Drivers forced to pay $400 to retrieve towed cars from their homes before HOA took drastic action
A town home community’s former HOA president has spoken out following a wave of towing incidents that impacted his area.
An HOA president in 2022, Trevor Anderson, expressed his annoyance at a towing company whose stringent regulations had been causing his neighbors to suffer for years.
“Maybe a HOA wants their property to look top of the line, but the cost of taking someone’s only means of transportation can devastate families,” Anderson told local outletKJZZ.
After the property manager recommended more stringent parking enforcement, the HOA in St. George, Utah, which is around 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, hired Zips Towing as their towing firm.
About 20% of the community’s inhabitants had their cars towed within three months of hiring Zips.
The first person to voice complaints about the excessive towing was a private Facebook group called St. George Word of Mouth.
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Residents reported that even minor offenses like touching parking place lines and having recently expired registration stickers resulted in automobiles being towed.
Zips’ business practices, Anderson told local CBS station KUTV, amounted to “predatory towing.”
Although legally Zips complied with the law, Anderson argued that their actions disregarded justice and compassion for the community’s predominantly working-class citizens.
“Suddenly they had to pay between $300 and $400 to get their cars back,” Anderson stated.
“That could mean not making rent that month.”
The HOA board asked the towing business to offer warnings prior to hauling vehicles after the surge of instances.
Zips declined, Anderson said.
Anderson told KJZZ, “We told them to stop patrolling altogether and only tow when called because they said they wouldn’t put warnings.”
Vehicles were towed at the same pace over the next two years even though the community did not request towing.
Dave Terry, the proprietor of Zips Towing, claimed that the ire directed at his business is unjustified.
Zips Towing’s Full Statement
Regarding the recent incident, Zips Towing owner Dave Terry made the following statement:
“We at Zips Towing are aware that the public doesn’t always approve of our involuntary towing. Nonetheless, a lot of businesses, homeowners associations, and privately owned complexes require this service. They employ us to uphold their regulations in order to maintain cleanliness and order in their establishments. We follow all municipal and state regulations, including those pertaining to appropriate signage and Utah State Legislature-mandated taxes.
We at Zips Towing are aware that the public doesn’t always like our involuntary towing,” Terry said in a statement that was made public.
“However, it is a needed service by so many companies, HOAs and privately owned complexes.”
Families might be devastated by the expense of stealing someone’s only source of transportation.
Terry claimed that since Zips complies with the letter of the law, they are unaffected by criticism.
Terry said the organization has 160 properties under its management.
“They hire us to enforce their rules to keep order and proper organization within their facilities,” Terry explained.
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“We abide by all local and state laws which include proper signage and fees provided by Utah State Legislature.”
Anderson urged people to seek help from their HOAs and property managers as those impacted turn to the Utah Department of Transportation to challenge towing fines and restrictions.