While community association parking problems are painful to most residents, board members and property managers, there are immediate solutions to most every problem. A few simple steps by management can immediately effect relief. In fact, most of our parking problems would be over if we could accomplish two things: make more parking spaces available and get everyone to obey the association rules.

We can do both! Before we talk about how we accomplish the above, let’s look at why we are short spaces and why people break the rules: many parking spaces are taken by residents who have filled their garages with furniture and other items, leaving no room for a vehicle. If every resident used his garage for its intended purpose, many spaces would be freed. Most associations also have what I call “de facto” residents or extended house guests. These may be girlfriends, boyfriends or roommates. They are owners of vehicles who act like residents but who don’t own or rent property. But they do take up parking spaces. Many rule-breakers do so out of frustration, due to the limited amount of parking available when residents don’t use their garages appropriately. Now, to the solutions.

Make a checklist

Hire a security or parking control company who can:

1) help you write simple, enforceable parking rules and regulations if you don’t already have them. The key here is for them to also be easy to understand, difficult to misconstrue and nondiscriminatory;

2) ensure your signage meets state and local standards;

3) make random enforcement inspections;

4) design and build a data base to track decals;

5) issue and track serialized decals;

6) interface with residents in the issuing and voiding of decals, taking the pressure off your property manager;

7) track all citations and tows by computer;

8) provide management with clear, concise reports on officer activity, citations and tows;

9) send officers into the field daily, with computer generated lists of vehicles to be cited, towed or ignored for legitimate reasons; and

10) be available 24 hours a day with quick, accurate answers when questions arise - and they will arise.

Tricks of the trade

Many associations try to write liberal rules for parking, but my experience has been that the rule-breakers will take advantage and eventually the association will go to simple, firm rules, which will immediately work. Every rule should have a penalty; rules without penalties are quickly and frequently broken and worthless.

While some fining systems may work on occasion, in most cases the thing that works best every time is towing. It’s fast, simple and painful to the violator. Rarely will a vehicle be towed twice. Your security company should be interested in towing only when necessary, but should not be shy about it when it is needed and the case meets the criteria.

Have a well-thought-out system. Have hard, fast, simple rules. And hire a qualified and experienced security firm to help you get your system up and running. By doing this, you will take the pressure off you and your property manager, while also solving your parking problems.

About the author:

Bill Bancroft is the President of PATROL ONE in Santa Ana, California.

He has been involved in the Private Security industry for over 25 years.