Should a warning be issued before requesting compensation?

When a vehicle is parked without authorisation in one of your spaces, starting with a warning can be a good solution.

Receiving a compensation request without a prior warning is common practice. However, it may be misunderstood in some situations, particularly when it concerns a first unauthorised use or when the parking rules have not previously been enforced consistently.

As the owner, tenant or other person entitled to use the space, you are nevertheless affected by an unauthorised occupation. It may cause significant inconvenience or even prevent you from using your own parking space.

When should a warning be preferred?

In our experience, a first warning may be particularly appropriate in the following situations:

  • The vehicle belongs to a neighbour or someone you know.
  • You operate a customer car park for a business open to the public and wish to preserve a positive commercial relationship.
  • You wish to encourage the motorist to respect your parking spaces without immediately issuing a compensation request.
  • Certain parking habits have developed and you first wish to inform motorists that unauthorised use of your spaces will no longer be accepted.
  • The signage or organisation of the car park has recently changed.

A warning provides a clear reminder of the applicable rules while giving the motorist an opportunity to change their behaviour.

When might a compensation request be more appropriate?

A compensation request may be considered when the occupation causes significant inconvenience, when the signage is clear or when the situation does not appear to result from a simple mistake.

It may also be appropriate when the vehicle has already received a warning or when unauthorised parking occurs frequently and causes ongoing disruption to the use of the car park.

The decision remains yours

As the person entitled to use the parking space, it is your responsibility to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to begin with a warning or issue a compensation request immediately.

Security Parking allows you to adapt your response to the situation observed without imposing an automatic course of action.

How can you create a warning ticket?

In the Security Parking application, open the “Tickets / Booklets” section to generate and print warning tickets.

This allows you to remind motorists of the applicable rules before considering a compensation request if another unauthorised occupation occurs.