Car got towed from apartments for expired license plate sticker (Chicago: apartment complex, lease)

[Pwilliam2]

So today I woke in middle of night because my car alarm when off. I look out the tow truck is taking my car. I hurry and put something on. I follow him with my other car trying to stop him. We get to there lot. They tell me they took my car because the plate sticker was expired. Can they do that? Or did that guy just stole my car?

[ofcjim40]

I'm assuming this was a private tow company with no Police involvement. Can they tow you for not having a parking sticker (if the complex requires it) or believing for some other reason you didn't belong in the lot, yes. The lot is private property. Can you be towed by a private company purely on the basis of an expired license plate, no. Was the plate extremely expired where it might have been believed that the vehicle was abandoned?

[Pwilliam2]

The car has the parking permit but the plate sticker expired on June.

[elanmorin25]

My guess is the tow company has a contract with your apartment complex where they come around and patrol and have a checklist of reasons that they're allowed to tow. You should check with your apartment complex on this.

[Pwilliam2]

Ima ask the owner next time he comes. But this tow truck guys are *******s. I was trying to stop them they just laugh.

[middle-aged mom]

Read your lease/ rules for parking. It probably requires you to have a valid municipal sticker.

[ofcjim40]

He said license plate, not city or village sticker. Having expired registration is a State offense if driving, and if parked on private property, a Municipal Ordinance Violation provided there's a parking agreement in place. But in both cases, even the Police can't tow solely for this violation. This sounds fishy to me.

[ToriaT]

Would you mind telling us where abouts that was? I have a car that the plate sticker expired yesterday and will get it on Monday. I don't think enforcement is that vigilant with the plate stickers. I've gone for a few weeks in some years and nothing happened. I was not expecting a tow but a ticket.

[MSchemist80]

I heard from one on my friends who is a Chicago cop that if you tell a tow truck driver to leave and they still take your car they are guilty of auto theft.

Anyways I caught a city of Chicago truck trying to unlawfully tow my car so what I did is get into my car as they were trying to get away and they released me. If they took me with the car I'd be on the phone with a lawyer all the way to the impound lot.

As for your situation this is yet another reason I would never buy a property subject to any sort of association. You may be out of luck. These associations are nearly above the law and can do whatever the F they want.

[blktoptrvl]

Almost every apartment I ever lived in had a rule that said that if your vehicle was not properly registered, or if it is in non-drivable condition it will be removed.