Parking Enforcement Company for Stratas, Businesses and Property Managers
Written by Paul Thandi, Operations Manager, On Guard Security Ltd. — 10+ years in BC security · Updated September 2026
Most parking problems aren’t crimes. They’re residents’ guests taking assigned stalls, customers from the business next door filling your lot, cars blocking fire lanes and loading bays, and vehicles abandoned for weeks. They wear down tenants’ patience and the property manager’s time. A parking enforcement company takes on the routine work of applying your rules consistently. On Guard Security Ltd. provides parking enforcement for stratas, rental buildings, retail plazas and commercial properties across Surrey and the Lower Mainland. This page explains what that involves, how to set up rules that are enforceable, and what our officers will and won’t do.
Key takeaways
Parking enforcement means applying your property’s written parking rules consistently, with evidence.
Clear signs at every entrance to the lot are the basis of fair enforcement.
BC’s Trespass Act lets an occupier, or someone they authorize, give notice by posted signs and tell people to leave or stop an activity.
Our officers follow your policy for what happens after a violation, and don’t make up their own consequences.
On Guard Security Ltd. uses licensed, JIBC-trained, unarmed officers and gives you a documented record of every patrol.
We act as your authorized representative in the lot. Our officers check that vehicles belong there, keep fire lanes and loading zones clear, record violations, and follow the next steps you have approved. Just as importantly, our officers are the ones residents and customers speak to, so disputes over parking are handled by a neutral party, not by the building manager or a council member who lives down the hall.
Parking enforcement is a different service from parking lot security, even though the same officer may do both. Enforcement is about rules: who may park where, and for how long. Security is about protecting people and vehicles from break-ins, vandalism and loitering. If your main concern is safety rather than stall misuse, our parking lot security page is the better place to start. Many properties combine the two on the same patrol.
Enforcement only works if the rules are written down, communicated and posted. Before our first patrol, we help you set out:
Who may park, and where: residents, visitors, staff, customers, trades.
How authorized vehicles are identified: permit hangers, decals, a plate list or a visitor log.
Time limits for visitor and customer stalls.
No-parking areas: fire lanes, loading bays, accessible stalls, drive aisles.
What happens after a violation, and who approves each step.
BC’s Trespass Act is useful here. It lets an occupier, or a person the occupier authorizes, give notice that an activity is prohibited, whether orally, in writing, or by a sign posted at or near the normal entrance that is clearly visible and readable in daylight. A sign naming or showing an activity with a line through it counts as notice, and notices can apply to only part of a property, such as a reserved row of stalls. The Act does not set out towing or ticketing rules, so check those separately (see below).
Key insight: Most parking disputes are really disputes about signs. If a driver could reasonably miss the sign, enforcement feels unfair, and residents will side with the driver.
On each visit an officer walks or drives the lot, checks each vehicle against your permit or plate list, and photographs any violations with the time and location. Vehicles that show up again and again are flagged, so the property manager can follow up with the owner or tenant. Officers also note hazards they see along the way, such as lights that are out, blocked fire lanes, fluid leaks or vehicles that look abandoned.
Visits can be scheduled at the times when misuse happens, such as overnight for residential visitor stalls, midday for retail lots used by commuters, or evenings for buildings near restaurants. We can often combine enforcement with our GPS-verified mobile patrols, so each visit is time-stamped and you receive a report showing when the lot was checked and what was found.
You decide what happens next, and we carry it out consistently. Common steps include a courtesy notice on the windshield, a record sent to the property manager, a letter from the strata or landlord to the owner of a repeat vehicle, or a call to a towing company the property has contracted with. When a driver is present, an officer can politely ask them to move the vehicle or leave the lot on your behalf.
We don’t advise on the law around towing, private parking notices or fees. If your policy includes any of these, confirm the rules that apply with your towing provider and your own legal adviser before relying on them. Our officers have no police powers. If someone becomes aggressive, they step back, record what happened and call the police. Our explainer on what private security guards can and can’t do sets out those limits.
Key insight: The same response to the same violation, every time, is what makes enforcement fair. It is also what lets a strata council defend its decisions when an owner complains.
Stratas. Visitor stall misuse and owners parking in common areas are the usual complaints. Council approves the parking rules and the enforcement steps, and we apply them the same way to every owner. Our guide to condo security in BC covers how enforcement fits with parkade and lobby security.
Rental buildings. Assigned stalls, tenants’ guests and vehicles left behind by former tenants. We document, and the landlord follows up.
Retail plazas. Customer-only lots taken over by commuters or neighbouring businesses, and time limits that are never checked. Visible patrols at the right hours often change those habits.
Offices and industrial sites. Staff permit areas, loading bays and fire lanes that must stay clear for trucks and emergency vehicles.
On Guard Security Ltd. has been working in BC security for more than 10 years from our base at 12565 88 Ave in Surrey, and serves Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Langley, Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley. BC’s Security Services Act treats a guard patrol or watch of property as a licensed security guard service, and all our officers are licensed and JIBC-trained, with a week of one-on-one training alongside a senior officer. You can check any provider in the province’s licence status verification tool. We’re WorkSafeBC compliant, fully insured and available 24/7.
A parking enforcement company applies a property’s parking rules on the owner’s behalf. Officers patrol the lot, check permits or plates, keep fire lanes and loading zones clear, photograph and record violations, and follow the next steps the property has approved.
Can a security company tow cars from my lot?
If your parking policy includes towing, it is arranged with a towing company you contract with, and you should confirm the rules that apply with that provider and your own legal adviser. Our officers document the violation and follow your approved steps.
Do we need signs before enforcing parking rules?
Clear signs are strongly recommended. BC’s Trespass Act allows notice that an activity is prohibited to be given by a sign that is clearly visible and readable at or near the normal entrance. Without clear signs, drivers can reasonably say they didn’t know the rules.
How does a strata set up parking enforcement?
Council sets or confirms the parking rules, decides how authorized vehicles will be identified, approves the steps that follow a violation and has signs posted. The enforcement company then patrols on an agreed schedule and reports back so council can deal with repeat problems.
Is parking enforcement done on foot or by vehicle?
Both. Large or multi-site properties are usually covered by a mobile patrol vehicle, while parkades and small lots are often checked on foot. Either way, each visit is time-stamped and recorded in your report.
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