What can happen if you hide a vehicle from the repossession agent?

Answer 1

It is not legal to hide a vehicle from repossession! Regardless of your intent, you are obligated by contract, and by law, to turn over the vehicle. Charges could be filed against you and additional out of pocket expenses incurred along with criminal charges. Please consult with the attorney generals office consumer protection in your state regarding said actions, your rights, and criminal penalties. Most states have concealment laws which could land you in jail or paying a hefty fine or both. Finance companies have not really pursued this avenue due to public perception. With the costs of vehicles rising, you can rest assured the day is coming. They have to protect their investments. If you cannot afford the car, give it back. You cannot afford an attorney either to defend you in court if you are the "new example." I am in this business and you're not going to get any better information. If you cannot pay, you don't deserve to ride for free. You do have a signed contract that you cannot fulfill. Go buy a cheaper car that you can afford and you won't have to worry about the repoman showing up at your door. Unless there is a court order (and you would be informed by certified mail if there was) then IT IS TOTALLY LEGAL TO HIDE YOUR CAR. You see most repossessions occur prior to court action. Most contracts allow repossession upon default of a car payment. In some cases even a day late can cause such action though in practice its closer to 60 days when an account is declared in default. Most people who do hide their cars do so after not making a payment for a couple of months. By now the finance company or bank that did the finance deal is trying to contact the person several times a day at least in most cases. Hiding a car is only concealment when a person has been informed there is a court order. In many cases even when the financer does get in touch with the person owing the money for the car does not even mention their intent to repossess in so the person is caught off guard. Still repossessions occur sometimes in the middle of the night at a person's home but more and more of them happen at a person's place of work. Hey the bank knows where the person works because its on their application. Hiding it out of state at a friend's or relative's residence in a locked garage in a gated community is your best bet. This way they cant get the car even if they find out where it is on a standard repossession. At this point they would go to court and get a sherriff department to do it. You should only hide the car if you think you will be able to make the loan current within a couple months. Otherwise it only bides time till the inevitable happens. " IT IS TOTALLY LEGAL TO HIDE YOUR CAR." Not true, in some states, such as Georgia, there are code sections for "Concelement of property subject to security interest" that can be enforced, and it doesn't require court action to have this enforced, except for the lienholder, or their representatives testimony to the magistrate judge during the warrant application process. With this in mind, I hardly think the statement of " IT IS TOTALLY LEGAL TO HIDE YOUR CAR." is correct, and I truly think it is bad advice. But whoever wrote that is probably just trying to get someone in trouble. If it isn't paid off, it is not yours, and the lienholder has various avenues of legal methods to take it back, simple as that. Keep in mind, in some states, such as Georgia, there are code sections for "Concelement of property subject to security interest" that can be enforced, and it doesn't require court action to have this enforced, except for the lienholder, or their representatives testimony to the magistrate judge during the warrant application process. With this in mind, I hardly think the statement of " IT IS TOTALLY LEGAL TO HIDE YOUR CAR." is correct, and I truly think it is bad advice. But whoever wrote that is probably just trying to get someone in trouble. If it isn't paid off, it is not yours, and the lienholder has various avenues of legal methods to take it back, simple as that. It is legal to "hide" your car from the repo man.He has no legal rights to come on your property and remove your car only beccause the lender gave him a contract to pick up the vehicle. If the lender goes to court and gets a "Writ of Replevin", then a "Writ" will be issued to the Sheriff's office. At that time, the repo man will come to your house with a Sheriff's officer who will have the "Writ" and at that time, and only at that time you will have to surrender the vehicle. The "Writ of Replevin" is issued by a judge and is a court order. You will have to abide by that, otherwise, you are in contempt of a court order and can be arrested. If there is no court order, the repo man has NO rights, and you do NOT have to let them take your car. I think you should try a search on concealing mortgaged property and then try answering. As far as coming onto your property take a good look at your contract you signed and read the part about you giving permission to enter upon your premises for the purpose of taking your car. Hide and seek is the game you are playing and you can never hide forever I work in law enforcement in NJ, and the only way a vehicle can be taken is by a "Writ of Replevin", that is, if you refuse to turn the vehicle over in hopes that you can catch up on the payments. If you do answer the door, in which there is NO law that states you must answer, you can refuse to answer any questions and shut the door. If you tell the "repo" to leave your premises, he must do so. If he does refuse, you can have him arrested for second degree Criminal Trespass. In NJ, they cannot remove a vehicle blocking the vehicle in question, cannot break in to a locked and/or secured building, touch or threaten you in any way. If the police are called, they cannot force you to surrender the vehicle either. Their presense is only to "keep the peace". They will tell the "repo" man to leave the property and not to return, unless it is with a court order and a Sheriff's officer. The "repo" man refuses, then he will be arrested. Simple as that. Remember, the "repo" man is a tow driver, not a law enforcement officer. He cannot make you do anything. It really is a civil matter. But if a court order is issued, you have no choice. You must at that time surrender the vehicle.