{"id":1561,"date":"2020-03-10T09:49:39","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T09:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/?p=1561"},"modified":"2020-06-02T18:25:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T18:25:01","slug":"what-can-i-do-if-my-car-was-illegally-repossessed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/what-can-i-do-if-my-car-was-illegally-repossessed\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can I do if my Car was Illegally Repossessed?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1562\" src=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tow-Truck.jpg\" alt=\"Car Repossession\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tow-Truck.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tow-Truck-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tow-Truck-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Tow-Truck-1024x536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Illegal or wrongful car repossession typically means that your lender or the repo agent didn&#8217;t follow the proper procedures for repossession your vehicle.\u00a0 Learning about the rights and wrongs of vehicle repossessions can help you determine whether your car was illegally repossessed.\u00a0 Both the repo agent and the lender must follow the rules.\u00a0 Whether or not you missed payments, borrowers have rights against the lender and repo agent when a car, truck, motorcycle, boat or RV is repossessed.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1564\" src=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Home-Garage-Door-closed-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Closed Garage Door\" width=\"372\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Home-Garage-Door-closed-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Home-Garage-Door-closed-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Home-Garage-Door-closed-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Home-Garage-Door-closed.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" \/>It\u2019s often a tense encounter when the repossession agent shows up to take your vehicle.\u00a0 However, they may not become aggressive or threaten you.<\/p>\n<h3>Repo Agents May Not<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use physical force \u2013 or threaten to use physical force \u2013 when taking possession of your car<\/li>\n<li>They can\u2019t damage your car or your property during the repossession<\/li>\n<li>They can\u2019t come into your home without your invitation<\/li>\n<li>They can\u2019t enter your closed garage to get access to your car<\/li>\n<li>If the police are on the scene, the repo agent can\u2019t have them threaten to arrest you or make them order you to turn over your keys<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/contact-us\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2078 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Contact-Us-Button-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a>If a repo agent over steps his bounds, your consumer rights may have been violated. Document the repossession by taking photos or a video of the scene, get statements from witnesses, and create a written statement of events.<\/p>\n<h2>The Lender Must<\/h2>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Getting-notices-in-mail-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Deficiency Notices in mail\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Getting-notices-in-mail-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Getting-notices-in-mail.jpg 636w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong>Borrowers are responsible for making payments to the bank, credit union or finance company in full and on time.\u00a0 If you default on the terms of your loan agreement, the lender can repossess it.\u00a0 After a vehicle has been repossessed, the lender is required to send specific notices to the borrower.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notice of Intent to Sell Property<br \/>\n<\/strong>After repossession, a letter called a <strong>Notice of Intent to Sell Property<\/strong> will be sent to the borrower stating:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The outstanding balance<\/li>\n<li>The amount required to recover the vehicle<\/li>\n<li>The location of the vehicle so that you can recover any personal belongings<\/li>\n<li>The time you have to act before the vehicle is sold at a private sale or auction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In some cases, the lender might allow the borrower to reinstate the loan by making past due payments.\u00a0 Other times, the lender may demand payment of the entire loan balance for you to get the car back. Either way, your lender must send a letter that states the terms that apply to you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deficiency Notice<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter your vehicle is sold at a private sale or auction, the lender will send a notice called a Deficiency Letter which tells the borrower the selling price of the car, repossession and storage fees, and calculates any remaining balance that may be owed on the loan.<\/p>\n<p>Should you ask yourself , \u201cWhat can I do if my car was illegally repossessed?\u201d, gather these documents along with a copy of your signed loan agreement, which may be called a Retail Installment Sales Contract, and contact a qualified consumer protection law firm to evaluate whether your consumer rights were violated.<\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<strong>Seek Legal Help<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Flitter Milz is a nationally-recognized consumer protection law firm that represents people who have had a car, truck, motorcycle, RV or boat illegally repossessed.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/contact-us\/\"><u>Contact us today<\/u><\/a> for a free consultation.\u00a0 We will fight for you!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/contact-us\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2077 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Contact-Us-Button-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"125\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Illegal or wrongful car repossession typically means that your lender or the repo agent didn&#8217;t follow the proper procedures for repossession your vehicle.\u00a0 Learning about the rights and wrongs of vehicle repossessions can help you determine whether your car was illegally repossessed.\u00a0 Both the repo agent and the lender must follow the rules.\u00a0 Whether or &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/what-can-i-do-if-my-car-was-illegally-repossessed\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What Can I do if my Car was Illegally Repossessed?<\/span> &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[36,37],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1561"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2088,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1561\/revisions\/2088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}