A car repossession process starts once a borrower fails to pay his required loan. The lender will hire a third-party company to proceed with repossessing the car.
However, when the company is contacted, they will do anything legally possible to ensure the car is repossessed. They will monitor the car for days and hopefully tow it on the best day.
But what if the car was never found? What happens if the repo man never finds your car?
If the repo man never finds your car, he will continue to look for the car until he finds it and if he still never finds it, he will contact your lender who may take legal actions that will force you to return the car.
What Happens if the Repo Man Never Finds Your Car?
If the repo man can’t find your car, he will continue to look for it until he finds it, increasing the repossession process. However, if he never finds the car, he will contact the lender who will take it up from there.
The lender will however proceed with legal actions, getting a court order that will force you to return the car to them.
As long as the car repossession process has started, and the repo man is on the lookout for your car, it must be found, irrespective of how hard to try to hide it.
Here is what happens if the repo man can’t find your car:
1. It Means You’re Hiding the Car
It’s not possible for a repo man to suddenly not be able to find a car you’ve been driving all this while. If the repo man never finds your car, it means you hid it from him which may attract legal action.
There are different tactics many people use to hide their car from the repo man. It’s never wise to hide your car from the repo man. It is however illegal to do so in some states. In the end, you will be the one suffering the consequences.
Since the repo man can easily tow your car from the driveway, parking lots, etc., some people resort to:
- Hiding the car in their friend’s place (the repo man can find the new address)
- Removing the license plates on the car
- Parking the car down the street
- Parking the car in a locked garage
- Disguising the vehicle’s appearance either by wrapping the car or repainting it, etc.
Repo men know all these tactics at the back of their minds so you can’t trick them. They know what to do and areas to look out for.
Meanwhile, since the repo man can’t break into someone’s private property, people resort to parking the car in their locked garage or their friend’s/relative garage, making it clear that they are hiding the car.
2. The Search Will Go On
If the repo man never finds the car, he will report back to the lender who may ask him to continue searching for the car. This may however incur more fees to you, because the more the repo man continues to search the car, the more you may have to pay.
3. Increased or Delay the Repossession Process
The repo man not finding the car means that the repossession process will continue. It will delay the process and cause it to continue.
4. Legal Actions
When it becomes obvious that you’re purposely hiding your car from the repo man, the lender who holds a lien on the car can get a court order that will force you to return the car. At the end of the day, you will still be returning the car.
Therefore, you can never hide from repossession, at least not for too long. You can try hiding the car, but at the end of the day, the car will be repossessed.
What to Do if Repo Man is Searching for Your Car?
Once you deviate in your auto loan payment, you’re already aware that the repo man is on the way. Do not hide or try to hide the car from the repo man, doing that can be considered illegal.
Hiding a car from a lender when you’re yet to complete your payment is theft and, therefore, an illegal thing to do. Make the car readily available for the repo man.
Moreover, there’s no need to hide a car you don’t want to continue making payments for. There’s no point. Just make the car readily available for the repo man.
Conclusion
It’s never a good thing to hide your car from a repo man. However, if a repo man never finds your car, he will contact the lender and let them know he’s unsuccessful. The lender will however take it up from there. They will proceed with getting a court order which will force you to return the car.
Meanwhile, one of the disadvantages of hiding your car from the repo man is that the lender will continue to hire the repo company to do the job, however, the longer it takes to get the car back, the more you may owe. If the lender however decides to take the matter to court, you may be left with huge money to pay.
