SINGAPORE — Upon noticing that his condominium in Geylang had parking lots taken up by taxi drivers late into the night, Mr PH Heng decided that enough was enough. With the help of his condo management, the Balmy Court resident implemented stricter visitor parking rules, set a quota of cars for each household, and revamped the entire front gate to better control the entry of vehicles.

Under the new rules, visitors are not allowed to park on the premises from 10pm to 7am. Those who do have to pay a wheel-clamp release fee of S$500.

In the wake of a viral video in which a resident was filmed abusing a security guard at Eight Riversuites condominium over a S$10 parking fee for visitors after 11pm, TODAY spoke to residents of several condominiums to find out more about what visitor rules are in place and the rationale for them.

And the rules vary for each property. At one condo, residents have to apply for overnight parking in advance for their visitors.

But several condos impose overnight parking fees, just like at Eight Riversuites, where the dispute involving a resident who identified himself as Ramesh and a security guard took place. Since the video of the incident was first posted last Saturday (Oct 26) morning, it has been circulated and commented on by many online users, while personal information on the resident has been widely shared online.

For Mr Heng, his parking woes have abated since the rules were put in place. The 58-year-old said that at Balmy Court, there was previously no system to deal with visitor parking, and that it was a perennial problem in his neighbourhood, which he said is notorious for “illegal activities”.

Once, Mr Heng encountered six taxis parked at the condo lots. “When I confronted them, they said they were visiting a friend,” he said. But he suspected that the drivers had parked there to frequent a nearby coffee shop, and were merely abusing the then-lax rules.

A former condo manager, who wants to be known only as Mr Tan, said that “no two (condos) are the same” when it comes to setting by-laws. However, he said that rules that deal with overnight parking are usually put in place to prevent abuse.

“Some of the condos discourage people from parking overnight because some people abuse it,” Mr Tan said. “They park a few days and walk out to take a trip overseas.”

HOW ARE THE RULES MADE?

Some of the residents, such as Mr Heng, are management council members of their condo.

Such councils comprise residents who have volunteered or have been elected by the residents of the estate during an annual general meeting (AGM) to help manage the state.

Mr Tan said that some management councils employ a managing agent to oversee condo operations, such as maintenance and security, as well as to help settle conflicts between residents.

Managing agents also collect maintenance fees and organise AGMs.

It is during these AGMs that the council members vote for the by-laws they want to implement. By-laws are regulations which condo residents have to follow.

Before the AGM, the managing agent will send out a notice to all residents, who can choose to suggest by-laws, which the agent will present at the AGM for the management council members to discuss and vote for and against.

The managing agent will then finalise the resolution with the council, and then submit the by-laws to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) for its acknowledgement. Details such as what time visitors are allowed to park, and the fines and penalties for errant parking, are proposed by the residents in the management council and detailed in the by-laws, Mr Tan said.

“Every condo has the rules set up, (and) every resident has to follow the rules,” Mr Tan said. “No resident can claim they have a certain privilege.”

DIFFERENT CONDOS, DIFFERENT RULES

TODAY checked with several condos and found that they have different parking rules.

Trellis Towers in Toa Payoh charges an S$8 overnight parking fee, while it is S$5 at The Rafflesia in Bishan.

Casafina in Bedok has a different by-law — residents have to apply in advance for overnight parking for their visitors, TODAY understands.

However, the majority of residents and managing agents of condos that TODAY contacted said that their condos prohibit visitors from parking overnight.

Wheel-clamp release fees for visitors who flout the rules — by parking past stipulated times or not paying the overnight parking fees — range from S$150 to S$500.

A resident of Trellis Towers, who wanted to be known only as Trevor, said that given his estate’s proximity to Housing and Development Board flats, the overnight parking charge “deters people who see the condo as a place for free parking at night”.

Although this has caused some inconvenience for his friends who want to stay over till late, the 25-year-old undergraduate said that the ruling is sound as it ensures that visitors “are not causing unnecessary inconvenience to the residents.”

Agreeing, Mr Charles Ng, a resident at The Rafflesia, said that he understands his condo management’s rationale for charging overnight parking, given that condo parking spaces are limited.

“If all visitors are allowed to park overnight (for free), the other residents will suffer,” the 22-year-old student said.

MORE PROBLEMATIC FOR SMALLER CONDOS

Among the residents who spoke to TODAY, those who live in larger estates said that they usually do not experience difficulty in finding parking spaces, even during festive occasions such as Chinese New Year or Deepavali.

But it is a different story in smaller estates.

Ms CH Cheok, a resident and a management council member at a condominium in Potong Pasir, said that her condo, being relatively small with only 47 units and having no security guards, occasionally faces issues with visitors who arrive in droves.

She recalled one incident during a residents’ housewarming party, where visitors parked on both visitor and resident lots. The problem was resolved internally, with residents telling the visitors to move their cars and park outside the premises.

Ms Cheok said that at her condo, residents take turns to issue notices on vehicles that are errantly parked, and that they are generally more lenient with the rules.

“(The management council) will put a notice on their screen to inform them that there’s no night parking,” she said. “We will give them a few notices and if the person continues to ignore, then we will wheel-clamp.”

She said the wheel-clamp release fee at the estate is S$350.

Mr Heng said that the management council of his 29-unit condo in Geylang usually “closes one eye” during festive periods, “as long as it’s not abuse (of the rules) or if the visitor keeps coming here”.

Mr Chris Koh, director of real estate agency Chris International, said that there could be various reasons for a condo to impose restrictions on overnight parking. Apart from scarcity of lots during festive periods, it could be due to limited land area for parking space or because there are households that own more than one vehicle, thus taking up more lots.

But still, the main reason condos clamp down on overnight parking is to prevent non-residents from abusing the lots by parking for several days.

“The moment you want to park overnight but have to pay, it will prevent abuse,” Mr Koh said.