loads - abandoned cars on private property

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Tue 20 May 2014 20:38
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

My GF lives in a private apartment block and the management company are a bunch of fools. There are about twenty cars well and truly abandoned - thick layers of dust, tax two years out of date, etc etc - and I am pressurising them to get rid.

I am aware of the processes, DVLA, police etc, but they are now saying that they are "not allowed" to sell them. Now I know a scrap dealer who reckons he would give a minimum of £150 per car. Obviously this has potential to bring her maintenance charges right down (they are outrageous at the moment).

Will someone be making money out of this, and laughing up his kilt, because some girl with a company Ford Focus, acrylic nails, a pencil skirt and a clipboard hasn't got a clue about the real world, or is it true that although a load of idiots have abandoned their cars on private property for years, and probably left the country, they just have to be taken away by "special" people? Sorry for rambling, I'm angry (for a change)

THANKS CHAPS.

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Tue 20 May 2014 21:03
loads - abandoned cars on private property - Bromptonaut

They need removing from an amenity point of view and possibly for the space they're taking up. If there were even two abandoned cars in my mother's block there'd be a rebellion.

If I were in your GF's position I'd be looking to terms of my lease (I assume we're talking about owner occupation where leases primarily enforce mutual obligations). Who owns the freehold and appoints the management company and what do leases say about use of parking spaces?

Relying on my rights as a leaseholder (and if the leases are held mutually by the occupiers via that route too) I'd be making the girl in the Focus earn her corn and if she wasn't cutting the mustard involving her prinipals. Is there a resident's association? if so get them onside too.

The cars are also arguably a H&S risk - fuel on board, deteriorating battery/electrics possiblity of attracting n'ere do wells etc etc. It's worth pushing that angle is it'll engage the management company.

Sorting this won't be cheap though. Inquiries of DVLA, the necessary formal letters to the car's RK and cost of uplifting/disposing vehicles with no key and no title/V% won't leave any change from your notional £1500 from scrappie.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 20/05/2014 at 21:04

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Tue 20 May 2014 21:36
loads - abandoned cars on private property - daveyK_UK

They need removing from an amenity point of view and possibly for the space they're taking up. If there were even two abandoned cars in my mother's block there'd be a rebellion.

If I were in your GF's position I'd be looking to terms of my lease (I assume we're talking about owner occupation where leases primarily enforce mutual obligations). Who owns the freehold and appoints the management company and what do leases say about use of parking spaces?

Relying on my rights as a leaseholder (and if the leases are held mutually by the occupiers via that route too) I'd be making the girl in the Focus earn her corn and if she wasn't cutting the mustard involving her prinipals. Is there a resident's association? if so get them onside too.

The cars are also arguably a H&S risk - fuel on board, deteriorating battery/electrics possiblity of attracting n'ere do wells etc etc. It's worth pushing that angle is it'll engage the management company.

Sorting this won't be cheap though. Inquiries of DVLA, the necessary formal letters to the car's RK and cost of uplifting/disposing vehicles with no key and no title/V% won't leave any change from your notional £1500 from scrappie.

Wait until dark and tow them onto the public highway.

Phone the police in the morning and report them.

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Tue 20 May 2014 22:22
loads - abandoned cars on private property - focussed

Just a thought, the op said that the apartment is "private property" but is it? If the car park can be accessed by the public, ie is not gated or has a barrier, it is the same as a road, the same regulations and laws apply. Therefore, if the abandoned cars are not taxed and presumably not insured Mr Plod should be required to confiscate and crush them just as if they were caught uninsured on the highway.

Easy enough to check if the cars are insured here:- www.askmid.com/

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Tue 20 May 2014 22:29
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

Thanks chaps, to clarify, the car park is gated with a security code. It would be simple to tow the cars onto the road under cover of darkness but the CCTV might give me away.

Half the cars are directly under the apartments so if any of the charming local children decide to have a bit of pyrotechnic fun...

I wonder at what point the cars are officially classed as "abandoned" andcan be disposed of. The management say that for them it's a case of filling the right forms in.

The frustrating part is that at some point some fellow with a yard is going to get a load of free cars. Grrrrr.

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Tue 20 May 2014 23:20
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

again, to clarify, the management say they can't sell them 'cos they don't own them. Logically this offends me. So they have to give them away, so the new owner can sell them? Or do they imagine they are going to be magically turned into fairy dust? Doesn't make sense.

I can't stand talking to office staff who pepper their conversations with the word "obviously" and answers to questions I haven't asked.

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Tue 20 May 2014 23:50
loads - abandoned cars on private property - Galaxy

Just phone up the scrapyard and ask them to take the cars away. Why mess about?

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Tue 20 May 2014 23:57
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

You're right Galaxy. Maybe he's afraid of incurring some insanely high fine. He just needs to smear some mud over his reg plate because there will be a lot of curious flat-dwellers looking down on him.

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Wed 21 May 2014 05:20
loads - abandoned cars on private property - Falkirk Bairn

A good few years back we had a car abandoned at the foot of the road. Contacted the police - they said council, even although it was on a corner. Council wanted to put a notice on the car, wait 2 weeks? then arrange uplift.

I let the handbrake off and guided the car to the nearby electricity substation - then phoned the Electricity company - car uplifted within the hour as it was a safety hazard

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Wed 21 May 2014 09:45
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

It's amazing, or rather it isn't amazing, how a lack of incentive can prevent people doing an efficient job. The management company seem determined to give these cars away - at some point. The lack of urgency is astounding!

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Wed 21 May 2014 09:46
loads - abandoned cars on private property - Bromptonaut

Half the cars are directly under the apartments so if any of the charming local children decide to have a bit of pyrotechnic fun...

Right so there's a H&S issue. Abandoned cars are a magnet to kids; all sorts of risks.

Point these out to agent in writing and copied to the principal. Din't let junior staff who have little authority give you run around.

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Wed 21 May 2014 20:40
loads - abandoned cars on private property - Doc

Just a thought, the op said that the apartment is "private property" but is it? If the car park can be accessed by the public, ie is not gated or has a barrier, it is the same as a road, the same regulations and laws apply.

Are you sure this is correct?

What about private driveways that are not gated and land behind shops?

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Wed 21 May 2014 20:49
loads - abandoned cars on private property - focussed

Yes - pretty sure, a private driveway that is not gated and land behind shops, both that the public have access to, require that any vehicle on them has to be road legal.

Even shop car parks that the public have access to but are noticed as private count the same.

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Thu 5 Jun 2014 22:03
loads - abandoned cars on private property - bananastand

Hi again chaps, to clarify, the car park is accessed by electric gates for which you need a code.

I am told the management company are still waiting for the "correct procedures" to come to a close before they can get the cars lifted. (Police, DVLA etc)

I am also told that their MD has been made aware of the fire risk.

One's main concern is the flipping money. If they just arrange for someone to take em away, someone is going to make a couple of grand out of the residents. Aaaargh!

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