united-kingdom civil-law traffic
Received a sticker on my car window on a private company car park
<p>Quick story: I parked in my company car park (so I guess its private land), in a place where 'the bay is not marked'. I see many people parking in the same spot, and never have I seen a sticker on their window. It's a large sticker (around half A4 size), stuck to my driver's window. Just a warning not to park there as I am not allowed, with writing that I could barely read. The sticker itself left a lot of glue marks on my window, so I am asking the security company to pay for the damage. Is this allowed?</p>
<p>The response I got is that it's my fault for parking in a place that I shouldn't, but surely they do not have the right to put stickers on my car which do not easily peel off? Can I take this further? And what laws do I / the parking company have in such situation?</p>
<p>From my research, private land owners do not have the right to clamp your car, but I couldn't find any recent news about sticker on cars.</p>
<p><em>This occurred in the UK</em></p>

<p>You may be entitled to compensation for reasonable costs related to restoring your window to its previous state. If you sue, you will have to present your actual expenses and show that they are reasonable. Ultimately this boils down to how much it really costs to clean the glue off your window. A safe bet is to take it to a few reputable dealers/shops, get written quotes, go with one in the middle and keep your receipts. Make sure that you are paying only for the actual task at hand, not some sort of "one hour minimum" or "flat rate" charge.</p>

<p>Just to be clear, have you tried soap and warm water? You are never going to come out monetarily ahead in this pursuit. </p>

<p>Just rub it with a tissue soaked in any vegetable oil - all glue will gradually dissolve and disappear. May take a couple of minutes and 3-5 tisues.</p>

<p>To answer your question though, I will cite this <a href="https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=54312#m1062495" rel="nofollow noreferrer">message</a> from somewhere else on the internet:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>S.1(1) Criminal Damage Act 1971 provides that a person is guilty of
  criminal damage if they intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage
  property belonging to another without lawful excuse.</p>
  
  <p>Damage is not defined by the Act. The courts have construed the term
  liberally. Damage is not limited to permanent damage, so smearing mud
  on the walls of a police cell may be criminal damage. What constitutes
  damage is a matter of fact and degree and it is for the court, using
  its common sense, to decide whether what occurred is damage.</p>
  
  <p>Therefore it is arguable that attaching a large sticker with adhesive
  that is difficult to remove is an offence under the Act. The relevant
  word is 'arguable' and it is unlikely that a police force would pursue
  a prosecution in the event of someone placing a sticker on your car
  window due to the very uncertain nature of the alleged crime. A
  successful prosecution could be privately pursued but only with strong
  evidence from reliable witnesses or video evidence.</p>
  
  <p>The courts would probably take a dim view of such a prosecution,
  viewing it as petty. Even if the prosecution was successful, you would
  be unlikely to be compensated for the cost of bringing the case.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>How hard is it to get a sticker off your window? Regardless of how the sticker got on your window, that's what this will come down to. The answer is that it's not hard, and it shouldn't cause any damage. Even if you have a good case as to why you shouldn't have received a sticker, you are required to mitigate damages. That essentially means that you can't make the situation worse. You can't smash the window and ask them to replace it, for example. So if you don't know how to remove stickers properly and you damage your window, that's on you. If the sticker used a super powerful glue, then you might have something, but how likely is that? Also, did you ask the people who put the sticker on your car how to get it off? </p>

<p>As @Patrick87 said, they do not have the right to damage your car.  If you suffer genuine loss as a result of there actions, you do have a right of redress. </p>

<p>That said, it might be a bit rude for you to seek recourse as you did commit the first wrong.  Have you tried using methylated spirits or acetone (nail polish remover) to remove the marks ?  Even superglue can be disolved in that !</p>
