Does your condo or HOA prohibit street parking? Are the number of parking spaces limited? If so, you may live in a community where parking is at a premium. Stories abound on how HOAs enforce parking rules, and of course, they are almost all negative. Parking may be at a premium, but there are some steps you can take to reduce the conflict within the community. Parking today in many communities can easily become one of those issues that pit neighbor against neighbor. Boards would be wise to meet with association counsel to discuss the number of parking spaces available, each parking space type and reasonable rules to address the needs of owners, visitors, workers and disabled people fairly. Below are six steps to establish parking rules for your community.
- If your community CC&R’s provide only minimal detail on parking restrictions, you may be receiving complaints from owners. That means it’s time to draft more precise parking rules and step up enforcement. To build “buy in” from owners, create an ad hoc work group to draft the rules.
- While you are outlining parking rules, consider circumstances beyond just owner parking, i.e., guest and overnight visitor parking. Events and parties at individual homes and the clubhouse should also be considered. Cover as many incidents as possible in your parking regulations to avoid questions and misunderstandings.
- Establish repercussions for violators, i.e., warnings, fines, or towing.
- Make sure that all homeowners know the rules – where to park, where guests park, temporary and long-term parking rules as well as where they shouldn’t park. The Board may think they should know this, but if you haven’t been diligent in enforcing parking restrictions, owners shouldn’t pay the price without an update. Send a copy to all owners with a clear date that enforcement will become effective.
- Enforce parking rules consistently and fairly. Once you have established and approved the community rules, make sure that everyone follows them.
An experienced community management firm can help you draft comprehensive parking rules. If your Board will do it on their own, try to anticipate misunderstandings, actions from rebels, questions, etc. The better job you do upfront, the less you’ll have to address later. Less conflict translates to happier owners and board members.
This article is provided by Wise Property Solutions.