The Modern Standard for Multifamily, HOA & Mixed-Use Parking: Why ParqEx Delivers More Than Basic Virtual Permit Systems

For years, many communities—multifamily apartments, HOAs, condos, student housing, and gated neighborhoods—relied on simple virtual permit platforms. These systems let residents log in, register their vehicles, buy permits, and issue guest passes. They reduced paperwork, eliminated decals, and helped property managers keep basic track of who should be parked on the lot.

But in today’s environment, basic digital permit systems no longer solve the real problems communities face: 

• Unauthorized vehicles and abuse of guest parking

• No intelligent access control at gates, elevators, or pedestrian doors

• Enforcement that relies on outdated methods or third-party towing

• Lack of revenue opportunities from underutilized parking spaces

• Zero centralized system for residents, guests, vendors, employees, or visitors

• Limited analytics, reporting, or operational insight

The industry has evolved. 
And so have resident expectations. 

ParqEx delivers everything a traditional virtual parking permit tool provides—plus a complete smart parking ecosystem for residential and mixed-use properties.

By combining the ParqEx Enforcement Platform, the Internal Tenant Management System, Access+ Access Control, and the ParqEx Marketplace, properties gain an integrated, future-proof parking management operating system.

Below is a feature-by-feature comparison showing how ParqEx far exceeds the capabilities of old-style online permit systems—without ever naming them. 

1. Resident Parking Permits & Digital Self-Service 

The Old Way: Simple Virtual Permit Systems

Basic residential parking software focuses on: 

• Online permit registration

• License plate updates

• Permit renewals

• Simple resident dashboards

It solves decal issues and enables 24/7 resident access to their parking profiles. 

The ParqEx Way: Full Internal Tenant Management (ITM) 

ParqEx’s Internal Tenant Management System goes far beyond digital permits: 

• Manage residents, employees, staff, vendors, and contractors in one place

• Manage vehicles, units, roles, permissions, and access levels

• Permits seamlessly sync with Access+ for gate and door control

• Real-time enforcement data, entry/exit logs, and access events feed into the same system

• Centralized backend for all parking operations

ITM is the foundation of a complete apartment parking management system, not just an online permit portal. 

2. Guest Parking, Visitor Management & Temporary Permits 

The Old Way: Digital Guest Passes Only 

Legacy approaches stop at: 

• Issuing temporary guest permits

• Time-limited visitor access

• Basic visibility into who issued guest passes

There is no true visitor management, authorization, or controlled access. 

The ParqEx Way: GuestParq + Access Control + Enforcement 

GuestParq transforms guest parking by integrating: 

• Authorized, reserved guest parking

• Real-time visibility for enforcement

• Optional gate access control via Access+

• Customizable rules for visitor duration, time windows, and guest type

• Ability to charge for premium or high-demand guest parking

Residents love it. 
Managers stop dealing with paper, disputes, and unauthorized vehicles. 

3. Parking Lot Oversight, Real-Time Visibility & Analytics 

The Old Way: Dashboards Showing Permit Holders 

Legacy systems offer: 

• Lists of registered plates

• Expired vs. active permits

• Basic monthly reports

But these are permit lists, not true parking analytics. 

The ParqEx Way: Real-Time Parking Intelligence 

ParqEx integrates data from: 

• ITM

• Enforcer App

• Access+

• LPR cameras

This produces a complete real-time view: 

• Who actually entered the property

• License plate recognition events tied to tenant accounts

• Enforcement activity and compliance trends

• Occupancy planning and utilization insights

• Portfolio-level reporting across multiple communities

This is true multifamily parking analytics, giving managers real operational intelligence. 

4. Enforcement, Compliance & Accountability 

The Old Way: Enforcement via Towing Lists 

Traditional systems rely on: 

• “Valid vs. invalid” license plate lists

• External towing companies to enforce

• Basic notifications of unauthorized vehicles

This results in slow enforcement, unhappy residents, and limited documentation. 

The ParqEx Way: A Complete Enforcement Platform 

The ParqEx Enforcer App is a modern enforcement suite: 

• Instant violation capture

• Photo evidence

• Customizable violation rules

• Officer activity logs and GPS audit trails

• Physical or digital citation creation

• Do-not-tow lists for protected residents

• ADA enforcement workflows

• Optional towing dispatch and impound tracking

And everything syncs with ITM, Access+, and LPR. 

This is fair, documented, and fully controllable enforcement—a massive improvement for HOAs, condos, and multifamily operators. 

5. License Plate Recognition (LPR) Integration 

The Old Way: LPR as a Monitoring Tool 

Older platforms use LPR lightly: 

• Identify unpermitted vehicles

• Assist enforcement

• Improve lot visibility

But LPR is not tied to access or unified workflows. 

The ParqEx Way: LPR as Infrastructure 

ParqEx uses LPR in three strategic ways: 

1. Access+ Premium – Touchless Gate Entry 

With Access+ Premium, authorized residents simply drive up, and LPR grants entry automatically. 

2. Fixed LPR Cameras – Forensic Visibility 

Capture every entry and exit, tied to tenant/visitor records. 

3. Mobile LPR – Enforcer App 

Officers can drive the lot and auto-scan plates for unmatched enforcement speed. 

LPR powers access, compliance, and analytics—not just monitoring. 

6. Access Control for Gates, Doors, Elevators & Garages 

The Old Way: No Native Access Hardware 

Older permit systems do not control access themselves. 
Properties still rely on: 

• Keypads

• Clickers

• Fobs

• Standalone gate systems

There is no integration with permits or enforcement. 

The ParqEx Way: The Access+ Ecosystem 

ParqEx offers a complete smart access control solution: 

• Access+ — mobile gate/door access

• Access+ Premium — touchless LPR-driven access

• Access+ Touchless — mobile-controlled pedestrian doors

This gives properties: 

• Real access control

• Time-bound permissions

• Integrated resident/guest access

• Full audit logs of every access event

This is essential for mixed-use parking systems, HOA parking operations, condo parking management, and hospital or campus parking management. 

7. Revenue: Turning Parking Into a Profit Center 

The Old Way: Only Permit Revenue 

Basic systems monetize: 

• Resident permits

• Guest parking passes

Nothing more. 

The ParqEx Way: Internal + External Monetization 

ParqEx enables multiple revenue streams: 

1. Resident & Guest Revenue (Internal) 

Through ITM + GuestParq. 

2. Public Marketplace Revenue (External)

With the ParqEx Marketplace: 

• Hourly

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Event parking

• Corporate bookings

This is a major differentiator for properties that want to maximize ROI on underutilized spaces. 

8. Manager Workload, Staffing & Automation 

The Old Way: Less Paperwork, But Still Fragmented 

Older systems reduce paperwork but still force managers to juggle: 

• Permits

• Towing lists

• Access fobs

• Guest logs

• Manual enforcement

• Physical signage

• Multiple dashboards

The ParqEx Way: One Unified Parking Platform 

Everything—residents, guests, vendors, enforcement, access, revenue—lives in one place. 

Managers gain: 

• A single dashboard

• Unified reporting

• One source of truth

• Automated access rules

• 24/7 visibility

• Seamless onboarding

This is the ideal property manager parking software for scaling across portfolios. 

9. Flexible Across All Property Types 

The Old Way: Multifamily Only 

Most legacy systems work only for apartments and simple gated communities. 

The ParqEx Way: Built for Every Vertical 

• Multifamily

• HOAs & condos

• Mixed-use retail + residential

• Universities

• Office buildings

• Medical campuses / hospital parking management

• Parks & recreation

• City parking enforcement technology deployments

• Commercial parking operators

Because the ParqEx ecosystem is modular, each property type can configure only what it needs—then scale naturally. 

The Bottom Line: ParqEx Delivers Everything a Basic Permit System Does—AND the Modern Tools Properties Actually Need 

If your property only needs residents to register plates online, any virtual parking permit tool will work.

But if you want: 

• Smart access control

• A true enforcement platform

• Real-time parking analytics

• A unified internal tenant database

• Visitor parking automation

• Mixed-use, HOA, condo, hospital, or city-scale flexibility

• Touchless LPR access

• A public revenue marketplace

…then you need ParqEx. 

Every ParqEx product—Enforcer, ITM, Access+, Marketplace, GuestParq—is built to work together, creating the most modern, powerful parking management ecosystem for residential and mixed-use real estate. 

Ready to See What a Complete Parking Ecosystem Looks Like? 

Book a demo and see how ParqEx can modernize your property’s: 

• Parking enforcement

• Access control

• Resident & guest experience

• Revenue & occupancy

• Portfolio-wide operations

Schedule Your Demo and learn more about our virtual permit systems within our parking ecosystem!