Most ParkingPass workflows assume the property manager makes the call. That's usually true at apartment communities. At HOAs and condo associations, the board holds decision authority, and the property manager advises and carries out its decisions.

Use this guide to see where authority usually sits. It isn't legal advice. Your HOA's bylaws, your management contract, and your state's HOA laws decide the actual split, so confirm with your board or management company.

The core difference

At apartment communities, the owner or management company usually lets the property manager make day-to-day decisions. That includes approving applications, setting parking policy within company guidelines, waiving small violations, and managing outside service providers. Major decisions go to corporate.

At HOAs, the board of directors makes decisions for the association. The property manager carries out board decisions and advises the board, whether they work for the HOA directly or for a management company it hires. Many decisions an apartment property manager makes alone need board input at an HOA, sometimes a vote at a meeting.

This reflects ownership. HOA residents are owners with a financial stake in group decisions, and the board represents them.

How authority is usually divided

Day-to-day decisions

These usually belong to the property manager at any community:

• Approving routine resident applications and vehicle registrations.

• Issuing or extending guest passes within your policy.

• Adding routine Do-Not-Tow entries, like employees and regular contractors.

• Day-to-day coordination with your patrol partner, or your own patrol team.

• Routine resident messages, like confirmations and standard notices.

• Pulling and reviewing reports.

Parking rule changes

• Apartments: the property manager sets or updates rules within company guidelines. Major changes may need corporate approval.

• HOAs: parking rules are usually part of the association's governing documents. Changes generally need board approval, sometimes a board vote, and occasionally a member vote.

Waivers and dispute decisions

• Apartments: routine waivers, like small first-time violations or clear ParkingPass errors, are usually the property manager's call. Large or high-profile waivers may need management approval.

• HOAs: small, clear-cut waivers, like a guest pass error or an expired Do-Not-Tow entry, are often still the property manager's call. Larger waivers, waivers involving board members, and waivers that set a precedent usually go to the board.

Patrol partner changes

• Apartments: choosing, renewing, or ending a patrol partner is usually a management decision, often with regional or corporate sign-off.

• HOAs: these are usually board decisions. The property manager often runs the RFP and recommends, and the board votes on the contract.

Community settings

• Apartments: permit pricing, guest pass length, and public parking settings are often set by the property manager within company guidelines.

• HOAs: pricing, pass lengths, and revenue policies are usually board decisions. The property manager puts them in place.

Community announcements

• Apartments: routine messages are up to the property manager. Major announcements, like rule, price, or patrol partner changes, may need management review.

• HOAs: announcements about policy changes, price changes, or new programs usually go through board review first. Boards often want input on timing and wording.

At apartment communities

Apartment property managers usually:

• Act in the moment on most day-to-day decisions.

• Send policy changes through corporate review rather than a board vote.

• Write and send resident messages at their own discretion.

• Manage patrol partner relationships at the property and regional level.

Corporate guidelines change as companies grow, restructure, or change hands. Reconfirm your current limits from time to time, like how large a waiver you can approve and which changes need regional sign-off.

Important notes

• ParkingPass works the same way for HOAs and apartments. Only the approval process around it differs.

• Property managers moving between HOA and apartment work, in either direction, often need time to adjust, even when the daily tasks look similar.