Article Courtesy of CBS Channel 4 Miami

By David Sutta

Published May 17, 2017

For as long as condo associations have existed there have been issues with parking, rentals and people breaking rules.

It is a constant struggle for property managers. That is until now. A software engineer may have stumbled upon a foolproof solution.

For the first time in years, Josh Travieso feels like he’s finally gotten the upper hand in his condo association.

“I’m very happy, our residents are happy,” Travieso said.

They’ve seen it all: parking abusers, landlords renting units on a weekly basis, and renters getting roommates without association background checks.

“Nobody knows who they are. They haven’t been interviewed. They haven’t gone through our application process and so forth,” said Travieso.

He spent years searching for a solution and then he discovered a neighboring community used something called ParkingBoss.

“We were like this is the way to go. This is going to resolve all our issues,” he said.

Nathan LeMesurier, co-founder of ParkingBoss, came across the concept while trying to fix a problem with guest parking at his own condo.

“We set out to solve one little problem in guest parking. And now we are solving problems for apartment communities. We are solving problems for Airbnb and condo communities. Things we just had no idea that we were solving and we did it,” said LeMesurier.

Here’s how it works.

• Residents and guests register their license plates with ParkingBoss online.

• The association approves registered residents to park indefinitely. Guests though are limited to just a few days.

• A security guard does random checks of the parking lot.

• Using the ParkingBoss’ website, the guard checks that each license plate is approved to park.

• If they are not, the window gets a shiny new violation sticker.

Twenty-four hours later it can be towed

Cypress Bend V in Pompano Beach fired up the system up on March 1st.

“The first week we were tagging about 10-12 cars a night,” said Travieso.

Now the system rarely flags someone, meaning everyone is complying. During the launch of the program though, Travieso said they discovered more than 20 undocumented renters. Renters that have since registered with the association.

“I don’t think we have a problem anymore. It’s been pretty much taken care of,” he said.

Maria Barbat, a property manager for Campbell Property Management, has become a real believer in the system.

“I think this a great tool. It really has forced people to register,” Barbat said.

She encourages other property managers to adopt the system, a system she believes to be fool proof.

“This particular system. They cannot copy it and the registration is done through a website, and only certain people have access. So there is no real way around it,” she said.

From a user experience, Barbat said it was a breeze to use.

“I think it’s very easy. It’s very user-friendly. The unit owners can register themselves and it’s very minimum information that they have to input,” she said.

And word is spreading fast. ParkingBoss has been around a few years but in recent weeks their phones have been ringing off the hook.

“I think we’ve been contacted by about 80 different HOA’s. We are used to getting about half a dozen, a dozen calls a week,” said LeMesurier.

Could it be they have discovered the kryptonite for condo parking and renting woes? Travieso thinks so.

“If other associations are having issues, this is the solution, and it’s very economical. It’s not going to break the bank,” Travieso said.

Of course, the alternative would be to put up a guard gate and have a security guard, but that would cost thousands of dollars. ParkingBoss runs $200-$300 a month.

For more information head to www.ParkingBoss.com