Apartment visitor parking converted to business parking - legal?

Jemma01

I live in a place where parking is a problem. Each property is allocated one parking space according to the lease, and some tenants/leaseholders have two cars and it's been a struggle. They also allow visitors according to the signage, so how do we know who's who, they aren't managing it. We found a guy selling mini cuppas constantly parking one or two cars there, despite him living in another building. Out properly management doesn't care, and ignoring complaints. For it to be managed, we'll need to pay for permits to have a third party company dealing and issuing permits. I'd rather that, than return at night to find my space is taken by god knows who. They wouldn't even number the carpark or issue communication as to who owns what. Sounds like your folks are trying to solve the parking issues.

gm0

There is no solution to people's bad behaviour around entitled parking where they should not particularly absent other good alternatives nearby

Do nothing - people are !!!!!! via free for all - misery

Bollards per demised space, rising or lockable. (Now in a narrower car park / confined setting - many people can't turn their large cars - resulting in lots of damage to cars and bent bollards, daily hassle to use, and no trade or visitor parking - result misery continues after bollard expense recharged to leaseholders.

Hire a parking enforcement company to appease the enraged lessess of demised spaces via permits and fines - and off we go with innapropriate ticketing and fines of family and friends using demised spaces - car changes, hire cars and vans - admin and costs - result misery

Sell off unallocated spaces to flat owners - no visitor/trade spaces - demised space and firelane abuse - misery but with some cash per space sold (leased) going into the sinking fund as a one off.  Misery but money in not out.

Or rent some visitor spaces to a lessee or indeed an adjacent local business - rental income into the service charge pot.  And can change mind later per rental contract notice terms.  But again - fewer "float" spaces available- and abuse of demised ones increases - misery

This is on every resident's meeting / share of freehold AGM meeting at all flats everywhere.
Every year - 20 minutes wasted on whinging. If it was easy someone would have cracked it.  Nobody likes the bad behaviour - and a good proportion also hate all of the above "solutions" - as well

Could be a naked profit motive. Or just a badly commuicated attempt at cost containment via rental income - energy and buildings insurance has gone up.  So what can we do to avoid an even higher service charge this year and all the blowback about affordability from leaseholders that that entails.  No free lunch. 

One I knew sold off literally all the visitor spaces to leaseholders of the flats to top up the financials. Not my preferred approach.  Short term rental would be better and more flexible.

Be careful what you wish for

pinkshoes

SocMinarch said:

Tenant, and the only mention of parking relates to the private spaces that are assigned to plots.

However, there is a term that states any modifications made to common areas by the landlords must not make them substantially less accessible or convenient. Depends on whether that counts as a common area. Doubt it, although the same parking area is shared with private parking.

Just amazing that the response to there not being enough parking for residents is to reduce the amount of available spaces.

If you're a tenant, have you spoken to your landlord about this? They might not be aware.

Also, have you spoken to the business who have claimed the spaces? Who gave them permission?

I'd also be speaking to the council as lots of flats ONLY get planning permission when they have adequate parking including visitor parking. (Having lived in Oxford for quite a few years, I became very familiar with this when trying to find a property to rent/buy that had two parking spaces, plus additional parking for visitors!)

I'd also speak to the other flat occupiers to see what they make of it, and get them onside.