mriches

My apartment manager drove up to me this morning. I was on my back putting on a carbon fiber front splitter, and she tells me not to work on my car any more in the parking lot. The thing is, I have driven past at least three other people working on their project cars on the property, and they don't seem to be having problems like this...

Any ideas? Can I sue this person back to being the Wicked Witch of the West?

She was talking on her cell phone and driving at the same time, BTW. Disgusting...


UPDATE:

OK, folks, here's the deal.

I spoke with the nicer gals who work for the supervisor. (It turns out that the supervisor is the person that gave me a hard time.) I explained the situation of what happened, and that I've seen other people work on cars un-harassed. Apparently, here is what I am supposed to do:

1. Work on my car on days when the supervisor isn't there, and pick parking spots where she isn't likely to drive past me and look.

2. Assume the supervisor is overzealous about enforcing "policy."

3. Don't make noise after 10 PM, and don't damage anything.


With this criteria met, I am told that I will be left alone. Thanks for the moral support!

P.S. I also complained about a "rustang"-like mid-80's GMC truck w/out certain headlights that was abandoned on the parking lot 3 months ago. I hope it belongs to whoever complained about me, and/or brought me to the attention of the supervisor - because they are towing the rustbucket as I write this

draxcaliber

it depends on the agreement you have with your land lord.

when i applied for a parking permit to my appartment complex in orlando, part of the agreement was that i wasn't allowed to work on my car while it was parked there, and if it was not opperational, i was to have it towed from the premises.

but that is probably because they don't want some hobby grease monkey out there jacking up their cars, spilling fluids on the pavement, and creating some sort of liability. like somebody spilling a bottle of oil, creating a slip and environmental hazard...soembody accidentally making a spark near something flammable and starting a fire...

course the only thing i ever did while there was change my headlight bulbs.

maybe also it can have something to do with not having debris in the parking lot so people don't get a nail, bolt or screw that you might drop and leave behind while your working on your car.

also, you can't sue people for being a jerk, the courts would be clogged forever.

anyway, if you really want to know, check your parking aggreement with your complex and see if it clearly says that you can't work on your car while it is parked there.

imagin

Uhh this is pretty much universal at any apartment complex. Hell theres homeowners associations that wont let you do any maitenance to your car outside of the garage.

If its in the property regulations that you dont get to work on your car. THen your just short.

Nick06tC

almost all apartments have this in the rental agreement. its to keep the people with the old school rustang on blocks with the engine sitting on the trunk and oil spots all over the pavement from making the area look like trash.
So pretty much, if they say no, then you have no options.

(and oil on pavement is a very bad thing because it causes potholes)

tCTaco

iTrader: (1)

Most complexes do not allow it....I recomened buying a House....I use to have the same problem and now I fire up the compressor at 8am on Sunday to begin work.....But seriously...go through your lease and see if it says anything at all about working on your car...My last appartment had a garage and the complex still would get ____ed if i was out there working in it...but the lease said it wasnt allowed if it was in the public or private parking spaces...didnt say anything about the garage so I won that battle

draxcaliber

OMG HATE HOME OWNER ASSOCIATIONS! FREAKING **** SCUMBAGS!

when i buy a house, that is an absolute pre-requsite that there is absolutely NO home owners assocation. i'll mow my lawn when i decide it is tall enough, and leave all the car parts i want on my front lawn. i'll even buy rusty tacky junk off ebay just to decorate my yard.

tCTaco

iTrader: (1)

My biggest goal in life was to become filthy rich and buy a 62 Impala....Primer it gray with some wire wheels and white walls and park it in my front lawn and let the grass grow around it........So far I only reached the filthy part of my goal...but its all coming together.

THE_DON

Next time, just flip on the emergency lights and act like it broke down. That way you're not "working on your car" just fixing something.

But yeah, they don't want people out there doing bodywork or changing oil. Gotta have your own garage for that.

-THE DON

2fast4you

Good luck with that, it's becoming more difficult everyday.

To the OP: like others have said, check your rental agreement, but also check city ordinances. Even if working on your car is not specifically mentioned in your rental agreement, some towns and cities forbid working on vehicles in shared parking lots.

Jon

Yeah our HOA doesn't allow us to work on our cars either. But I do it anyway.

Frosty355

I love my HOA. It stops people who don't know how to be good neighbors from moving next to me.
I like it when my property value goes up and not down because of something I have no control of.

Andrew1782

Honestly I would just nod and continue on. As long as you aren't doing something involving serious fluid type messes your not harming anyone.

jbae1221

HOA are there to help with property value.. if you want to live somewhere where they don't exist go to the ghetto.. haha.. or buy about 10 acres and live in the middle of it.. and yes.. i believe even tho it's not stated in your lease.. i know in ga.. that if you park in a public lot you can not work on your car.. i know that is the law in metro atl.. now on the HOA.. if your neighbors don't say anything then they won't say anything.. so make sure you have cool neighbors..

Christine85

I own a condo and they allow you to work on your car but you cannot overhaul your car (taking out the engine, etc.) or leave it on jackstands unattended.

States have diffrent condo/ apartment laws but if you rent, check with the rules and regulations in your complex.

itlstl13

if it doesnt say u cant in ur lease/ parking permit.... then go for it...... ur lease only extends "to the four corners" anything said or not said is then up to u

Nick06tC

If your lease only extends to your four corners like you say ( i take it you mean the house), then he is really screwed on working on his car and trying to fight it. The apartment owner, OWNS the parking lot. So he doesnt have to put everything in the lease that you cant do on his property. Its his property and he can change the rules as he sees fit.

sciontc_mich

just do the work quietly at 3am.. when the manager isn't around and everyone is sleeping if they don't know about it, they can't complain. :D

3min3m2

how can somone(hoa) actually tell you what to do with YOUR property???

this is a good reason as to why i believe the world is lost....

draxcaliber

well, my hatred of HOA's stem from the way they hassled my aunt so mercilessly when she moved to the us and bought a house here.

she is a very classy worldly lady who grew up in europe and spent most of her life in bahrain working for bell helicopters. she has a a good fashion taste fore clothes and decorating etc. so one of the first things she did was put a nice new wooden door on the front of her house with neat colored window pains. it was very tasteful and matched the house.

very next day she gets a knock on that door from the head of the home owners association tell her that she needed prior approval from them to put a new door on her house.

i mean seriously, like somebody would go out and buy a junky ugly door to put on their house?

then later they gave her complaints about the noise from her dog barking outside during the day while she was at work when low and behold, the dogs were barking because the neighborhood children were teasing him from outside the fence! instead of diciplining the children who her teasing her german shepard, they complained to her that her dog was the problem and she would have to keep in inside unless he need to "make" in the yard.

the also complained about how in the summer, she would put her parrot on a perch on the deck, and they found the occasional polite "hello" and friendly chuckle it did too be too intrusive.

like i said, freaking ****'s!

BZinn1

I used to get notices on the door saying not to work on the car.........checking my oil I thought was normal but they said no.......goto Jiffy Lube..........I continued to ignore them..........they continued to put notices on my door...........it was when I asked for a definition of what working on my vehical was in detail.........that they left me alone........the definitioin was if it could not start and run due to a part being removed off of it then that was working on it...........amazing how they leave me alone now.........even when I had the interior gutted out on the lawn.........the car ran and drove............

and they thought they were so smart..........get a definitioin ............brakes......... oil change.........tires........that would be working on it.......as it will not start and drive,you get the picture......