Appartment parking - suggestions please ...

greengirl31

Hi Boardies …

Looking for some guidance and suggestions please …. I live in an apartment complex that still has vacant units. Recently, a lot of these units were released on the Buy to rent scheme and while there was a big uptake on this there are still empty units … By the looks of things about 20%. But now parking has become an issue ….
The management company has assigned spots to each apartment which is fine. These spots weren’t always adhered to but there was never a huge issue as there was always free spots. Recently though, things have changed and certain residents are blocking in cars who park in their spot. Now, while I appreciate that it’s frustrating that when you come home to see someone else in your parking space, surely, if the 3 spots beside you are free why not park in one of them ??? Surely this practice of blocking cars into spots is un-neighbourly not to mention dangerous – what if the person who’s blocked in needed to get out in an emergency??
So yesterday when I got home there was a letter from the management co. saying that they due to recent complaints from residents, they were introducing a clamping company in order to combat the “hazardous” parking !!! Now I could understand this if every parking space was full in the evening but as some apartments are still vacant, there are still “spare” spots …. To me this seems like an un-necessary step and an un-necessary expense – surely there is no need for clamping when parking is not at full capacity !!!

So my question is, is there a better solution ?? I was thinking if they took the numbers off the parking spaces and issued residents with permit stickers ? Does anyone live anywhere where this is done and does it work ?? Or is there any other way of managing this without getting clampers involved ??

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

helen1

Why not find out which apartments haven't been sold and put a sign up on their parking spaces to say that they are free. Its not good enough to say that there is 3 free parking spaces beside your space why not just park there, surely these 3 spaces belong to someone else so you are taking their space.
Get the management company to send a letter to each resident saying parking space X belongs to your apartment and this is the only one you can use.
Its so frustrating to come home and someone else is in your spot. But i wouldn't go ask far as to block them in.

Cuddlesworth

Its about habits. Your apartment block got used to parking where it wants and has developed some very bad habits. And I'm assuming that like most recent developments they put in the bare minimum of 1 to 1 parking. So there was always going to come a point where parking would get out of control. Clamping company's are annoying but necessary.

athtrasna

It's likely the deeds/leases only have one parking space per apartment, and the people parking in other spaces have more than one car. To be honest clamping will sort it out on a medium term basis, short term pain long term gain. While I can understand people thinking they can park in spaces of empty apartments, that will become a problem when those units are occupied. Though a better use of clamping may be to remove the numbers, issue permits and clamp people without permits. Numbered spaces are a security risk anyway.

Do you have visitor car spaces? The planning permission will have to have included a number of these.

snickerpuss

Same thing happened in our apartments. There is full residency but not everyone has cars so the car park was maybe 40% full. Some people were annoyed that others would park in their assigned space even though most of the numbers had worn away so now there is clamping!

Those with two cars now must park one out in the estate even though the carpark is 60% empty and many spaces are unassigned anyway! Some people have nothing more to worry about than having to park one space over even when the whole place is empty.

Jonti

Surely the question must be, if you have an assigned car parking space why do you use another?
All it takes is one person not to abide by the rules and everyone else suffers.
I would issue all tennants/householders with a permit to stick to their car window (if they have one, if they don't keep it until they do. It would be NOT TRANFERRABLE As it comes with the apartment)
Any car found in the car park without a sticker, CLAMP. No ifs or buts.

Thoie

greengirl31 wrote: »

certain residents are blocking in cars who park in their spot. Now, while I appreciate that it’s frustrating that when you come home to see someone else in your parking space, surely, if the 3 spots beside you are free why not park in one of them ??? Surely this practice of blocking cars into spots is un-neighbourly not to mention dangerous – what if the person who’s blocked in needed to get out in an emergency??

I think that's perfectly reasonable. If you park in one of the "free" spots, you may, in turn, be preventing the rightful owner from parking there. If your apartment has a numbered spot, stick to it, end of story.

If there's a life or death emergency, get an ambulance/taxi as appropriate. Even if your car wasn't blocked in, it could be out of petrol, or have a flat tyre - what would happen your emergency then? Parking in someone else's space for your own convenience is far more un-neighbourly - you're putting the onus on your neighbour to figure out where is a suitable place for them to park.

greengirl31 wrote: »

So my question is, is there a better solution ?? I was thinking if they took the numbers off the parking spaces and issued residents with permit stickers ? Does anyone live anywhere where this is done and does it work ?? Or is there any other way of managing this without getting clampers involved ??

The better solution is for people to park their car in their own space, and make alternative arrangements for any other cars (such as second cars, or visitors). Designated spaces are better than "park anywhere with a permit", because it's either your space or it's not. If everyone is in their correct place, the clampers won't have anything to do, and obviously the threat of clampers is working as it's making people think about their parking habits.

While people have got used to the idea of there being free spaces (due to empty apartments), you can't guarantee that those spaces will remain free in the longterm, so people need to start figuring out now where they'll park additional cars.

athtrasna

Thoie wrote: »

Designated spaces are better than "park anywhere with a permit", because it's either your space or it's not. If everyone is in their correct place, the clampers won't have anything to do, and obviously the threat of clampers is working as it's making people think about their parking habits.

I disagree with that because if someone parks in your space and gets clamped, where does your car go? Also as I mentioned already, empty numbered spaces are very clear indicators of which units are most likely to be empty. It's a security risk.

jd

athtrasna wrote: »

I disagree with that because if someone parks in your space and gets clamped, where does your car go? Also as I mentioned already, empty numbered spaces are very clear indicators of which units are most likely to be empty. It's a security risk.

The number of the parking space shouldn't be the same as the number of the apartment That's how it is in our development.

If you report someone in your space, your car reg is asked for and you are told where to park.

Thoie

athtrasna wrote: »

I disagree with that because if someone parks in your space and gets clamped, where does your car go? Also as I mentioned already, empty numbered spaces are very clear indicators of which units are most likely to be empty. It's a security risk.

jd wrote: »

The number of the parking space shouldn't be the same as the number of the apartment That's how it is in our development.

If you report someone in your space, your car reg is asked for and you are told where to park.

Precisely. The parking space numbers should be random. If I'm in apartment 2, then my parking space number should not be 2, and my parking space should not be between those of apts 1 and 3.

helen1

Where i live if my apartment number is 5 my space is 62 but the spaces either side of my would be 29 and 48. They do this so that you cant figure out which apartment owns it for the reasons above.

greengirl31

Thank you all for your replies so far – it is good to see both sides of the argument.

I think if the complex was full and I had to race home every evening to get my allocated spot or if I couldn’t go out once I’d parked for fear I wouldn’t get a spot later on I’d be fuming and in that instance I’d have no problem getting the clampers. But at the moment, If you were to arrive to our complex at 6 in the evening or 11 at night, there is always several free spots.

The other issue is with the numbering of the parking spaces. The number of my apartment does not co-respond with the number on my car spot but the apartment beside me has the spot beside me and so on. Also, there was a list of all the apartment numbers and their allocated parking space posted in the foyer so if you didn’t know what spot was yours or your neighbours was, you do now !!

Kosseegan

Put a webcam into the car park. Let everyone log on and watch their spaces. If someone goes into your space make the phone call immediately before you go home. Set up a speaker to that can be triggered remotely so that the person parking gets a verbal warning that they are in someones's space and will be clamped if they don't move immediately.

Cuddlesworth

greengirl31 wrote: »

Thank you all for your replies so far – it is good to see both sides of the argument.

I think if the complex was full and I had to race home every evening to get my allocated spot or if I couldn’t go out once I’d parked for fear I wouldn’t get a spot later on I’d be fuming and in that instance I’d have no problem getting the clampers. But at the moment, If you were to arrive to our complex at 6 in the evening or 11 at night, there is always several free spots.

It might not be a huge issue now, but when your apartment block does eventually fill up you want the parking issue sorted well before then.

My last apartment block had nearly a 2:1 spaces to apartments ratio. And they still had to introduce clamping after people started storing cars long term. If you let people away with it, they do it.

Thoie

greengirl31 wrote: »

I think if the complex was full and I had to race home every evening to get my allocated spot or if I couldn’t go out once I’d parked for fear I wouldn’t get a spot later on I’d be fuming and in that instance I’d have no problem getting the clampers. But at the moment, If you were to arrive to our complex at 6 in the evening or 11 at night, there is always several free spots.

I think the management company is being sensible in getting everyone used to the idea of using their own spaces now, rather than waiting until the complex is full, and having to listen to complaints.

While there are currently always free spots (and maybe all the new people who move in won't have cars), you can't know for definite which ones they are - someone could move into the complex today while you're at work, and nip out for their first pint of milk just before you arrive home. You then assume that space is free (as it always is), and the new person comes back with the milk to discover they don't know where to park. Because it's their first day, they don't know which are the normally free spaces, and they're tired from the move, and don't want to have to work it out.

greengirl31

I think introducing the clamping is inevitable as it is in the majority of apartment blocks and in some ways I suppose it’s not a bad thing to bring it in now rather than when the complex is full. But when I got home yesterday there was a car that I recognise in my space – I think the space beside mine is the designated one for it. Now I know the apartment beside me is empty and therefore I know the spot is “spare” so I parked there because I just couldn’t bring myself to ring the clampers on one of my neighbours when I knew the space next to me was free!!! . However, I did notice later that the person who had parked in my spot had moved so I went out and moved my car too. But as was mentioned, the threat of clampers may be enough to regularise the parking habits of the residents . I still think the permits may be a better idea than the designated spaces though …

Jaysoose

This is one of the joys of living in apartments with other residents that place their own covenience above the rest of the people that live there.

For example my apartment block has undesignated spaces and there are more spaces than cars. three of my neighbours have decided that if they cant get the spaces closest to the communal front door they decided that they are entitled to park on the road in front of the door rather than walk the 1 minute it would take from the further spots.

There have been notes left on the cars which are obviously being ignored and i have no doubt that it will lead to a clamping company being brought in as people are complaining. It boils down to respect and i have no doubt the people that caused the situation will do the most crying about it.