Residents and their guests deserve a fair chance to follow the rules—especially as you roll out a new parking program. So we strongly encourage warning before taking more serious action, such as towing or booting. The major exception to this rule? If a vehicle is parked in a fire lane or other unsafe situation. Let’s get right into why we recommend giving at least one warning before a tow.
1. Documentation in case of a dispute
In the event a vehicle is towed, you should be able to prove that you or your enforcement partner have already notified and warned the violator. Maybe they are parked without a valid parking permit like a Smart Decal or guest parking permit. You’ll be glad you gave a documented warning in the event that a dispute comes up. Using software like Parking Boss to track vehicle violations makes it easy to look up how many violations have been issued and provide proof.
“Every time a resident wants to complain and argue with you, all you have to do is pull up their vehicle’s history and show them how many times it's been cited. That usually ends the conversation right there.” –Christopher A., Night Service Manager
“When we have to tow a vehicle, we can do so with confidence that it is not an error.”
–Maureen E, Leasing and Marketing Director
2. Allows for corrective action
A warning or violation gives the person breaking the parking rules a chance to take corrective action. Everyone makes an honest mistake sometimes. A warning gives them the chance to fix their mistake before being towed. Giving them the benefit of the doubt the first time the violation occurs can also create a greater sense of trust between residents and management. We provide helpful Smart Warning stickers that notify vehicle owners they’re parked incorrectly. With a scan of the unique barcode, they can look up their violation and the reason.
“We have been dealing with constant problems with parking offenses for years at our townhouse community. [After] we implemented Parking Boss, within weeks illegal parking was almost seized. We towed only one car for the past 60 days. Most repeat offenders hated scraping violation stickers off their windows and decided to comply with parking rules.” –Tomasz G., HOA President
3. A fair chance to comply with your rules
A warning gives your guests and residents a fair chance to follow the parking rules, especially if you’re rolling out a new parking program like Parking Boss. If you are implementing new apartment parking rules, you may even want to allow a grace period while residents adjust. This can also help enforce compliance and reduce angry complaints about unexpected towing.
“We are easily able to reach out to the vehicles that are violating parking rules (wrong parking spot, parked in a fire lane) so long as they have a parking permit. This has made it so we have to tow less, while keeping compliance much higher.” –Jeremy H., Leasing Consultant
We're happy to talk with you about how Parking Boss can help you create fair parking, enforce your rules, and get parking under control. Request a free consultation or demo today.
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