My HOA towed my car while I was in it without notice – they had issues with how I parked in the spot I paid for

One disgruntled owner responded with his own horrifying story of being towed while still in the vehicle.

They called the incident ‘dangerous and illegal’, and it changed their opinion of HOAs.

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Jedediah Ryan Warneke, a homeowner in Las Vegas, Nevada, recounted an incident with his HOA towing company that people often have nightmares about.

He told his story in response to a friend, Andrew Powell, who aired his grievances with the HOA after they towed his car due to expired plates.

And this was despite other vehicles near his that were actively leaking oil or also had expired tags.

Powell wrote that he felt ‘targeted’ and did not warn him that he would be towed due to his expired registration.

Several people commented on their support for Powell, with one person writing that they didn’t understand how he could be towed from a location he owned.

It was then that Warneke responded with his own war story.

He wrote that the HOA’s towing company attempted to perform a dangerous tow.

“My HOA tried to tow my car once. And I was in it,” he he wrote.

Contrary to Powell’s story, Warneke was towed due to the way he parked.

“Because I was put in my place… I own that too,” he continued.

Like Powell, he said he was not warned before it was towed.

“Apparently there is a rule that does not allow rear parking, despite there being no warning about it. Anywhere,” Warneke said.

To make matters worse, Warneke wrote that he had discovered shoddy HOA-approved wiring work, which hurt his opinion of the association.

“This HOA also allowed the dangerous and illegal installation of telephone wire to run a ceiling fan,” he said.

Can an HOA prohibit on-street parking?

According to a North Carolina lawyer, an HOA retains the legal right to park anywhere — even in a homeowner’s garage.

The trick, says HOA attorney Mike Hunter, is the deed that homeowners sign when they buy a home within a subdivision.

“If you buy a home in a deed-restricted community, you are required to comply with those restrictions,” he told Charlotte Observant.

“If restrictive covenants say you can’t park on the street, the council has a legal duty to enforce that.”

Many states are passing laws to limit the power of HOAs, although most states still grant HOAs to enforce their regulations, restrictive or otherwise, in any way they see fit.

Read more here.

“I only discovered this part after moving in and replacing the ceiling fans.”

After the scary towing job and the fire risk that lurked in the roof of his home, he said it made him feel differently about HOAs in general.

“So far, my opinions on HOAs have been moderately neutral,” he added.

“I see very little benefit, and sometimes headache, for this particular HOA.”