Someone keeps parking in your visitor spots? A property manager’s guide to getting it towed

It is 7 p.m., a resident calls the office, and the same car is sitting in visitor parking for the fourth night this week. Or a customer cannot get into your plaza because someone left a pickup across two spots and walked to the GO station. Every property manager in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Brampton and Mississauga deals with this. Here is a practical, step-by-step way to handle it without arguments, invoices or wasted time.

1. Signage: helpful, and free from us

Clear tow-away signs at the entrances and in problem areas like visitor rows and fire routes do a lot of quiet work: most of their value is in the cars that never park there in the first place. Many of the lots we serve have no signs at all, and we still handle those calls — signage simply makes the whole thing smoother. A good sign says the parking is private, who is allowed to park, that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense, and a 24/7 phone number a driver can call to find their car.

Rules differ from one municipality to the next, and we check that for your address. We supply, install and maintain the signs at no cost to the property. Our guide to what a tow-away sign is really worth has the full picture.

2. Decide who is allowed to call for a tow

Confusion over who can authorize a tow causes most disputes. Put it in writing: the property manager, the superintendent, a board member, or security staff. At Vaughan Towing we ask every property to sign a short towing authorization naming those people, so our driver knows the request is legitimate. You can sign the authorization online in about two minutes, with your finger on a phone or a mouse on a computer.

3. Document the vehicle before you call

A little documentation protects everyone if the owner complains later:

• Take a photo of the vehicle showing the plate and where it is parked
• Take a photo of the nearest tow-away sign
• Note the date and time, and how long the vehicle has been there if you know
• If it is a repeat offender, keep a simple log of each time you have seen it

4. Call a licensed private property towing company

Ontario now regulates tow operators provincially, and several GTA municipalities add their own rules on top: some license or authorize the enforcement company, others ask the property to register. A professional towing company should know the rules for your city and handle that paperwork, so the tow is done properly and the vehicle owner is pointed to the right place to recover their car.

With Vaughan Towing, the property pays nothing. There is no contract fee and no invoice to the building. The vehicle owner pays the tow and storage when they pick the car up. Call 647-219-1786, 24 hours a day, and tell dispatch the address and the vehicle.

5. Handle the owner who shows up

Sometimes the driver comes back while the tow is being hooked up. Stay calm and do not negotiate on site. Let the tow operator explain the process. Point the owner to the phone number on your sign. If you are not comfortable being there, you do not need to be: once the authorization is on file, our driver can handle it.

6. Stop the problem from coming back

• Send residents or tenants a short notice that visitor parking is enforced
• Give real visitors a simple permit or registration method so they are never towed by mistake
• Schedule regular patrols for lots with repeat problems instead of waiting for complaints
• Keep your authorization and signage up to date when management or rules change

Quick answers

Does towing cost the property anything? Not with us. The vehicle owner pays on release.

How fast can you get there? Dispatch runs 24/7 and most calls in our service area are handled within the hour.

What areas do you cover? Vaughan, Woodbridge, Markham, Richmond Hill, King City, Newmarket, Brampton and Mississauga.