Insight

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Honda
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Sedan

If you park your car illegally, don't be surprised if it gets towed away. But this apartment complex in Ohio has a very unusual parking policy for residents and visitors: if your car looks shabby and doesn't meet their high standards, it will be towed away.

According to Local 12, Dennis Day was visiting the Montana Valley Apartments apartment complex to deliver some boxes for a friend. When he returned to his 2001 Honda Insight, he was shocked to discover a notice on the windshield warning him that his car will be towed away if he didn't move it within 24 hours, because there was minor damage to the front-end.

"Basically, I just ran into the apartment to drop off a few boxes, came back out with a sticker on my car saying that my car did not meet their high standards," Day said. "It was a huge slap in the face!" As part of the company's strict policy, cars with rust, dents, flat tires, or bad paint cannot be parked in front of the complex.

Clearly, the apartment complex would prefer their parking lots to be filled with luxury Bentleys and Rolls-Royce cars to attract classy clientele. But what if you can't afford to buy a car that meets their standards or make repairs? Tough luck.

"We understand the policy is not for everyone. If you can't comply, you don't need to live here," management bluntly told Local 12. Since the policy was introduced, Montana Valley Apartments has issued tow notices and has towed three to four cars every week. Unsurprisingly, this new policy hasn't gone down well with visitors and residents.

While it's morally dubious at a time when many people are facing financial hardship during the pandemic and some argue that it's discrimination against poor people, what they're doing technically isn't illegal - as long as the policy is clearly posted, they will continue to get away with it.