Resident at a Loss Over Where Stranger’s Car Is Parked: ‘What Should I Do?’

Reddit Post

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Neighbor disputes over parking, property lines, and shared spaces are not uncommon.

In a recent survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Newsweek, 1,000 U.S. adults shared stories of conflicts with neighbors. The findings revealed that disputes often stem from issues like noise, lawn care disagreements, property damage, and, in some cases, blocked access or boundary violations.

Several Reddit users suggested having the car towed. In a later comment, the poster said: “I didn’t even consider having it towed. I didn’t know I could. I’m going to Google the towing rules here in Texas and see if it’s possible!!”

According to the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR), property owners or authorized agents can have cars towed if they are parked in a tow-away zone or on private property without permission. These actions fall under what the state refers to as Private Property Tows.

“A property owner may have a boot attached to the wheel instead of having the car towed,” the department explains on its website.

The TDLR adds that when a vehicle is towed, the person whose car was removed is entitled to several key items, such as the following:

A copy of the tow ticket from the towing company. A copy of it must also be delivered to the car storage facility.
A statement of consumer rights to a tow hearing.
The information needed to file for a tow hearing.
Contact details for the TDLR, including their website and email address, mailing address, and telephone number, in case the car owner wishes to file a complaint against a vehicle storage facility.

Reddit users sympathized with the original poster and criticized the way the car was parked.

U/Positive-Peace-8210 wrote: “You would have to be a total moron or an absolute j****** to park like this.”

U/HighlightOwn2038 simply said: “Call a towing company.”

U/didufartt agreed, saying: “So either you walk on it or tow it. Your choice. You can even get management involved so they can tow it.”

U/Stompytown82 wrote: “Yeah this is a fire hazard for getting away from a burning building that’s a direct access path and that vehicle can be towed.”

U/redclawx said: “Not only rude…if that is an exit path for your building complex, that’s probably also a fire escape path as well and need to have an easy clear path.”

“This person should know better, but it’s a design failure to assume people know better,” noted u/high_throughput.

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.