Can my landlord force me to buy a parking permit?

elvralia

I've been living in rented accommodation for the past year. The flat I live in comes with a parking space (marked with my flat number) in a private car park for the block of flats.

Recently, the estate agents who manage the properties have said they are going to start imposing penalty charges on the car park to stop people parking there who shouldn't be.

Sounds great, except they are expecting me to pay £20 for a parking permit. One per registration number. So I would have to pay £20 for my car to park in a space I already pay rent for, along with another £20 if I ever want to have a different car parked there instead of my own.

There is nothing in my contract about having to pay extra for a parking permit, but they've now erected signs all over the car park stating that penalty charges will be applied to any car parked there without a permit.

Do I just have to suck it up and pay the £20?

Hoploz

Yes.
Like everyone else who parks their car there will have to.

Nick_C

What does your tenancy agreement say? Does it explicitly provide you with use of the parking space?

Marvel1

One off? Monthly? Annually?

HappyMJ

elvralia wrote: »

I've been living in rented accommodation for the past year. The flat I live in comes with a parking space (marked with my flat number) in a private car park for the block of flats.

Recently, the estate agents who manage the properties have said they are going to start imposing penalty charges on the car park to stop people parking there who shouldn't be.

Sounds great, except they are expecting me to pay £20 for a parking permit. One per registration number. So I would have to pay £20 for my car to park in a space I already pay rent for, along with another £20 if I ever want to have a different car parked there instead of my own.

There is nothing in my contract about having to pay extra for a parking permit, but they've now erected signs all over the car park stating that penalty charges will be applied to any car parked there without a permit.

Do I just have to suck it up and pay the £20?

Is the car parking space on your tenancy agreement?

You don't have to accept any changes to your tenancy agreement and this to me sounds like one.

I wouldn't pay the £20 and then I'd appeal every parking charge you get.

Is the £20 they are requesting a monthly payment?

duchy

Twenty pounds a year is less than 40p a week- sounds cheap to guarantee you can exclude parkers who shouldn't be using the car park.

FBaby

What tenancy have you got? Remember that they can say they want to increase the rent and if you are not happy paying for it, issue you with a S21 at the end of your tenancy, so it's up to you whether you are prepared to take that risk depending on how quickly they could issue one if they wanted to take that route.

prowla

Hoploz wrote: »

Yes.
Like everyone else who parks their car there will have to.

Not if the space is a condition of the tenancy agreement.

HappyMJ

duchy wrote: »

Twenty pounds a year is less than 40p a week- sounds cheap to guarantee you can exclude parkers who shouldn't be using the car park.

I really must remember to put the parking post up as soon as the car in my space has moved off it.

I don't have a car so don't really care but I do have a post that I can put up. Cost £30...once only and I can park any car on the space.

Nick_C

HappyMJ wrote: »

Is the car parking space on your tenancy agreement?

You don't have to accept any changes to your tenancy agreement and this to me sounds like one.

I wouldn't pay the £20 and then I'd appeal every parking charge you get.

If your tenancy agreement covers use of the parking space, I think it would be better to buy a parking permit, deduct the £20 from you next rent payment, and send a letter to you landlord explaining why you have done this.

I assume you don't want to extend to your tenancy when it expires or get a reference from your landlord.

A more pragmatic approach might be to ask your landlord nicely if he will buy the permit for you or go halves. Or for the sake of a peaceful life you could just pay the £20 and get on with your life.

Your decision.

Lunchbox

Hoploz wrote: »

Yes.
Like everyone else who parks their car there will have to.

Not quite. We bought a leasehold property last year and paid a large extra sum for a parking space.

On moving in we were told that we needed to pay an annual fee for a parking permit which could only be used in one vehicle, which must be registered to the property. There was no provision for making this charge in the lease, nor for only parking a vehicle which must be registered to the address on the lease.

8 months later the charges were found to be unenforceable and all residents received a refund of the charge, plus compensation.

Check your tenancy agreement to ensure it includes use of the parking space, and that there's no provision for making a charge for it. It may not be enforceable against any of the property owners if it isn't in their leases. It'll be up to your landlord to take this up with the management company.