My car was towed at 1am after parking pass from landlord expired – it cost $200 to get it back but he refuses to pay

AN apartment resident is up in arms after their car was reportedly towed from their apartment complex in the dead of night.

According to the social media post, the vehicle was towed away from the unspecified apartment complex because the parking pass had expired.

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“So last night at 1 am my car got towed because the parking pass our landlord gave us was expired,” the person wrote on X .

“It cost $200 to get it back and we were told Mr. lord is required to reimburse us since it was their fault but they are currently refusing to do so.”

In a follow-up post , the user says the cost “really set us back” as their business is closed and they are in the middle of production while also trying “to budget for move-in expenses.”

The users also stated that they are “trying to get everything sorted and be reimbursed for this but any help right now would really mean a lot.”

Devin Bathgate, a Jeep owner, also felt the sting of a $175 fine when his car was towed while he was on vacation.

Bathgate said he parked the SUV in a private spot owned by the bed and bath hotel where he stayed and was subsequently towed.

“Not a good day in Philadelphia,” Bathgate told local Fox affiliate WTXF-TV while fetching his car from the impound lot.

“Went to the casinos, and I lost a lot of money last night, and now I got towed today.”

The driver said he had approval from the hotel to park his car in the space.

“The ticket was supposed to be $222, but I’m going to dispute it, so they said pay them $175 today,” he told the station.

Bathgate also said the tow truck left a dent on the SUV’s front bumper where the vehicle was hooked.

In April, a new homeowner also revealed that her car was also towed overnight.

Felicia Jan Bryant said that when she first moved into her apartment in 2022, her car was towed after she put a temporary parking pass in her window.

What to do if your car is towed

Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.

Steps to take when your car is towed:

• Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
• Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
• Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
• Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.

If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:

• Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
• Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
• Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
• Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
• Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
• Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice , National General , Rak Law Firm

“I panicked because I have a KIA and I know that nationally KIAs are ripe for being stolen,” she explained to CBS News .

“My car was towed right outside my window,” she stressed.

After visiting her building’s leasing office, which confirmed her suspicions, Bryant called the towing company to tell them that her car was unlawfully towed from her residence.

The business told her that, despite illegally towing her vehicle, there was nothing she could do about it.

However, Colorado’s Towing Bill of Rights says otherwise.

Instituted in August  2022, the Towing Bill of Rights law added several rules that companies must follow when towing a vehicle from a private residence.

Bryant paid the whopping fine of $470 to get her car back and immediately contacted the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and filed a complaint.

It was later reported by CPR that Bryant managed to get all her money back.

Wyatt’s Towing later told CBS that the entire incident was a misunderstanding.

Despite being unwilling to work with Bryant to return her vehicle, Wyatt’s Towing said her apartment complex switched the design of their temporary parking passes.

The towing business hadn’t made that change regarding the updated pass in their system.

As a result, the tow driver who took Bryant’s vehicle didn’t recognize her parking pass as a valid one.

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