Short-term rental parking management that protects your residents

Airbnb and VRBO turnover means a new set of unknown cars in your lot every weekend. SmartLotIQ gives your HOA owner-occupant verification, per-unit pass caps, plate-bound digital passes that expire with the stay, and a documented violation trail — so STR guests park by the rules and full-time residents keep their spots.

The STR parking problem

• A new wave of unknown cars every weekend — Friday check-ins flood the lot with plates nobody recognizes, so nothing gets enforced.
• STR owners hoard guest passes — one investor-owned unit can burn through 20+ passes a month while full-time residents can't find a spot.
• "Owner-occupied" units that aren't — without verification, the board has no clean way to apply STR parking rules fairly.
• Enforcement that doesn't hold up — no photo evidence, no pass history, no documented policy trail when a towed STR guest disputes.

How SmartLotIQ fixes it

• Owner-occupant verification — STR units get STR rules automatically, so the board never argues unit-by-unit.
• Passes that expire with the stay — plate-bound digital passes valid only for the booking dates; check-out day, the pass dies.
• Self-serve issuance with per-unit caps — guests claim passes from a link in the booking instructions; each unit has a monthly allowance you set.
• AI plate scanning on your existing cameras — every plate checked against active passes in real time; unknown plates logged with a photo.
• Documented violation & tow trail — photo violations, escalating notices, online fines, and a tow chain-of-custody PDF for every removal.
• Repeat-offender watchlist — plates that keep showing up without authorization auto-escalate across bookings.

Frequently asked questions

Can we set different parking rules for short-term rental units?

Yes — that's the core of the product. STR-flagged units can get a different pass allowance, different pass durations, and different fee schedules than owner-occupied units. Owner-occupant verification keeps the classification honest, so the board applies the policy uniformly instead of unit-by-unit arguments.

How do Airbnb guests get a parking pass?

The owner drops a claim link into their booking instructions (Airbnb message template, VRBO welcome guide, or a QR code in the unit). The guest enters their plate and stay dates, and receives a digital pass by email or text. No app download, and the pass expires automatically at check-out.

What happens when an STR unit runs out of passes?

The claim page simply stops issuing passes for that unit until the next month (or until the board grants an override). The owner sees why, so the pressure lands on the STR owner — not on your front desk or your guards.

Will the enforcement record hold up if a towed guest disputes?

Every violation carries timestamped photos, the plate's full pass history, escalation notices, and a generated tow chain-of-custody PDF. Boards use these packets in small-claims disputes; it's exactly the paper trail most associations are missing today.

What does it cost for an STR-heavy community?

Most STR communities run Essentials ($249/mo) for passes, caps, and violation enforcement, or Enterprise ($999/mo) when they want AI plate scanning and tow dispatch. Small communities up to 49 units can start on the Community plan at $99/mo. Annual billing saves about 17%, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial.

Get started

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