Fair allocation of parking spaces comes down to five models that cover practically every association: shared spaces first-come, fixed assigned spaces, waiting list, paid tiers, and hybrids of these. Which is right depends on two numbers — your spaces-per-apartment ratio and how much daily variation there is in demand. Below the models in order of how often they fit.
Model 1 + 2: shared first-come, or fixed spaces
Shared first-come is the default and usually the most efficient: every registered resident may use any space, and daily variation means the lot absorbs more cars than a fixed scheme would. Its weakness is peak hours — whoever comes home late loses, every single day.
Fixed spaces feel fair and predictable, and they suit associations where the ratio is close to one space per apartment. But they freeze capacity: an empty fixed space cannot be used by anyone else, so measured utilization typically drops. If you have clearly fewer spaces than cars, fixed spaces convert scarcity into a permanent privilege for those who got one first.
Model 3 + 4 + 5: waiting list, paid tiers, hybrid
A waiting list rations a limited number of permits rather than spaces. It is transparent and easy to defend, but slow — and it needs firm rules for what triggers losing your permit (moving out, selling the car, non-use).
Paid tiers price the second and third car per household higher than the first. This is the model that actually reduces demand instead of just queuing it, and the revenue can fund the scheme. The cost is political: it must pass the general assembly.
Most associations end with a hybrid: first permit per apartment cheap or free, additional permits priced and possibly waitlisted, guests on a separate budget. Hybrids only work if the combination can still be explained in a couple of sentences.
How to choose: four questions
- What is the ratio? Above ~0.9 spaces per apartment, fixed spaces are viable; below, shared or tiered models win
- Do you have real data on utilization, or only complaints? Measure a month before deciding
- Can the model be explained in one sentence at the general assembly?
- Is there an exit rule — what makes someone lose a space or permit again?
Mini case study
From fixed spaces to hybrid — and 30% more capacity
An association with 74 spaces for 110 apartments ran fixed spaces for years — with a seven-year waiting list and a lot open at midday. After a month of measuring, the assembly voted to switch: all spaces shared, one permit per apartment free, second permits paid.
Same asphalt, roughly a third more cars accommodated in practice, and the waiting list for second permits cleared within a year.
74/110
Spaces per apartments
+30%
Cars accommodated after the switch
Same number of spaces
7→0
Years of waiting list
Cleared within a year
The quota, seen per home
A fair allocation only survives if anyone can check it. The list shows spaces and plates per home, and marks the homes sitting above their quota. Homes with no space at all appear in the same list rather than on a note somewhere else.
That single view is what turns a rule into something a resident can verify without asking the board. Most allocation disputes are really disputes about who can see the numbers.
Filter the demo to the homes over quota, or to the ones with no space at all.
Spaces per household
- 3. tv1 spaces · 1 platesAB 12 345 Within quota
- 2. th2 spaces · 2 platesXY 98 210 Within quota
- 1. tv1 spaces · 2 platesCD 44 118 Over quota
- St. thNo space assignedEF 30 902 No space
- 4. tv1 spaces · 1 platesGH 55 720 Within quota
- 3. th1 spaces · 2 platesJK 18 043 Over quota
FAQ: Allocation
Can we take fixed spaces away from residents who have had them for years?
It depends on how the right was granted — bylaws, purchase agreements or tenancy terms can protect it. Check the legal basis first, then handle transitions generously: long notice periods and grandfathering buy the goodwill the new model needs.
Should electric cars get priority for spaces?
Prioritize charging spaces for cars that are actually charging, not EVs as such. A charged EV occupying a charging space blocks the next one — time limits on charging spots solve more than EV priority does.
How do we get the current data to decide on?
A registration-based platform gives you occupancy over time automatically. Without one, a manual count at 08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 for two weeks is enough to see your real peak — it's crude, but it beats deciding on anecdotes.