Abandon vehicles

I would have to say no, because they are on city streets, which means the local authorities have jurisdiction.

If they are in fact city/local streets, make a call to the locals to address.

Also find out what your community's borders are so that you can draft rules, etc - which are valid for your property.

Look at your local code/ordinances as a guide for your community's rules/regulations (and also so educate on what criteria exists for defining abandoned vehicles, on and off property).

KennyD1: The police have a way of checking whether the vehicle has a current registration. Perhaps you want to have the police be your ally in this situation.

I would not consider a vehicle abandoned if it is parked outside a home and especially outside the home of the vehicle's owner. There can be many reasons why a vehicle has not been moved, but the police can assist you.

The vehicle in question was hit by another vehcile and debre is all over the roadway and the vehicle still sits in front of the homeowner home all banged up. One of the neighbors has complain that it's lowering her property value, cause of junked cars. The vehicle has been at this location like this for over 8 months now. I've was able to talk first to the wife, who thinks that in her words "this is a bunch of sh*t" cause the area commander did a background check of the vehicle and it was last register to someone in Ft. Worth, Texas, and we live in Austin, Texas. The vehicle has pass inspection sticker and registration sticker. The husband later came out and talk to me and he agree that it is an eye sore and plans on getting rid of it within this week, but there are other vehicles in the neighborhood that are the same way.

Kenny:

Good advice from others, first check your city ordinances. Our are pretty strict, you can only stay parked in one location for 24 hours. Our police consider a vehicle abandoned if it does not have current registration, otherwise we are out of luck on that front. That is where I would start, your city has to have some kind of ordinance for that.

Why not get some kid to steal the plates and then you can have it towed by the city. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do

Maybe the officer was giving you a hint. I have found, however, that there is often a disconnect between what the police know and what the ordinance states. I would check the code. Ours has two categories of abandoned. If it doesn't have proper registration, etc. it can be towed more quickly, but still if it doesn't move for 10 days it is considered abandoned no matter what. There may also be a separate department you call to get abandoned cars towed, not the regular police department but their impound lot. I was complaining about how non-cooperative our police department was and our attorney told me we were calling the wrong number for towing! Live and learn ...

Kenny, as noted in previous posts, since the vehicle is not part of your HOA's "jurisdiction" you would need to have the local municipality address. I would be diligent about contacting them regarding this matter - based on the information you have posted here (vehicle was damaged as result of accident, debris on roadway, registration may not match up with stickers on vehicle, etc). Also I would add that if your local police department did not take action, then you might consider (if applicable to your area) your Sheriff's office or State police law enforcement agencies for assistance - they often have overlapping jurisdictions.

I'd guess they were joking about removing plates and flattening tires...

This somehow reminded me of a situation I knew of a few years ago. One of my co-workers was murdered not long after leaving work. Somehow on the way home she picked up someone. (He may have been an acquantence of her boyfriend.) They got into an argument and he killed her. He stuffed her body into the trunk of the car. Later, that night he decided to rob a liquor store. The police chased him for a few miles. They pulled him over and arrested him.

Now a few hours later he's posting bond. However, his car is still sitting ABANDONED on the side of the road where the POLICE left it! One of the police officers decides to go check on this car just hours before the guy is released. That's when they find my co-workers body in the trunk of the car! Needless to say, the guy was denied bail and put back into jail.

So you may need to check the local laws on abandoned vehicles. They vary between city to city to state to state. Why the police never towed this vehicle and searched it is still a mystery. I do know that if they see an abandoned vehicle on the side of the highway they do mark it with a bright orange sticker. After a day or two they then officially tow it. I've seen cars last a week on the side of the road before.

You can always call the police and tell them you "smell a strange odor" coming from the trunk if you want. That may get some kind of action!

That's not a serious suggestion, is it?

As HOA officers, we have to act as adults.

You may want to check who the car belongs to also. It could belong to someone who is doing a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Being wrecked may be cause to have it towed under the hazard statute. Check your statutes to see what is considered a hazard, how far from curb, driveway, storm drain, fire hydrant. Then call your local police and let them know that it is a hazard, providing you can find cause in the city/state statutes or local ordinances.

I owned a home in Washington and had almost the same thing. We lived on a short dead end street and our property took up the whole side of the street to the end. There was a grassy area between the street and our retaining wall and fence. Someone towed a vehicle and left it, rope still attached to it. We called the sherrif and they wouldn't do anything about it. We had to keep calling and complaining to each deputy that arrived to check it out. Finally one of the Deputy's took it seriously and agreed that it definately appeared to be abandoned. It took effort to convince them but due dillegence paid out in the end. I wasn't in the towing business then and I didn't know the key words to catch their attention. Keep protesting and something will eventually be done. Tell them it's already been involved in an accident where it sits so it is obviously a hazard. Not to mention the debris around the vehicle is a hazard also and there are laws against debris in the road. Read all the statutes that involve abandoned vehicles, hazard vehicles, roadway debris, etc. Eventually you will find what you need to get the police to act. The problem with abandoned vehicles is there are so many of them and not many tow companies that have the facilities to store them and lien them, and when it can be disposed of, the price of scrap is so low the companies actually loose money. Just keep calling and complaining!