All about the Paris pounds
A pound is a garage used by municipal services to pick up and shelter abandoned vehicles on the public highway, or which interfere with an activity on the public domain.
Paris, capital of France and large city, has a large number of car pounds present in all Parisian districts and at all hours.
Rules to follow to avoid having your car stolen
The Parisian pound has a rather delicate role, indeed it is not very appreciated by the drivers who are concerned by the removal of a vehicle for no reason according to them.
However, the pound only intervenes in rare cases, which are specified by clear rules. She can seize your car because you are badly parked. For example, your vehicle is parked in a reserved parking space – GIG, GIC or a private residence car park – or it is poorly parked and hinders users.
We can then think of parking on a delivery place, a sidewalk on which it is forbidden to park or even a stop on the public road which will hinder good traffic. But what remains common is the unpaid parking meter which can lead to vehicle impoundment.
All of these rules are known to everyone, but some people prefer to brave the ban for a few minutes instead of taking the time to find a place.
Paris is the city with the most vehicles removed by the pound, this is explained by the difficulty in finding places. Do not hesitate to contact companies like 118 400 who will be able to direct you to the pound of your neighborhood.
What are the rates for Parisian pounds?
Pound prices fluctuate according to many criteria: geographical location, guarding time but above all the type of service (removal or custody).
On average, it takes €150 for any car removal, but also €15.20 for operation costs and €7.60 for immobilization costs. Once the removal is done, the car will be put in the garage at the pound, each day of custody will be charged 29€. However, at the end of the fourth day of custody within the pound, an expertise of the vehicle will be made and will cost 61€.
Obviously the costs of impoundment are the responsibility of the owner of the vehicle, who will be paid the bill upon receipt of his vehicle.
How to recover your vehicle ?
By law, you only have 30 days to collect your car. Within this time limit, your vehicle will be scrapped or sold if you are unable to pay your fines.
The sooner you get your vehicle back , the less storage fees you will pay. So when you go to the pound, you must come with the release document issued by the police or the gendarmerie who had your vehicle removed, your identity card, your registration certificate, your driving license but also the your car insurance.
If you decide to have your vehicle recovered by a third party, it will be mandatory to make a power of attorney written by hand and signed by you in addition to all your papers.