In Ohio, the Montana Valley Apartments complex is towing — and threatening to tow — cars parked in its lot that don’t meet its appearance standards, Westwood’s Local 12 news station reports. The story calls it PWP, or parking while poor, and it results in the complex towing one to two cars per month while also distributing tow notices on three to four cars per day.
Here’s a little more from the story:
Dennis Day’s 2001 Honda is no Bentley, but he was surprised when the other day he received a notice on his windshield after visiting a friend at a Westwood apartment complex.
“Basically, I just ran into the apartment to drop off a few boxes, came back out with a sticker on my car saying that my car did not meet their high standards,” Day said.
The notice stated that due to damage on his car, it would be towed if he didn’t move it within 24 hours.
“It was a huge slap in the face!” exclaimed Day.
The Montana Valley Apartments manager noted that the complex doesn’t allow cars with rust, dents, flat tires, or bad paint to sit in front of its complex. And while there’s certainly something to be said about towing a car that’s been immobile for several weeks, tenants here are arguing that the standards are entirely unfair because it doesn’t allow them the time to get a repair — especially for people who are already living paycheck to paycheck.
Folks have asked the manager what’s supposed to happen to people who can’t afford a nice car or repair. She responded, “We understand the policy is not for everyone” and left it at that.
This seems especially cruel in the midst of a pandemic, when many people are still left unemployed and when the cost of purchasing even a used car is skyrocketing.