Protect your commercial parking: tips for businesses against unauthorised parkers

Parking spaces are scarce and in high demand — especially in busy locations. For businesses with their own commercial parking, this is a real challenge: unauthorised parkers repeatedly occupy valuable spaces meant for customers, employees or suppliers. That causes frustration and can lead to lost revenue.

But what can companies do about it? Here are practical tips on how to protect your commercial parking effectively and take legally sound action against illegal parkers.

Prevention: clear marking and communication

Signage is everything

One of the most effective measures is unambiguous signage at the entrance. Notices such as "Private parking — unauthorised vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense" make clear that unauthorised parking won't be tolerated. If you also want to charge a contractual penalty (Vertragsstrafe), the sign should clearly state the terms of use and the amount — as a rule, only then do they become effective. You'll find suitable signs under parking signs.

Ground markings strengthen the effect

Add ground markings with a company logo, space numbers or the note "customers/employees only". The more visible, the better.

Don't forget internal communication

Employees and visitors should know what the parking rules are — for example via the intranet, on invitations or in the entrance area.

Digital solutions for parking management

More and more companies use digital parking-management systems. These enable:

• Booking parking spaces via an app,
• Automatic number plate recognition,
• Controlling parking duration.

Especially in urban areas, the combination of technology and clear rules can effectively curb unauthorised parking. Mind data protection: process photos and number plates only for this purpose (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and delete them once no longer needed.

Legal options: what is allowed?

The legal situation in Germany

Anyone who parks on someone else's private parking space without permission generally commits an unlawful interference with possession (verbotene Eigenmacht, § 858 BGB). As the possessor of the area, the business may defend itself (§ 859 BGB). On private ground, the public order office (Ordnungsamt) is usually not responsible.

Towing — done right

If someone parks without authorisation, the vehicle may generally be towed. Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has ruled that the towing costs must be borne by the person responsible as damages (judgment of 05.06.2009 – V ZR 144/08). However, only costs at the usual local rate are recoverable (BGH, judgment of 04.07.2014 – V ZR 229/13). So document the incident with photos.

Working with a professional provider

Businesses can work with services like FalschParker.io. FalschParker is free for parking-space owners and operators:

• Reporting via the app: scan the number plate, take a photo, confirm the location,
• FalschParker handles the contractual penalty and collections,
• If needed, request a towing service directly via the app.

This saves time and nerves.

Communicate positive experiences

Use your commitment to order as a message to your customers: "Our customer parking is reserved for you." Statements like this build trust and show that good service matters to you.

Conclusion: systematic action against unauthorised parkers

Unauthorised parkers on commercial parking are more than just a nuisance — they disrupt operations. With a combination of prevention, technology, clear signage and external support where needed, companies can reliably protect their parking.

Providers like FalschParker.io make it easy to enforce your rights — quickly, simply and digitally with FalschParker.

This article is general information and not legal advice.