'Disgusting,' fumes man whose disabled veteran wife hit with $460 tow by HOA from outside home

A HOMEOWNER calls on his HOA to change the community's towing policy after his wife's truck was towed away.

He says if a neighbor did it, they're "disgusting" - and if the HOA did it, change needs to happen.

A woman's truck was towed from the front of her home within a gated community, sparking a public rant from her husbandShe's a disabled veteran who left her time in the military with impaired visionCredit: Getty

Nicholas Toussaint is a homeowner in the subdivision on West Lovers Lane in Dallas, Texas.

The community of apartments and townhomes is managed by Algonquin Property Management.

Touissant's wife is a disabled veteran who ended up with impaired vision as a result of her sacrifice to serve and parked a little less perfectly than she normally does.

Her truck had disabled veteran license plates to help distinguish herself, too.

Despite this, the couple then woke up to find her truck had been towed away.

To get some answers, he took to the community's public Facebook page to ask about the tow truck company and who he could talk to about igniting change.

"Let's take care of our own, not make it hard on each other," his post began.

"If we are going to have tow trucks come inside our gates to make sure we are parked correctly, (we have no reserved parking) we need to have stickers that label our vehicles as residents."

He suspected a neighbor reported her parking job to their HOA, prompting a tow truck.

"If someone called to have her towed for not being perfectly parked, disgusting," he wrote.

'Really frustrated,' says driver whose HOA banned him parking outside his home - they gave him permit then took it away

And if it wasn't a neighbor, then the inability to tell the difference between a guest and a resident was to blame.

"If the tow company that patrols our lot towed her, lack of leadership on the HOA."

Touissant went on to point out a few things that neglected to be fixed, all the while a towing company never stopped patrolling the lot.

"Interesting how we allegedly have a tow service patrolling our parking lot but we can’t keep the gates working and the grass mowed," he continued.

HOA, let's help each other. Not make it hard on each other. Figure it out.

Nicholas TouissantHomeowner

"Common area maintenance is standard procedures and it’s what keeps us clean and safe. It’s why we pay HOA fees."

The worst part, Touissant wrote, was the cost of retrieving his wife's truck back from the impound lot.

The standard towing fee for a regular tow in Dallas is $139.

After storage and other fees were included, the couple paid much more than that.

What is an HOA?

One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners' Association - or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do?

An HOA is a homeowner's association - an organization that aims to maintain a clean and cohesive place to live for its residents.
Entire neighborhoods, subdivisions, condominiums, family homes, or townhouses within "a planned development" will often make up an HOA.
They also act as a governing body for tenants, who run and fund the HOA through monthly fees.
Their principal aims are to keep the community functioning and visually appealing and to maintain property values.
They primarily focus on common areas of a neighborhood, such as roads, parks, and pools - but may also stipulate what residents can do with their properties, such as yards and driveways.
Often these restrictions enforce uniformity on properties, for example, ensuring most houses look the same and all driveways are clear of weeds.
An HOA rulebook of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) is distributed to all residents, and an elected volunteer board of directors enforces these regulations.
Breaking these rules can result in penalties such as fines and even litigation - as most HOAs are incorporated and subject to state law.
HOAs are often the subject of controversy, with some members feeling that the rules are too punitive and restricting, or that the leadership has too much power.
But others like that HOAs give communities the power of self-governance, and can ensure a degree of harmony between residents.

"We have lost $460," he wrote.

"And more importantly we have wasted our time dealing with a towed vehicle inside our own gates!"

He finalized his post with a call to action from the HOA.

"HOA, let’s help each other. Not make it hard on each other," he wrote.

"Figure it out."

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Algonquin Property Management for comment.

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