questions & answers

Question: I purchased a condo and garage in May 2015. Then went back to Oregon for the summer. When I returned my garage door would not open. I put the key in and manually opened the door to find some else's car in my garage. When I reported it to HOA they told me a mistake was made and the person whose car was in my garage was in Ohio and would return Nov1 2015. My personal items that were left in the garage were gone. What are my legal rights to reclaim what was legally mine and also how do I remove his car from my garage

Answer: Assuming you consider the resident at fault and not the HOA, a victim of a theft offense can contact local law enforcement to file a criminal complaint. You are also entitled to recover damages for your losses from the renter who took your possessions. If you cannot resolve this informally, you must file a Civil lawsuit for theft in the Superior Court. If the person does not return from out of state, jurisdictional issues become more complex and beyond the scope of this information. The police should be able to remove the vehicle with a tow truck.