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Parking Violation Sticker
I live in California and my landlord will put these 4x6 inch orange stickers on peoples cars/trucks that park where they aren't supposed to. The stickers are hell to peel of, they leave a paper residue behind, and they are HUGE! I think it's vandalism, because I see peoples windows with the big paper residue on them that takes goo gone to remove, and they obviously are not able to remove them. Is this even legal? It seems like she super glues them on.
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Have you asked your landlord to stop?
Is she doing it to your car?
If you said yes to those then, I would deduct the cost of nail polish remover (Acetone will work on anything) and the cost of my time to scrape it off my car from my rent. True, it isn't a lot of money but it might get her attention. Of course, first, check your lease agreement, I bet it's on there somewhere, and if it is, then you are out of luck.
If it hasn't happened to your car, or someone visiting you, then I would mind my own business, and make sure my friends (and myself) park where I am supposed to.
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I don't know if it's illegal in your area. A quick call to the police will tell if they are, but I doubt it. They are perfectly legal in most areas, so long as they aren't placed on the window in a way that makes it impossible for the driver to see (and therefor drive safely). I suspect they are perfectly legal for use on cars improperly parked on private property - but it's certainly in poor form and worth addressing. If you want to complain about it, you should.
If they are legal in your area, the first place to bring your concern is probably any Tenant's Association you have in your building or complex, or even in your town. A lot of apartments or rentals complexes will have a organization that is meant to advocate for tenants concerns. They are definitely the first place to go.
It's possible as well that your Tenant's Association has already addresses the issues of these stickers (I'd be surprised if you are the only one annoyed by them) and is aware of the legality of them.
But if no one has complained before, your concerns will have more weight if they come through a tenant's association, and not just from you as an individual, and it's worth it to you to listen to the landlord's formal response to your complaint.
A tenant's organization can also advise you where it's best to take your complaint after you've let the landlord know of them - either the local housing authority or district attorney is the usual place. But in both cases, they will want to know what steps you have taken first to make your landlord aware of your concern.
Finally, I think it's worth considering what your landlord will do if they cannot use these stickers. As annoying as the stickers may be, I imagine having your car towed would be far more annoying and much more costly. The stickers might be a cheaper and more effective deterrent, then making everyone go through all the headache of having their car towed. I'd certainly rather have to buy a bottle of Goo Gone than have to take a cab to get my car out of impound. Perhaps the stickers are illegal, in which case the landlord should certainly stop using them, but if they are legal and the choice is between these awful stickers and calling the police each time a car needs to be removed, I can understand why the choice is being made to handle it this way.
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Are these stickers legal? Probably not, to be sure check with your local police department. IF they are not legal then she is committing a form of vandalism since the stickers are not easily removable.
It is permissible for her to in some manner advise those who park their that they are parked on private property. IF they were illegally parked she could call the police and have then ticketed or towed. Since she has resorted to this method then she has not complied with whatever legal requirements there are for the police to take action.
In the future should your car be vandalized in this manner call the police and file a complaint. Make sure to take pictures for your own purpose and ask the officer to take pictures to go with the police report.
I'm sure if you file a complaint against your landlord will threaten to evict you for doing so. She can't that to would be illegal as a eviction requires a court order. As long as you pay your rent on time and live with in the terms of your lease no court will order an eviction. So don't back down or you will have to live with her papering your cars.
If she were to threaten you in that manner you would then have a civil action against her for illegal use of the court system.
The only way to keep people from parking in areas they are not suppose to is to post signs with proper wording or have the fire department come in a see if they can make those areas fire lanes and red curb them. When that is done the police will issue tickets.
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