So You Decided Towing Is for You?
Here are 4 things to consider when choosing a towing company:
1. Minimum Notice
If you do decide to contract with a towing company, be sure that you read and understand the contract fully. Ideally, contracts will include the minimum notice a towing company must provide before towing a vehicle, and should be required to get sign-off by the association prior to towing any vehicles.
2. Pricing and Contract Fees
The association should be aware of the tow company’s extra fees and specify what the towing company can charge when a person collects their vehicle. If the association fee is $100 to tow, but the towing company charges homeowners an additional $250 to retrieve their vehicle, you’re going to have a lot of push back from unhappy homeowners! Specify contract fees that your association will not accept prior to obtaining the services of any tow company, and be sure those fees are documented in the contract before signing.
3. Indemnity
Be sure that your contact states that if the towing company somehow violates state or local rules, the association will be indemnified for any fees the association incurs due to those violations; this is non-negotiable to protect the association.
4. Proper Licensing and Insurance
Towing companies are vendors, and as such, you need to see evidence that they are properly licensed and insured to provide the services they’ve been contracted for. Because the association is towing another person’s property, you need to be able to defend this activity. Be sure you are dealing with a reputable company and investigate any complaints in a timely manner.
Although no one method will solve all of your HOA parking problems, there are actions you can take to curtail the number of violations. It is not uncommon for most families to own two or more vehicles, which causes a limited number of available parking spaces within each community. This problem is compounded when guests visit. Because of this, parking rules and restrictions have become a necessity. By posting clear parking rules, communicating effectively with residents, and having a policy in place that is enforced, you can reduce the number of parking issues within your HOA.
If you’re currently on the fence about towing being a viable option for your HOA, please contact Spectrum. Your community manager will be happy to discuss solutions to your HOA’s parking problems.
I like the advice to make rules like minimum towing notice very clear. Communication is a big key to peaceful negotiation. I would expect that a miscommunication here could lead to upset neighbors and arguments. I would think that would be something everyone would want to avoid if possible, so make the rules clear.
Great list of things to know before choosing a towing company. I like that your first point was to have the contracts include a minimum notice clause, stating that someone has to sign off before they can tow anything. I can see why this would be important to avoid accidentally towing the wrong car. It seems like it would be important to have the towing company be local, that way you aren’t waiting too long to have something towed.
We work with a few of the high ticket neighborhoods down here in Mobile, AL, and you are spot on when you talk about angry homeowners. They come down to get their vehicle and they are not in a good mood.
I think HOA’s should do a better job of giving warnings for the first offense, and clearly outlining to the homeowner that a vehicle will be towed in the event they park improperly.
I agree that it’s important to closely examine your contract before signing on a towing company. It could be important to layout the details within your contract in case your towing company does not follow through on their commitments. It seems to be a good idea to always include more than less detail in service contracts.
Great tips for choosing a towing partner! I can imagine how frustrating it would be to need to be towed only to find out there was a minimum notice you didn’t know about. I think it’s also a good idea to check for ratings or reputation when picking a towing partner.
Towing has saved me! It is very important though to examine your contract before signing. They can be pricey but there are some people out there who are genuine and ready to help. I have generally had very nice people help me out when I am stuck.
This is a great article. My HOA hired a towing company that was not licensed, and they wound up causing damage to other cars within the community. The HOA had to pay a lot of money because of this… if they would have read this article first, it would have saved everybody a lot of time and money.
Finding a good trust worthy towing company is tough. Its always smart to do your due diligence before hiring anyone. Find out who the owner is, what there response time is, how do they treat customers etc… Check out there Yelp reviews too!
I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with a company near me here in Dallas. They were really nice, qualified, and funny! Felt at home every step of the way.
I need to get my vehicle towed. It makes sense that I would want to hire a professional! I’ll make sure that they are properly licensed and insured. That is the mark of a trustworthy business!
I like that you talked about the ability for the towing company to come on minimum notice. It seems that there are a lot of people that don’t understand how unexpected towing needs are. The last thing you want is to not be prepared if you do need a tow. Do you have any other tips about finding a good tow company?
When choosing a company, I’d ask around and do some research. A lot can be gained from looking at online reviews and talking to neighbors and family. Of course, also call up a company and get a feel for their customer service.
One of the most important things to look for in a towing company is how fast they can respond to an emergency. I did not know that towing companies needed to get a signed release of the car to the company but that seems very important. I also think that it is important to make sure that they are a reputable company with a good rating.
This is an excellent summary of clear and concise guidelines that HOA communities looking to set up parking restrictions/towing services should follow. It also provides good insight for any towing company looking to do business with any HOA by prioritizing what is important from the HOA owners perspective. Thanks for putting in the time and effort to write this.
All 4 tips are super important, but I think it’s really important to notice #2. Pricing and contract fees are something the community definitely needs to consider before hiring a towing company.
Thanks for the great information!
I like your idea on how you would want to find a towing company that is licensed and insured. Because this probably takes a little time to verify it would probably be best to find a service before anything bad happens. I recently moved to a new area so I’ll have to find a licensed towing company before my car actually breaks down.
I appreciate your tip on checking the qualifications of a towing service. I agree that you need to consider their licensing and insurance because it shows that they are reputable. My sister is looking for a towing service after a recent move so she’ll have to find someone who is properly qualified.
Great article, however I would swap number 3 and 4 with 1 and 2. In my opinion legitimacy of a towing company proceeds the timing and cost. I believe the cost of legal action could far outweigh the small price difference in the companies. Most tow trucks usually are around the same ballpark price to stay competitive, but the professionalism and legitimacy can determine trust within the HOA and community.
I definitely recommend checking the laws in your area before getting into towing for property management companies. Rules can differ between cities, making it challenging to expand your business. You should definitely make sure your towing service provider is licensed and insured.
I couldn’t agree more when you mentioned checking for proper licensing and insurance when choosing the right towing services company. It is recommended that you pick a company that has been in the business for many years and is legally authorized to perform their service in the area. Also, you may want to check if they are insured to protect you from any liability. If I were to look for towing services, I would make sure to keep this in mind. Thanks.
Great article, always do you due dilligence before choosing a tow truck provider
There is a lot that you should be on the lookout for when choosing a towing company. As the article points out, one thing you will definitely want to look for is insurance. That way, if your car is accidentally damaged while being moved it will be covered under their insurance.
These are some valuable tips to find a towing service. I feel like insurance is the most important part as sometimes the towing services damage your vehicle and they should be liable to pay you.
My cousin just moved and he’s finding it really had to find a good towing service.
I like the tip that you gave to choose a towing service that has proper licensing. My wife and I need get our car that we crashed to the shop to be fixed, and we would like to hire a reliable towing service. I will be sure to choose a towing service that is properly licensed, so I will be confident in hiring them.
Thanks for talking about how we need to read the towing company’s contract carefully before signing on to anything. We will be sure to do that so that we can find the best company and know all of the terms and conditions. I want to find a tow company now so that we are prepared for anything that could happen in the future. We’ll start asking around.
Lots of good advice here. I really like how there were some good pointers on what to look out for. I will definitely be bringing up this and doing due diligence before our next HOA meeting
Thanks for letting me know that you should figure out pricing and contract fees when choosing a towing company. My husband and I just moved into a new area. We want to be prepared if our car breaks down, so we’ll find a good towing service.
Pricing can differ vastly from one tow truck company to the next! Call at least 3 to get an idea, especially if it’s an out of pocket expense.
Pretty good article you got here! Thanks for pointing out that If you do decide to contract with a towing company, be sure that you read and understand the contract fully. I think that it would be smart to look up towing companies in your are and decide which one you think is the most reliable. Thanks for the article!
Thank you for taking the time to write this article. Most facilities around the US don’t know about the option of creating a contract with a towing company. We offer this all the time, but getting the word out to respective communities is easier said than done unless you have a large marketing budget. Unfortunately, we do not.
Everyone should do their due dilligence before working with a towing company. Unfortunately, most people do not and it gives good towing companies a bad name.
Google is by far the best tool to find a reliable towing company. They have many features built into their platform to give consumers and those in need plenty of resources to compare multiple companies at once. Make sure you do your homework and use the resources in front of you.
Great information to share for HOA’s and something that most don’t consider. Contracts are a good way to lock in the services of a company you’ve already done your homework on getting you the best company when you need them.
I am glad that your article takes into account the importance of pricing and contract fees when it comes to hiring the services of a towing company. As someone who is considering hiring the services of a towing company in the future, I personally believe that the advice in your article is universal. I think that I will do more research on the subject in order to be prepared when contacting a service provider.
Towing business is a great business to start with but you really need to invest in this business if you would like to do this.
I’ll be traveling alone next week and I fear that I might experience a sudden car breakdown. It’s a great thing that you shared how important it is to ask for evidence to prove that a towing company is insured and licensed. I better start looking for a reliable and trustworthy towing service that can help just in case of car trouble.
Excellent article! All points well taken. Open communication between the association and the towing company is essential. Particularly piont 2. Make sure all possible fees are spelled out prior to any contract signing.
That is not a easy to do. There are a lot towing company that offers more and great deal than others. but it depends if there is a towing company that makes you want to go back to them because of their policy or any thing you like about them. Anyway this is a great article. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for mentioning that you should check for a towing companies insurance and license because they’re vendors. My brother is thinking of looking for a heavy-duty towing service because he was driving his semi down the highway last week and it broke down in the middle of haul. It seems like a good idea to consider hiring a reputable service that can help my brother in the event of another mechanical issue he might get with driving his truck.