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For many facilities managers, parking sits low on the list of priorities. It’s often viewed as a fixed, unchanging part of the property: bays are marked, gates open and close, and as long as people can get in and out, it’s assumed to be working. But behind the scenes, parking is often one of the most chaotic, under-optimised aspects of a site’s daily operations.
From staff allocation issues to unauthorised use, poorly managed parking quietly erodes efficiency and creates unnecessary frustration for tenants, visitors, and on-site teams. It’s time for parking to be treated not as background infrastructure, but as a critical operational function that deserves a proper place at the facilities management table.
Facilities managers are constantly juggling competing priorities. HVAC, cleaning, security, waste, landscaping, building compliance – the list is endless. Parking rarely makes itself known until there’s a problem, and by that point the issue is usually affecting a large number of people at once.
Common issues often go unaddressed until they reach breaking point. Staff and tenants complain about the lack of available spaces even when occupancy data shows unused capacity. Visitors park in the wrong bays because signage is confusing. Permits are manually tracked through outdated spreadsheets that no one quite owns. Enforcement is inconsistent, and communication between teams is patchy.
Individually, these issues may seem minor. Together, they add up to a significant operational drag, consuming time, budget, and goodwill that could be better spent elsewhere.
Most parking challenges stem from outdated or piecemeal systems. Manual processes, fragmented responsibility, and a lack of real-time visibility make it nearly impossible to run parking efficiently at scale.
Many sites rely on a combination of static signage, basic access control, and informal agreements to allocate spaces. This approach leaves no room to adapt to changing demand and no reliable data to inform decision-making.
The result is a situation that facilities managers know well: spaces are simultaneously underused and over-subscribed, staff spend hours resolving complaints, and parking becomes a constant, low-level headache rather than a managed asset.
Treating parking as a core part of facilities management changes the conversation entirely. Instead of reacting to problems, managers can take a proactive, data-informed approach to allocation, enforcement, and communication.
This starts with centralised visibility. Understanding who is using the car park, when, and for what purpose provides a foundation for better decision-making. From there, allocation can be automated to ensure spaces are used efficiently, rules can be applied consistently, and communication with tenants and visitors becomes clearer and more transparent.
This is where KERB comes in. KERB enables facilities managers to bring their parking operations under a single, digital platform that gives them visibility and control from start to finish.
Whether the site serves office tenants, residents, staff, or mixed-use developments, KERB makes it easy to:
By consolidating these functions, parking moves from a source of friction to a well-managed asset that supports broader operational goals.
Parking plays a quiet but powerful role in how people experience a site. For staff, reliable access can shape their daily routine and satisfaction levels. For visitors, the car park is often the first and last impression of the property. For operators, it’s a space that can either drain resources or generate value depending on how it’s managed.
Facilities managers are uniquely positioned to turn parking from a background issue into a strategic asset. With the right systems in place, parking can support sustainability goals, improve tenant retention, and create new operational efficiencies.
As the built environment becomes more complex and interconnected, facilities managers are increasingly seen as strategic leaders, not just operational caretakers. Parking management should evolve in the same way.
Bringing parking into regular FM discussions ensures it receives the investment, oversight, and innovation it deserves. It also allows managers to align parking strategies with broader site objectives, from improving user experience to unlocking new revenue opportunities.
KERB provides the tools to make this shift possible, turning a historically neglected space into one that works harder for everyone who uses it.
In short, parking is too important to be left in the background. By giving it a proper place at the table, organisations can move from chaos to control and unlock the full potential of their assets.