Parking Lot and Garage Safety: Tenant Rights, Landlord Obligations, and Lease Red Flags

Parking arrangements in rental housing vary enormously, and the way your lease defines parking determines your rights, your costs, and your legal recourse if something goes wrong. Before you sign, you need to understand exactly what type of parking you are getting and how it is documented.

Assigned vs. Unassigned Parking

Assigned parking means you have a specific, numbered space that is reserved for your use during the lease term. This space is typically identified in your lease or a parking addendum by number, location, or both. Assigned parking gives you stronger legal rights because the specific space is part of your contract. If the landlord reassigns your space or allows someone else to use it, they may be in breach of the lease.

Unassigned parking (also called “first-come, first-served”) means you have the right to park in the lot or garage, but not in any particular space. This arrangement gives the landlord more flexibility and gives you less recourse if spaces are unavailable. If your complex has 100 units and 80 parking spaces, you may find yourself without a spot on busy nights. Unless the lease guarantees availability, the landlord has no obligation to ensure a space is open for you.

Covered vs. Uncovered Parking

Covered parking includes carports, parking structures, and enclosed garages. These typically cost more because they protect vehicles from weather, sun damage, and some types of vandalism. From a legal perspective, covered parking structures create additional landlord obligations around structural maintenance, lighting, and ventilation that do not apply to surface lots. If you are paying a premium for covered or garage parking, make sure the lease specifies the type of space and any additional amenities (security gate, camera coverage, reserved spot) that justify the cost.

Uncovered surface lot parking is the most common arrangement. While landlord obligations are simpler, they still include maintaining the surface in reasonable condition (filling potholes, repainting lines, adequate drainage) and providing proper lighting.

Garage Parking: Additional Considerations

Parking garages — whether underground or above-grade structures — create a different set of landlord obligations than surface lots. Garages require structural inspections, adequate ventilation (especially underground garages where carbon monoxide accumulates), fire suppression systems, clear height markings, and drainage systems to prevent flooding. If your building includes garage parking, the landlord must maintain all of these systems in working order. Structural failures in parking garages, while rare, can be catastrophic and are almost always the landlord’s liability.

The Parking Addendum

Many properties use a separate parking addendum rather than including parking terms in the main lease. This is an important distinction. A parking addendum that is attached to and referenced in your main lease is part of your lease — the landlord cannot change its terms without your agreement during the lease term. But a parking addendum structured as a separate month-to-month agreement can be modified or terminated with notice (usually 30 days), even while your main lease continues.

Parking lots and garages are common areas under landlord-tenant law in every state. This means the landlord — not the tenant — is responsible for maintaining them in a safe and habitable condition. The scope of this duty varies by state, but the following obligations are recognized in most jurisdictions.

Lighting

Adequate lighting is one of the most fundamental safety requirements for parking areas. Poorly lit parking lots and garages are magnets for vehicle break-ins, assaults, and slip-and-fall injuries. Most state and local building codes require minimum illumination levels in parking structures, typically measured in foot-candles. Common requirements include 1-5 foot-candles for open surface lots and 5-10 foot-candles for enclosed garage structures. When a landlord fails to maintain working lights in a parking area and a tenant is injured or their property is damaged, the landlord may be liable under a premises liability theory.

Courts have consistently held that landlords who know about burned-out lights in parking areas and fail to replace them within a reasonable time can be held liable for resulting injuries or property crimes. In Kline v. 1500 Massachusetts Avenue Apartment Corp., the D.C. Court of Appeals established that landlords have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect tenants from foreseeable criminal acts in common areas — and adequate lighting is one of the most basic such steps.

Security Cameras

Unlike lighting, there is generally no legal requirement for landlords to install security cameras in parking areas. However, if a landlord advertises security cameras as an amenity, installs cameras, or promises camera coverage in the lease, they may create an obligation to maintain them. A landlord who installs cameras and then allows them to become non-functional may actually be in a worse legal position than one who never installed cameras at all — because the non-functional cameras create a false sense of security that tenants relied upon.

Gate and Access Control Maintenance

If your parking area has a security gate, access control system, or key-card entry, the landlord must maintain these systems in working order. A broken parking gate that remains open for weeks defeats the purpose of controlled access and can expose the landlord to liability if an unauthorized person enters and causes harm. Courts have found landlords liable when they failed to repair broken security gates in a timely manner and a foreseeable crime occurred as a result.

Key-card and remote-controlled gate systems also raise privacy and access issues. Your landlord should deactivate access for former tenants promptly, repair malfunctioning gates within a reasonable time (typically 24-72 hours for security-related repairs), and ensure that gate mechanisms do not create hazards (e.g., closing on vehicles or pedestrians).

ADA Compliance in Parking Areas

Under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landlords must provide accessible parking spaces in apartment complexes. For properties built after March 13, 1991, the FHA requires that parking areas have accessible routes and that a minimum number of spaces be designated as accessible. The ADA applies to parking areas that are considered places of public accommodation (such as visitor parking in a mixed-use building). We cover ADA requirements in more detail in the ADA Parking Requirements section below.

Snow and Ice Removal

In cold-weather states, snow and ice removal from parking areas is a critical landlord obligation. Parking lots and walkways leading to parking areas must be cleared within a reasonable time after a weather event. What counts as “reasonable” depends on the jurisdiction — some cities require clearance within 24 hours of snowfall cessation, while others use a general “reasonable time” standard. Landlords who fail to remove ice and snow from parking areas can be liable for slip-and-fall injuries under premises liability. Some states, like Massachusetts, impose strict liability on property owners for ice-related injuries on their premises.

Structural Integrity of Garages

For properties with parking garages, the landlord is responsible for the structural integrity of the entire structure. This includes regular inspections of load-bearing columns, beams, and slabs; maintaining waterproofing membranes to prevent water infiltration that accelerates concrete deterioration; ensuring adequate ventilation (especially in underground garages where carbon monoxide can accumulate to dangerous levels); and maintaining fire suppression and detection systems. Structural failures in parking garages — concrete spalling, rebar exposure, slab collapses — create severe liability for landlords. If you see cracking concrete, exposed rebar, standing water, or chunks of concrete on the garage floor, report it immediately in writing.

Parking clauses appear in virtually every residential lease, but most tenants skip over them. Understanding what these clauses mean — and what they allow the landlord to do — is essential for protecting yourself and your vehicle.

“Parking Is at Tenant’s Own Risk”

This is the most common parking clause in residential leases. It attempts to shift all risk of vehicle damage, theft, and injury to the tenant. While this clause has some legal effect — it can protect the landlord from claims arising from ordinary risks like door dings from other tenants’ cars or weather damage — it cannot override the landlord’s underlying duty to maintain safe premises. Courts in most states have held that a “park at your own risk” clause does not shield a landlord from liability for their own negligence, such as failing to maintain lights, fix a broken gate, or address known hazards.

Vehicle Damage Disclaimers

Many leases include broad disclaimers stating the landlord is not responsible for any damage to vehicles parked on the property, “regardless of cause.” Like the “park at your own risk” clause, these disclaimers are limited in their effectiveness. They may protect the landlord from claims for damage caused by other tenants, weather, or acts of God, but they do not protect the landlord from liability for damage caused by the landlord’s own negligence — such as a poorly maintained garage ceiling that drops concrete onto your car, or flooding from a known drainage problem the landlord refused to fix.

Guest Parking Rules

Most leases regulate guest parking in some way. Common provisions include designated guest parking areas, time limits on guest vehicles (24-72 hours), requirements to register guest vehicles with the management office, and restrictions on the number of guest vehicles allowed at one time. Guest parking rules are generally enforceable as long as they are clearly stated in the lease, applied consistently to all tenants, and not used as a pretext for discrimination or retaliation.

Abandoned Vehicle Provisions

Leases typically define what constitutes an “abandoned” vehicle and give the landlord the right to tow it. Common definitions include vehicles that have not moved for 72 hours to 14 days, vehicles with expired registration, vehicles that are visibly inoperable, or vehicles not registered to a current tenant. The time periods and notification requirements for towing abandoned vehicles are regulated by state law in most jurisdictions, so your lease cannot override state minimums — but it can impose additional conditions on tenants.

Vehicle Type Restrictions

Some leases restrict the types of vehicles tenants may park. Common restrictions include prohibitions on commercial vehicles, boats, trailers, RVs, or vehicles over a certain size. Motorcycle and scooter parking rules vary — some complexes provide dedicated motorcycle parking, while others require motorcycles to occupy a full-size space. Height restrictions are common in parking garages. These restrictions are generally enforceable if they are clearly stated, consistently applied, and do not violate fair housing laws (for example, a restriction that effectively prevents a tenant from parking a disability-modified vehicle could violate the Fair Housing Act).

Not every parking clause is a problem, but some are written specifically to strip tenants of legitimate rights. The following clauses should raise immediate concerns and may warrant negotiation or legal review before signing.

Total Liability Waivers

Some leases go beyond the standard “park at your own risk” clause and include sweeping liability waivers that attempt to absolve the landlord of all responsibility for any injury, damage, or loss occurring in the parking area, including claims arising from the landlord’s own negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct.

Unreasonable Towing Policies

Some leases give the landlord or property management company broad, unilateral authority to tow tenant vehicles with little or no notice. While landlords need some ability to enforce parking rules, overly aggressive towing policies — particularly those that allow immediate towing for minor violations like an expired registration sticker or parking slightly outside the lines — are a red flag. Predatory towing relationships between landlords and towing companies, where the landlord receives a commission on each tow, create perverse incentives.

Unilateral Parking Fee Increases

If parking is covered by a separate agreement rather than your main lease, watch for clauses that allow the landlord to increase parking fees at any time with minimal notice. Some leases include language like “parking fees may be adjusted at Landlord’s discretion with 30 days’ written notice.” While this may be legal if parking is a separate month-to-month agreement, it effectively gives the landlord the ability to raise your total housing cost during your lease term without the protections that apply to rent increases.

No Maintenance Commitments

A lease that charges for parking but includes no obligations for the landlord to maintain the parking area is a red flag. You are paying for a service — and that service should include a safe, functional parking environment. If the lease is silent on the landlord’s parking maintenance obligations, state law still requires the landlord to maintain common areas in safe condition. However, having explicit maintenance commitments in the lease makes enforcement significantly easier.

Clauses That Prohibit Tenant Reporting

Some leases include provisions discouraging tenants from contacting local authorities about parking area conditions — for example, requiring tenants to report safety concerns to management only and prohibiting calls to code enforcement or the fire department. These clauses are likely unenforceable in every state as violations of public policy, but their presence in a lease signals a landlord who is more interested in avoiding scrutiny than maintaining safe conditions.

When your vehicle is damaged in an apartment parking lot or garage, the critical question is: who pays? The answer depends on the cause of the damage, the landlord’s knowledge of the risk, and whether the landlord took reasonable steps to prevent it. Here are the most common scenarios.

Vehicle Break-Ins and Theft

Landlords are generally not liable for criminal acts committed by third parties on their property — unless the landlord knew or should have known about a security risk and failed to address it. This is the foreseeability standard. If your car is broken into in a parking lot that has had multiple prior break-ins that the landlord knew about, and the landlord failed to improve lighting, repair a broken gate, or install cameras, a court may find the landlord negligent. The key evidence in these cases is prior incidents — if you can show the landlord received reports of previous break-ins and did nothing, you have the strongest possible negligence claim.

For the property stolen from your vehicle, your renter’s insurance policy typically covers personal property anywhere, including items stolen from your car (subject to your deductible). However, damage to the vehicle itself is covered by your auto insurance comprehensive coverage, not your renter’s policy. If you do not have comprehensive coverage, you bear the cost of vehicle damage from a break-in unless you can prove landlord negligence.

Property Damage from Falling Objects

If your car is damaged by falling concrete, debris, or structural elements in a parking garage, the landlord is almost certainly liable. The landlord has a duty to maintain the structural integrity of the garage, and falling debris is direct evidence of a maintenance failure. Document the damage immediately with photographs of both your vehicle and the source of the falling material, and report the incident in writing. The landlord’s property insurance should cover these claims, but you may need to file your own comprehensive auto insurance claim and pursue subrogation if the landlord denies responsibility.

Flooding in Garages

Underground and ground-level parking garages are vulnerable to flooding from heavy rainfall, broken water mains, or failed sump pumps. When flooding damages vehicles parked in a garage, the landlord may be liable if the flooding resulted from a known drainage problem, a failure to maintain pumps or drainage systems, or inadequate waterproofing. If the flooding is caused by an unprecedented natural disaster with no prior history of water issues, the landlord’s liability is weaker — but still possible if the garage was not designed to code.

Hit-and-Run Damage

If your parked vehicle is hit by another vehicle in the parking lot and the responsible driver leaves without identifying themselves, the landlord is generally not liable — this is a hit-and-run, which is the other driver’s legal responsibility. Your auto insurance uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) or collision coverage would apply. However, if the parking area has security cameras that the landlord promised were operational, you can request the footage to help identify the responsible party. If the cameras were non-functional and the landlord represented them as working, this could support a separate claim against the landlord.

Landlord Negligence — The Standard

To hold your landlord liable for vehicle damage in a parking area, you generally need to prove four elements: (1) the landlord owed you a duty of care (established by the landlord-tenant relationship and control of common areas); (2) the landlord breached that duty (failed to maintain safe conditions); (3) the breach caused your damage (causation); and (4) you suffered actual damages (repair costs, replacement value, loss of use). The strongest cases involve situations where the landlord had actual notice of a hazard — you reported it in writing — and failed to act.

Parking safety obligations and premises liability rules vary significantly by state. The following table compares 15 states on the metrics most relevant to tenants with parking concerns: premises liability standards, towing notice requirements, EV charging rights, snow and ice removal duties, and security requirements for parking areas.

Source: State landlord-tenant statutes, vehicle codes, premises liability case law, and municipal ordinances. Rules change — verify current law in your state. This is not legal advice.

As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, the question of EV charging access for renters has become one of the fastest-evolving areas of tenant rights law. Whether you already own an EV or are considering one, understanding your rights to charge at home is essential — especially because most apartment leases were written before EV charging was a consideration.

The Right to Charge: State Laws

Several states have enacted “right to charge” laws that prevent landlords from unreasonably denying a tenant’s request to install EV charging equipment. These laws generally follow a similar framework: the tenant may install charging equipment in their assigned parking space, at the tenant’s expense, using a licensed electrician, with appropriate insurance, and with an obligation to remove the equipment and restore the space at move-out.

Lease Restrictions on EV Charging

Even in states with right-to-charge laws, your lease may contain clauses that restrict or prohibit EV charging. Common restrictive clauses include blanket prohibitions on “modifications to parking areas,” prohibitions on running extension cords through windows or doors (which is a legitimate fire safety concern), and requirements for landlord pre-approval of any electrical work. In states with right-to-charge laws, blanket prohibitions are overridden by statute. In states without such laws, the lease controls — and you will need to negotiate.

Negotiating EV Charging in Your Lease

If your state does not have a right-to-charge law, you can still negotiate EV charging access before signing. Request an EV charging addendum that specifies where the charger will be installed (your assigned space), who pays for installation and electricity (you, typically), that the charger meets local electrical code, that you will maintain liability insurance covering the charger, and that you will remove the charger and restore the space at move-out. Many landlords will agree to these terms because EV charging adds property value and attracts higher-quality tenants.

Towing disputes are among the most contentious issues in apartment parking. When done properly, towing enforces legitimate parking rules and removes genuinely abandoned or unauthorized vehicles. When done improperly, it can cost tenants hundreds of dollars, leave them stranded, and constitute an illegal taking of property. Understanding when your landlord can tow, what notice is required, and how to fight back is essential.

When Landlords Can Tow

Landlords generally have the right to tow vehicles that are blocking fire lanes or emergency access, parked in handicap spaces without a valid placard, not belonging to current tenants or authorized guests, abandoned (as defined by state law), or in violation of clearly posted parking rules. However, the process matters as much as the reason. In most states, landlords must follow specific procedural requirements before towing, and failure to follow these requirements can make the tow illegal — entitling you to recover towing fees, storage fees, and in some states, statutory damages.

Notice Requirements by State

Most states require some form of notice before a vehicle can be towed from private property. The requirements vary significantly:

• Signage requirements: Nearly every state requires that parking rules and towing warnings be posted on visible signs at the entrance to the parking area. The signs must typically include the towing company’s name and phone number, hours of enforcement, and the address where towed vehicles can be retrieved.
• Written notice on vehicle: Many states (California, Texas, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia) require a written notice on the vehicle’s windshield before towing, with a waiting period of 24 to 72 hours depending on the state.
• Notification after towing: Several states require the towing company or property owner to notify local law enforcement within a specific time (often 30 minutes to 1 hour) after towing a vehicle, so the owner can locate it.

Predatory Towing

Predatory towing occurs when landlords or towing companies exploit parking enforcement for profit rather than legitimate parking management. Warning signs include: the landlord receiving a kickback or commission for each tow; the towing company patrolling the lot looking for technical violations (expired registration, parking a few inches over the line); vehicles being towed within minutes of a violation; and towing fees that are significantly above market rates. Several states, including California, Texas, and Florida, have enacted anti-predatory towing statutes that limit towing fees, require specific signage, mandate notification timelines, and provide statutory damages for unauthorized tows.

Booting (Immobilization Devices)

Vehicle booting — applying a wheel clamp to prevent a vehicle from being driven — is an alternative to towing used in some apartment complexes. Booting is regulated separately from towing in most states. Some states (Virginia, Georgia) cap booting fees. Others require booting companies to respond within 30 minutes to remove a boot after the vehicle owner pays the fee. And some cities (Chicago, for example) have banned private booting entirely. If your vehicle is booted, check whether the booting company is licensed in your state, whether proper signage was posted, and whether the fee exceeds state or local caps.

What to Do If Your Car Is Wrongfully Towed

1. Document everything: Photograph the area where your car was parked, any signage (or lack thereof), your parking permit or sticker, and any notice left on your windshield. Note the date and time.
2. Retrieve your vehicle: Pay the towing fee under protest. Ask for an itemized receipt and the authorization form signed by the property owner. Keep all documentation.
3. Send a written demand: Send your landlord a written demand for reimbursement of towing and storage fees, citing the specific state statute that was violated. Many states provide for double or triple damages for unauthorized tows.
4. File in small claims court: If the landlord does not reimburse you, file in small claims court. Bring your photographs, the towing receipt, the authorization form, and any evidence that towing notice requirements were not followed.
5. Report to the state: File a complaint with your state attorney general’s office and the agency that licenses towing companies in your state.

Accessible parking is governed by two overlapping federal laws: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). While the ADA primarily applies to places of public accommodation, the FHA applies directly to residential housing — and its requirements for accessible parking are often broader than tenants realize.

Fair Housing Act Requirements

Under the FHA, landlords of buildings with four or more units built after March 13, 1991, must comply with accessibility design standards. For parking, this includes providing accessible routes from parking areas to unit entrances and ensuring that parking areas connected to covered dwelling units have accessible spaces. Beyond new construction requirements, the FHA requires landlords to grant reasonable accommodations to tenants with disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is a change to rules, policies, practices, or services that is necessary to give a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy their housing.

Common Reasonable Accommodation Requests

For parking, the most common reasonable accommodation requests include:

• Reassignment to a closer space: A tenant with a mobility disability can request reassignment to a parking space closer to their unit entrance, even if their assigned space is farther away. The landlord must grant this unless it creates an undue financial or administrative burden.
• Wider parking space: A tenant who uses a wheelchair-accessible van can request a wider space or an end space with additional room to deploy a ramp or lift. The landlord may need to restripe the lot to accommodate this.
• Reserved signage: A tenant can request that their accessible space be marked with appropriate signage to prevent other tenants from parking in it.
• Additional parking space: A tenant with a live-in aide may request an additional parking space for the aide, even if the lease only provides one space per unit.

Reasonable Modifications to Parking Areas

Unlike accommodations (which are changes to rules and policies), reasonable modifications are physical changes to the premises. For parking, this might include installing a curb cut to provide wheelchair access from the parking area to a walkway, widening a parking space, or installing a ramp. Under the FHA, the tenant is generally responsible for the cost of reasonable modifications in private housing, but the landlord cannot refuse to permit the modification if it is necessary and does not fundamentally alter the property. Some states (California, Massachusetts) require the landlord to pay for reasonable modifications.

What to Do If Your Accommodation Is Denied

If your landlord denies a reasonable accommodation or modification request related to parking, you have several options:

1. Put the request in writing if you have not already. Cite the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3604(f)(3)(B)) and your state’s fair housing law.
2. File a complaint with HUD at HUD.gov/fairhousing. HUD will investigate at no cost and can order the landlord to comply.
3. File with your state civil rights agency for parallel relief.
4. Consult a fair housing attorney. FHA cases can result in compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees — many attorneys take these cases on contingency.

If you ever need to pursue a claim against your landlord for parking-related issues — whether for vehicle damage, unsafe conditions, wrongful towing, or failure to provide accessible parking — your success depends on documentation. The time to start documenting is now, not after something goes wrong.

Photo and Video Evidence

Photographs and videos are the most powerful evidence in parking disputes. When documenting parking problems:

• Use your phone’s native camera — it automatically embeds date, time, and GPS location in the image metadata. Do not use apps that strip metadata.
• Take wide shots and close-ups. A wide shot establishes location (the parking lot, your building in the background); a close-up shows the specific problem (the broken light, the cracked concrete, the damage to your car).
• Photograph the absence of something. If there are no towing signs, no working lights, or no security cameras — photograph that too. A photo showing darkness where lights should be, or a blank wall where cameras were removed, is powerful evidence.
• Record video for ongoing issues. A 30-second video walking through a dark, unlit parking garage is more compelling than a still photograph.
• Back up your files. Upload photos and videos to cloud storage (Google Photos, iCloud, Dropbox) so they are preserved even if your phone is lost or damaged.

Written Complaints and Incident Reports

Every parking safety complaint you make to your landlord should be in writing. Email is ideal because it creates a timestamped record that is difficult to dispute. When you report a problem:

• Describe the specific problem clearly and factually (“The overhead light in parking space 204 has been out since March 1”)
• Attach photographs or videos showing the issue
• Request a specific remedy (“Please replace the light within 5 business days”)
• State the safety concern (“This creates a safety hazard for tenants accessing their vehicles after dark”)
• Keep a copy of every communication, including the landlord’s responses (or lack of responses)

Police Reports

If your vehicle is broken into, vandalized, or involved in a hit-and-run in the parking area, file a police report immediately. A police report creates an official record of the incident that is essential for insurance claims, small claims court, and any future negligence claim against the landlord. When filing, mention any security deficiencies in the parking area (broken lights, non-functional cameras, open gate) — this information becomes part of the official record.

Building a Timeline

For ongoing parking safety issues, maintain a simple written log — a spreadsheet or document that tracks each incident or complaint by date. Include what happened, when you reported it, how the landlord responded, and when (if ever) the issue was resolved. A timeline showing repeated complaints and persistent inaction is powerful evidence of landlord negligence. Courts are much more likely to find negligence when a pattern of complaints and non-response is documented than when a single, isolated incident occurs.

Parking terms are negotiable — especially in markets with vacancy, during off-peak rental seasons, and with individual landlords (as opposed to large management companies). The following items are the most important to address before signing.

What to Ask Before Signing

• Is parking included in rent or a separate fee? If separate, is the fee fixed for the lease term or subject to increase?
• Is my space assigned or unassigned? If assigned, what is the space number and where exactly is it?
• Is the parking agreement part of the lease or a separate document? If separate, can it be incorporated into the lease?
• What is the towing policy? How much notice is given before towing? Who is the towing company? Does the landlord receive a commission on tows?
• What security features does the parking area have? Lighting, cameras, gate? Who maintains them and how quickly are they repaired when broken?
• Has there been a history of vehicle break-ins or damage? How many incidents in the past 12 months?
• Is EV charging available or permitted? If you have or plan to get an EV, can you install a charger?
• What happens if parking becomes unavailable (construction, lot closure, restriping)? Will you receive a rent reduction or alternative parking?

Modifications to Propose

If the lease parking provisions are vague or one-sided, consider proposing the following modifications:

• Fix the parking fee for the lease term: “Parking fee of $X/month is included in the monthly rent and shall not be increased during the initial lease term.”
• Add a maintenance commitment: “Landlord shall maintain parking area lighting, surface condition, and security features (if any) in good working order throughout the lease term.”
• Require notice before towing: “Landlord shall provide Tenant 48 hours’ written notice before towing Tenant’s registered vehicle, except for vehicles blocking fire lanes or emergency access.”
• Preserve the landlord’s negligence liability: “Nothing in this lease shall be construed to release Landlord from liability for personal injury or property damage caused by Landlord’s failure to maintain parking facilities in safe condition.”
• Add an EV charging provision: “Tenant may install a Level 2 EV charging station in Tenant’s assigned space at Tenant’s expense, subject to use of a licensed electrician and compliance with applicable building codes.”

When to Walk Away

Consider walking away from a rental if the parking area has serious unaddressed safety issues (no lighting, broken gate, visible structural damage in a garage), the landlord refuses to commit to any maintenance obligations in writing, the lease contains a sweeping liability waiver for parking area injuries, the towing policy is predatory (immediate towing, no notice, landlord receives commissions), or the landlord is evasive about break-in history or refuses to answer safety questions. A landlord who will not discuss parking safety before you sign is unlikely to address parking safety after you move in.