Crows Nest Apartment Crows Nest Living Violated Lease agreement by entering into a contract to tow residents and visitors vehicles without modifying existing lease agreements. League City, Texas
After 3 months into a 12 month lease with Crows Nest Apartments, the management has instituted a new "Vehicle sticker" requirement. Although, the complex website and lease agreement offers the option of purchasing a sticker, I chose not to. It was my right to not utilize the covered parking. When I leased this apartment, there was no forced sticker policy.
On Christmas Eve 2012, my mother's car was towed by Action Towing of League City, Texas without notification of any violation. Upon verifying with the office management, it was declared the vehicle was towed for lack of sticker. When questioned about the new sticker policy, the management stated that all vehicles would be towed and I was given 2 stickers to put on the 2 vehicles. I complained that I had not been notified that my lease was modified and this new policy would result in this action at which time, I was informed that a paper was placed on each door. Mine was not placed or the wind blew it off while I was away at work.
I went out into the parking lot and took pictures of all the vehicles that do not have stickers but were not towed. I went back to management and stated that it was an unfair policy to force me to have a sticker when others are clearly violating the same policy without having their vehicles towed. I was informed that there was nothing they would or could do as they have a contract with Action Towing to tow the vehicles.
Action Towing uses their own discretion at what cars are towed.
I have put up with the "amenities" not being available per the representation of the management of the complex. I have put up with the lack of proper maintenance on public facilities such as the pool, weight room, and hot tub that has been permanently empty.
What I can't put up with is the changing of the rules and policies of the complex that modify my lease agreement and then having to pay out of pocket for additional fees based on those modifications.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
James Lanier
Dallas,Texas,
United States of America
Welcome To Texas...
#2General Comment
Tue, December 25, 2012
Texas is the absolutely worst state I have lived in for towing cars. It is really big business here and the tow lots pad their fees and are legally allowed to charge exhorbitant rates to get your car back. I am in Dallas, TX. My car has also been towed before. I moved into an apartment community and they did not tell me about any stickers. The office staff simply forgot. I woke up getting ready to go to work and stepped outside and my car was gone. I called the police and this evidently happens so much that the police told me to first check to see if my car was towed. During this same time a man was walking by and noticed me frantically running around and said that the apartments I had just moved into were very bad at towing cars and that I should have had a sticker.
I found out what lot my car was at and I called them and they were the rudest people. They didn't care what I said and wanted close to $300 dollars for me to get my car back. I had no way to work. My car was my only transportation. I went and sat on the steps of the office until they opened and then I raised pure HELL. I was prepared to go to jail that day and the office manager called over to the tow company and to my surprise she was on a first name, nickname, basis with the guy and said she was bringing me out to get my car and she didn't want me charged. He was very upset. Did not want to do it but she drove me out there and it was a LONG way out and I retrieved my car.
After that point I started looking more and more into this and found that pretty much all apartments do this and the tow companies are out every single night. In a way it is a needed service because I now live in a new place and there have been times I have come home very late and every single parking space is taken up like someone is having a party but no one is having a party. People drive around looking for places they can leave their cars overnight, for a week, a month, etc. and anyplace that does not tow will never have any available parking spaces. Even the last manager told me that before they instituted towing residents were always complaining about not having anywhere to park their cars. Every single space would be taken by the cars of people who didn't even live there. It really does protect the residents and assures the RIGHTFUL residents have a place to park ALWAYS. But yeah... the tow lots are greedy, come out every night and will even tow your car if you are double parked, your registration stickers are out or your tire is flat.
Last, a lot of the tow companies in Texas give the Apartment owners and landlords/office staff kickbacks.