Parking spaces and abandoned vehicles: what the association can do

A wreck has occupied a space for two years. Nobody knows whose it is, and nobody dares touch it — rightly so.

It is a classic of board meetings: the dust-covered vehicle, unmoved for months, on a parking space or in a driveway. Everyone is annoyed by it, and nobody knows where to start.

The first thing to understand is that a vehicle remains someone's property. Moving it, removing it or having it removed on your own initiative exposes the association — and sometimes personally whoever took the initiative.

The prior question: where is the vehicle?

• On a private space belonging to an owner: the association has no business intervening, barring a proven hazard (leak, risk). It is a matter between the space owner and the occupant.
• On a common space or driveway: the association is concerned, and the manager is the one to act.
• On a road open to public traffic, even within the grounds: different rules may apply, and intervention often falls to the authorities.

This distinction governs everything else. In these situations the exact course of action depends on the layout of the property and on its rules: have it confirmed before committing to anything.

What the board can do straight away

1. Document. A dated photo of the vehicle and its plate, taken at regular intervals — one month, two months, three months — establishes immobility, which is the central fact.
2. Record the precise location and the date of the first observation.
3. Report it to the manager in writing, attaching the observations, rather than verbally at a meeting.
4. Check whether the vehicle belongs to an occupant: in most cases, a general notice is enough to get the car moved.

Mind data protection: a registration plate is personal data. It is photographed for an internal record; it is not displayed in the lobby — see data protection in condo associations.

What gets an abandoned vehicle moved is rarely a threat: it is a series of dated observations sent to the right person.

What not to do

• Have the vehicle removed on your own initiative, even after several unanswered reminders.
• Block the vehicle or immobilise it further.
• Publicly display a plate, a name or a unit number.
• Treat the matter as a neighbour dispute: see instead what the board can do about nuisance.

Prevention: rules for using the car park

Many buildings have no written rule on the use of common spaces, visitors or parking duration. A resolution voted at the general meeting can set one, provided it is drafted to be enforceable — see the general meeting agenda.

The subject also meets that of equipping the car park, notably EV charger requests, which raise the question of space use long before it turns contentious.

Keeping the chronology

An abandoned-vehicle file builds over months. With CoproHarmony each observation becomes a dated issue with its photo, and the full series exports for the manager or the meeting. Create your space for free.

A cluttered car park is also an evacuation problem: see the fire safety checklist.

The same method applies to abandoned bikes: see creating and running a bike store.

The neighbouring question is spaces given to outsiders: letting a parking space.