Junking a Car From an Apartment or Condo Lot

1. Read any notice you have

   Write down the date, who signed it and what it says will happen. If you only got a verbal warning, ask for the date in writing.

2. Find your paperwork

   The buyer will need a title or other ownership document. See our paperwork guide. If that takes time, tell your manager.

3. Talk to the manager or HOA

   Tell them a tow truck is coming to remove the car, and ask the questions below.

4. Book the pickup

   Tell the buyer the address, the building, the exact spot and how to get in.

5. Meet the truck

   Be there to open the gate, hand over the paperwork and get paid. Here is why we recommend it.

6. Tell the manager it’s gone

   A short text or email is enough, and it gives you a record.

7. File your Report of Sale

   You have five business days. Don’t forget the plates.

• “Is there a time or day when a tow truck should or should not come?”
• “Can I have a gate code or a fob for that visit, or will someone let the truck in?”
• “Is there a height limit in the garage or at the gate?”
• “Does anyone need to move the cars next to mine?”
• “Can you confirm by email that the truck can come for my car in spot [number]?”
• “If my deadline is close, can you give me until the pickup date, in writing?”

Having that okay in writing is a reasonable step. RCW 46.79.070 lists removing a vehicle without both written permission of the property owner and department-approved documentation among the grounds for fining a licensee. It helps the buyer as well as you, and it avoids an argument with someone on site.

A shared lot has details a driveway doesn’t. Tell us:

• Building and spot number, plus a landmark. Lots can look the same to a driver.
• Whether there is a gate, and who will open it.
• Whether the spot is in a garage, and its height limit.
• If it’s nose-in or backed in, and whether other cars are close on either side.
• Whether the car rolls, and if you have keys. See no keys and flat tires.

Send up to 3 photos with the pickup form. One of the path in and one of the spot are the most useful. For anything really tight, use the measurements in our tight spots guide.

A dead car in a shared lot may not get much patience. Under RCW 46.55.010, “residential property” means no more than four living units, so a larger complex may fall under the rules for nonresidential property: an unauthorized vehicle on posted nonresidential property can be removed immediately, and on unposted property after 24 hours. Your lease or HOA rules may add to that. Whether your car counts as “unauthorized” depends on your rights to the space, so read those documents and ask.

A private impound does need signed authorization at the time and place, under RCW 46.55.080.

Here is what to do with a deadline:

• Tell the buyer the exact date when you first call.
• Ask for help on timing. Same-day pickup is often possible with us, but it’s never promised, so don’t leave it until the last day.
• Send the manager your booking date, and ask for an extension in writing if you need one.

Act quickly, because storage costs can add up. The last registered owner is presumed responsible for removal, storage and disposal costs under RCW 46.55.105. Read car impounded and not worth getting back and your car in a tow yard first. Find out who has it and how you can get your belongings out.

If you manage the property and the car belongs to someone who has gone, you can’t sell it unless it qualifies and goes through the junk vehicle process, or another process the rules allow. Start with abandoned car on your property and a tenant left a car behind. Do not call a buyer to remove a car you don’t have the right to dispose of.

We pick up from apartment and condo lots as well as driveways and streets. Towing is free on a flatbed, and you get paid in cash on the spot. Call (206) 941-0612, open 7 days, 8 AM to 11 PM. How it works shows the steps.