sticker on the window. From there a registered letter is also sent to the owner and the owner has another 10 days to move the vehicle before it can be towed as abandoned. Again, that is state and city specific but gives you a general idea of the process.......
Jus' sayin'
Alternatively, you could post a 48 hour remove or tow notice on the car. Let the notice expire, and call a junk yard to remove the car. If the tenant wants it back, they can pay to get it out. My tow service takes the cars at no owner expense. Make sure your lease contains a clause for expired registrations in the future.
You missed that the car is parked in the street. Private citizens don't have the right to have someone else's car towed simply because they don't want it in front of their house.
I had an old roommate get his trash pile of a car towed away. It was broken down and he refused to fix it or sell it for scrap. His generous grandmother had already helped him by giving him a 97' Toyota Corolla with 75k miles... it was a survivor, perfect paint, rust free, garage kept, and unfortunately distended for death given how he treated vehicles. Anyways...
The city tagged his junk car two weeks earlier and marked the tires but he never noticed due to laziness. The look on his face when the car "disappeared" was priceless.