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    Retired 74-year-old car guy and his wife bring a buyer to haul trailer full of tools they own from a man’s property in Southern California, he blocks them last minute, claiming they owe him “rent,” refusing to let them take their equipment

    Someone using their property to strong‑arm an older couple is already bad enough, but this Tool‑hoarding, Rent‑chiseling, Workshop‑wrecking landlord‑slash‑space‑renter really hit a nerve

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    Author image for Etai Eshet Etai Eshet
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    • Older couple standing on a beach, man in a green jacket kissing the woman on the cheek as she looks out toward the ocean on a cloudy day.
      via Esther Ann

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Renting out a bit of land in California is fine until the person who let you park a lifetime of equipment on it suddenly decides your removal notice is their personal payday.

    • Refusal to allow My husband to retrieve tools and personal items

      Location: Southern California My husband is 74 years old. He has spent the last 40+ years fabricating, restoring and building vintage race cars and street rods.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • This is his passion in life. About 8 years ago, my husband was introduced to a man who wanted a Woodie car built.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • My husband brought over an enclosed trailer with equipment he has acquired for several decades (including a lathe, english wheel, drill press, his hand tools and various electrical equipment).
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • So this situation should have been pretty simple if it was not for the Trailer‑trapping, Rent‑reaming, Fair‑play‑ignoring guy who thinks a few square feet of pavement give him a lifetime claim on someone else’s livelihood.

    • He faithfully fabricated this vehicle along with repairing and building personal items for this individual. In 2022, my husband was severely injured when a part of his equipment fell and crushed his right hand.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • Older man wearing sunglasses and a white shirt standing beside a camper van outdoors, pointing at the vehicle’s rear panel in a grassy area with trees in the background.
      via Natalia Blauth

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • As soon as he was physically able to work, he returned. (My husband was a one person "department ".
      via Roadsterdaughter

    • A lifelong car guy in his mid‑seventies has spent decades turning scrap metal into art. His trailer is not storage it is a moving workshop full of lathes presses English wheels hand tools and electrical gear he has collected over years of building and restoring cars. He sets up at someone else’s place because that is where the projects are and that is where the person who wants cars built tells him to come. He puts in long hours big jobs small favors and a lot of trust. None of that trust is written down it is just assumed that when someone spends years working in your space they will not wake up one day and find their entire career locked in a trailer they can no longer touch.  

    • A year later he suffered a stroke, and my hubby tried to return to work, and we were hoping his abilities would return.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • He tried for several months to do his vocation, but would be exhausted after an hour or two.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • I am 63 years old and have been dis ed since 2017. We also have sole custody of his 4 year old daughter (her age at the time) around the same time.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • She is now 12. Hubs had a second stroke 12/24/25. Our sole income is social security.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • The couple is past the age where you can just start over when things go wrong. They are in their sixties and seventies scraping by on fixed income trying to keep a roof overhead and food in the house while also raising a young child. The idea that they would hustle to find a buyer for a massive trailer full of tools and then actually show up twice to give notice is not some vague future plan it is a real shot at stability. They arrive with a check and a crew ready to move the trailer only to be told the paperwork is not in order the timing is wrong and suddenly they owe rent for using someone else’s space to do the work that person begged them to do.  

    • Our snap benefits were discontinued 01/26. We have attempted to retrieve his trailer and equipment for the last 4 months.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • We have found a buyer for the whole works, which is desperately needed. All our income pays rent, utilities, car insurance and now food.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • The individual states he is owed "rent" in the amount of $1700. We advised him twice in the last two months we needed to retrieve his property.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • We had a check for over $9k in our possession along with several men to accomplish this.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • He complained he had no prior notice we were coming today. The buyer retrieved his check until he could get the items and they left.
      via Roadsterdaughter

    • The owner acts like he owns the tools now because he owns the patch of pavement they sit on. He knows they have no money for a lawyer no luxury of dragging this out for months in court and very little leverage beyond showing up and asking. He is not trying to solve a problem he is trying to win a cheap power game.

    • Immediately after the man stated we will not be allowed to get our stuff and demanded we leave.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • We have no funds to retain an attorney. We live in Southern California. What can we do?
      via Roadsterdaughter

    • Holding onto a life’s worth of equipment from an older couple who have already done more than their share of the heavy lifting is not tough business it is just basic human being with a bad attitude. If anything the age difference should be a reason to let them walk away with what is theirs not to use it as an excuse to make them crawl.

    • norahceh If you did work on his house or cars and were not paid put liens on them. Call the police to get your property back.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • ImpossibleStick5656 If you have the title to the trailer.. report it stolen. Call the police. explain.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • acktres Police?
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • Best-Turnover-6713 Three recommendations 1. If you had permission to put the trailer there originally, and no rental agreement, you don't owe rent. 2. Failure to return property (or preventing an owner's recovery if their property) that was lawfully on the premises (theft by conversion). The value here is likely grand theft. This is seriously criminal. Report it stolen. 3. If ANY work was done that was not fully paid for, flip the script and file liens
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • MrBalll Your husband had a child at 66? Risky. You need to call police to see if they'll assist in getting your trailer. If they can't due to civil circumstances then report as stolen to police to give them a legal reason to go over and retrieve it.
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • Txidpeony See if your local legal aid will help at no cost.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • sfstains Do not lie to the police.
      via Roadsterdaughter
    • AbjectMaelstrom NAL, but you are unlikely to get legal assistance from police as this is heavily leaning into a civil matter. The trailer was not "stolen" as it was not taken by someone with the intent to deprive. Some states do have a criminal carve- out for failing to return property that isn't yours and owner/victim exists, so worth checking. Calling the police and reporting trailer as "stolen", then "finding" it on the other property is essentially filing a false police report. With all that
      via Roadsterdaughter
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    • ContactFar2256 What prior notice does he need? It's YOUR property and he has no right to stop you from retrieving it.
      via Roadsterdaughter

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