Parking space assignment

[Sam Leon]

I am having a bit of trouble with parking spaces.

On a fourplex with only four 2/1 apartments, I have four parking spaces - unassigned.  Simple.  One parking space for each apartment.  Never an issue, never a complaint.  Everyone knows there is one space and one space only.  End of story.

On a triplex with two 1/1s and one 2/1, I have seven parking spaces, I have never assigned spaces, although in the lease I stated the parking space allocation is one space per bedroom, and the rest is guest spaces, and I reserve the right to assign spaces in the future.

Now, even there are seven spaces, that's not seven single spaces.  It's actually three regular spaces, and two double depth spaces that could be used to park boats or RV.

Trouble started when I had a turn over recently, the new tenant has a personal vehicle and a work vehicle.  I made it clear I would let that tenant (apartment 1) park in one of the deep spaces with both vehicles. 

It appears that apartment 2 feels that with apartment 1 getting a double space allocation is not fair and he started to park in one of the deep spaces - which is not a big issue because there are plenty of spaces anyways.

Now apartment 3 is a 2/1 so the couple gets two spaces and they typically park in spaces 1 and 2, and apparently the new tenant in 1 decided to go out one night, pulled out his work vehicle into space 2 (which "belongs" to apartment 3), and drove off with his personal vehicle.  Apartment 3 came home and felt her space taken, and hence parked into the space normally taken by 1.

The next weekend apartment 3 had a party with several guests and one of the guests parked in someone's spot...one thing led to another, now there is a problem and I am hearing it and getting forwarded texts about who said what to whom.  I am a landlord not a baby sitter there are seven spaces and between the three units they can't work it out.

So my only option now is to assign spaces.  And I know once I do that all three units will complain because they lose some flexibility,  yet two of them asked for assigned spaces without knowing it may not be in their best interest to ask for that.

What I want to find out from fellow landlords is when you transition from parking anywhere to assigning spaces, what are some things to do to make the transition easier?

(1) Are there any new clauses or amendments you need to make in your leases?  Right now it says "allocation of 1 space per bedroom..." do I need to modify anything there?

(2) Is it essential to paint the unit number on the concrete stop bar?

(3) If they don't follow the assignments, what then?  Do you warn them?  Tow the car?   I am not there, so let's say at 11pm Friday night if apartment 1 calls me and say apartment 2 is parked in his space, do you just tell him to park in apartment 2's space or tell him to knock on apartment 2's space to try and talk it out, or is this now my issue?  I try to not assign spaces initially but if I do assign them I feel like I am now assuming the responsibility of enforcing which car goes where. 

(4) Now what happens if apartment 2 knowing that he will have a party or overnight guests on one weekend decides to park his car into a guest space, so that his guests can park into his assigned space?  Is this a violation of the assignment?

I haven't done the assignment yet, I am now thinking through all the potential issues.  May be it's inevitable but I feel this is not really a true shortage of spaces but people not getting along and the parking spaces is where they push their boundaries.