4 ms·

An unexpected gift

• mattkrause 7y ago
  In some places, it is! When I was in college, someone kept leaving their car in our driveway, in a spot we had rented to a now-irate third party. The police wouldn’t tow it, but a friendly cop clued me into the procedure for claiming “abandoned” property. I filled out some paperwork, paid a $10 fee, and the cop came back with some giant “abandoned?!” stickers that he pasted all over the car. If no one called the number on the stickers within 72 hours, the car would be mine. Alas, at hour 70, a woman came out and started furiously scrubbing away the stickers, so I just missed getting a car. On the plus side, she never parked there again and the rent money from the parking spot covered our cable and propane bill until we moved out.
  • EGreg 7y ago
    Can you share the procedure with us? Do you have a link?
    • mattkrause 7y ago
      The exact procedure and requirements vary from place to place. Search for ‘claim abandoned vehicle [your state]’
  • refurb 7y ago
    Why wouldn’t they tow? Most places I’ve lived are happy to tow if you can prove it’s your property and the vehicle is trespassing.
    • mattkrause 7y ago
      The city wouldn’t tow from private property, and a towing company wanted to talk with the actual property owner, not some kids subletting from some other kids, and he was impossible to find.