Written by:
Zarah Mae Torrazo is a contributor and writer for WhereiPark, bringing her previous experience as Head of Content at Spacer Technologies, where she led content creation for Parkhound, Spacer.com, Spacer.com.au, and WhereiPark. With nearly a decade of experience in digital content, Zarah specializes in crafting engaging, SEO-optimized writing that bridges both B2B and B2C audiences. Her work spans a wide range of industries from real estate and finance to mobility, health, and tech, with a focus on turning complex ideas into clear, actionable insights. At WhereiPark, Zarah writes extensively about multifamily property management, urban mobility trends, and the monetization of underused assets like parking. She’s particularly passionate about the sharing economy and its power to reshape how people and businesses access space, transport, and opportunity.
Edited by:
Joshua Eisen is the Chief Revenue Officer at WhereiPark, where he leads growth, partnerships, and strategic initiatives focused on helping property owners and organizations unlock the value of underutilized parking assets. He works closely with developers, enterprises, and operators to deliver scalable parking solutions, particularly in complex environments such as construction sites and corporate workplaces. Josh is frequently tapped as an industry expert on parking logistics, urban mobility, and workplace commuting trends. He has contributed insights to publications such as Talent Canada, where he explored parking as part of total rewards strategy, and has been featured in industry coverage including Construction Owners, where he highlighted the role of parking in large-scale data center developments.
Reading time: 19 mins
Key Takeaways:
A parking search firm helps businesses find and secure parking that meets a specific set of requirements, such as location, number of spaces, access, vehicle type, and contract terms. Its services are typically meant for commercial parking needs that require more hands-on sourcing.
If you’re a small business looking for just one or two spaces for delivery vehicles that come and go throughout the week, you probably don’t need that level of help. You may be able to rent a couple of spaces at a nearby garage or use parking you already have on-site.
But what if your parking needs are bigger than what your existing lot can handle? Or you need something more specific, like 24/7 security, space for larger commercial vehicles, EV chargers, or unrestricted access throughout the day?
This is where a parking search firm comes in. Depending on the provider, it can search existing inventory, source new parking locations, negotiate terms, finalize contracts, and provide support once the parking is in use.
WhereiPark offers both options. Businesses can search its existing monthly parking marketplace of over 20,000 locations worldwide, while larger or more specific parking requirements can go through the WhereiPark sourcing team. If the right parking isn’t already available, the team can source new locations and help with negotiation, contracting, and ongoing support.
This guide explains how parking search firms work, when it makes sense to use one, and what to look for when choosing a provider.
Need parking for your business? WhereiPark can help you find monthly parking around your operational requirements.
The process is pretty straightforward. You tell the parking search firm what you need, from the number of spaces and location to any specific access or vehicle requirements. From there, they figure out what parking could actually work and start the search.
Here’s a closer look at what a parking search firm actually does:
So the first step is getting specific. How many parking spaces are needed? Where should they be? Who or what will be parking there? When does the parking need to start, and how long will it be needed? Do spaces need to be shared?
This is important, as sometimes, one requirement can rule out an otherwise good option. For example, you may find a garage that has enough space and is in the right location, but its clearance is too low for work trucks. Or the parking works during the day but locks its gates overnight when your staff needs 24/7 access.
Having those details laid out up front helps the search firm focus on parking that will actually work for your business needs.
You’ve laid down the requirements for the parking spaces your operation or business will need. Good! From this point, the search moves to finding parking that actually matches them.
Sometimes suitable parking already exists within a provider’s inventory or property network. When it doesn’t, the search may need to go beyond currently available spaces and find a new location.
WhereiPark works with multifamily and commercial parking partners, but it can also develop new property relationships with non-traditional parking areas when its existing inventory doesn’t fit the customer’s requirements.
That was the case with global mobility and car rental company Sixt. WhereiPark could accommodate some of its fleet parking needs through existing locations, while others required the team to source entirely new parking.
“WiP leverages industry-leading real estate tools to identify new potential locations and their respective owners and managers,” WhereiPark’s Chief Revenue Officer Joshua Eisen stated.
He further noted that means looking beyond conventional garages and parking lots in some instances. Depending on what the business needs, potential locations can include places of worship, industrial lots, and unused acreage. WhereiPark has even worked with property owners to pave unused land so it could accommodate fleet parking.
You can see how this worked for Sixt in the case study below.
A location can have enough spaces and still be the wrong fit if the price, access conditions, or contract don’t work.
Parking search firms may therefore stay involved through negotiation and contracting. Depending on the provider and property, negotiated parking arrangements can result in savings of 30–40%, Mr Eisen said.
“WhereiPark, for example, handles negotiation and contract finalization for the parking solutions it sources,” he added.
Signing the agreement doesn’t always mean the parking requirement is finished. A company might start with 50 spaces and need 20 more a few months later. An access issue might come up at the property. Or someone simply needs an invoice sorted out.
For WhereiPark customers, that means there’s still someone to call after the parking is booked.
“The work may continue after the agreement is signed. For our partners, WhereiPark continues supporting customers after booking, including help with invoicing, on-site issues, and securing additional spaces when needed,” Mr Eisen stated.
The need for a parking search firm can show up in very different places. An office is bringing more employees back in, but its building doesn’t have enough parking. A construction project is starting downtown, and hundreds of workers need somewhere to leave their cars. A fleet operator has plenty of vehicles but nowhere nearby that can accommodate them.
Different businesses, different problems. In each case, though, finding parking involves more than pulling up a map and choosing the nearest garage.
So, what does that look like in practice? Here are some of the situations that can lead a business to bring in a parking search firm.
An office may need more parking as employees return to the workplace, the company grows, or a team moves into a building with limited on-site parking.
Recently, an RTO mandate was halted for federal public servants in Toronto due to severe parking constraints. A 3-day-a-week RTO was implemented, only to realize the facility lacked adequate office space. When officials tried to relocate the overflowing teams to alternative sites, the plan collapsed completely due to a lack of adequate parking, long waitlists, and unexpected parking fees
Location tends to matter in these instances. Technically available employee parking but too far from the workplace may not solve the problem.
Before sourcing more spaces, however, it’s worth determining whether the company actually has a parking shortage or whether its existing parking could be used differently. See our guide to solving company parking challenges without adding more spaces.
Unlike corporate parking needs, finding parking spaces for construction teams has its own set of challenges.
A construction project can bring hundreds of contractors and workers to a job site every day, and they all need somewhere to leave their vehicles. Depending on the site size and local zoning, projects may not be able to accommodate the workers’ vehicles on site. That gets difficult when the project is downtown, where parking can be limited and expensive, or in a rural area where there simply isn’t much parking nearby.
Some projects end up locating workers miles away from the job site and running a shuttle to the site. Others need parking that can accommodate changing shifts or larger work vehicles that won’t fit in a standard garage.
The parking area may need some preparation, too. Parking agreements can include requirements such as worker access to restrooms, lighting installation, gate procurement, or line striping where existing parking areas aren’t clearly delineated.
Planning parking for an upcoming project? See our guide to planning and securing workforce parking for construction projects, including how to account for crew size, vehicle types, walking distance, access, and project phases.
A business with 100 vehicles needs somewhere to put them at the end of the day. For rental car companies, delivery operations, and service fleets, that parking also has to work as part of the day-to-day operation.
Vehicles may be coming and going around the clock. Vans and trucks may need more clearance than a typical garage offers. Employees may have to swap their personal vehicles for the fleet vehicle. An electric fleet may need access to charging. And for a rental car company, being close to the retail location can be critical when vehicles are constantly moving between the lot and customers.
Rental fleets may have additional property requirements. In many cases, they need on-site bathroom access for retail and support staff as well as approximately 800–1,500 square feet of adjacent retail space.
Your current parking may have worked perfectly well when you had 50 employees. Then the team grew, more people started coming into the office, and suddenly there are more cars than spaces.
The same problem can come up when a business brings in contractors for several months, adds more vehicles to its operation, or simply needs parking for a group that its existing lot can’t accommodate.
In those situations, the business may not need to replace its current parking at all. It just needs to find additional spaces nearby that can take the overflow. In this scenario, a parking search firm may be able to find the perfect solution for your needs.
So, when is it worth bringing someone in to help with the search?
A parking search firm may be worth considering if:
Remember the Sixt example from earlier? It’s a good look at what happens when a parking search moves beyond simply finding available spaces.
Sixt, a global car rental and mobility company, needed additional parking for its rental fleet across several U.S. markets. This wasn’t simply about finding empty parking spaces. The locations had to work with Sixt’s day-to-day operations.
Every parking location needed to be within 10 minutes of a Sixt retail location and accessible 24/7. From there, the requirements changed by market. Some locations needed room for more than 100 vehicles, while others had specific access, security, or vehicle clearance requirements.
According to Mr Eisen, Sixt’s requirements came with their own challenges. “Incorporating the retail component makes the project more difficult, as usually a separate lease is required for the retail space than the parking,” he said.
WhereiPark ultimately approached each search differently depending on what Sixt needed in that market.
| Location | Spaces Needed | Parking Solution | Time to Procure |
| LAX, CA | 150 | New parking location sourced | 2 weeks |
| Studio City, CA | 20+ | Multifamily partner | 2.5 months |
| Chicago, IL | 100 | New parking location sourced | 4 weeks |
| Arlington, VA | 850 | Commercial partner | 6 weeks |
Some locations could be handled through existing multifamily or commercial property partners. Others required WhereiPark to source a new property.
The number of parking spaces wasn’t the only consideration, either. For example, Arlington required unlimited in-and-out privileges. Meanwhile, Studio City needed an access-controlled garage. In Chicago, the property needed enough clearance for semi-trailer trucks.
The searches also moved at very different speeds, ranging from a matter of weeks to 2.5 months. There isn’t a standard timeline for commercial parking because capacity is only one part of the search. Location, local inventory, vehicle type, access, and contract terms can all affect how long it takes.
Much of the work required to secure those locations happened behind the scenes. “[Clients] don’t see the hundreds of calls and emails we make to local properties just to find the right one for our clients,” Mr Eisen said.
Finding suitable locations was only part of the process. The rates WhereiPark was able to secure were another part of the outcome. “Clients can be surprised at the below-market rates we often negotiate for them,” Mr Eisen said.
If you need one or a few monthly parking spaces and suitable inventory is already available, you probably don’t need a dedicated parking search firm on the job.
Starting with marketplace inventory is more direct in that situation. A managed search becomes more relevant when you’re dealing with a larger block of spaces or requirements that available inventory can’t easily satisfy.
| What happens behind the scenes that customers typically don’t see? | What happens behind the scenes that customers typically don’t see? |
| One monthly parking space | Search available inventory directly |
| A few straightforward monthly spaces | Start with marketplace inventory |
| Larger block of spaces | Consider a managed parking search |
| Strict access or vehicle requirements | Consider a managed parking search |
| Existing inventory doesn’t meet the requirement | Dedicated sourcing may be useful |
| Negotiation and contract support required | Managed search may be appropriate |
There isn’t a magic number where a parking search suddenly becomes “complex.” Ten spaces with very specific vehicle and access requirements can potentially take more work than a much larger search in an area with plenty of suitable inventory. Smaller businesses like food trucks, car-sharing hosts, and mobile pet spa operators have such specific needs that a search partner can add great value up front.
For WhereiPark, businesses looking for parking for 10 or more employees, team members, or crew members can contact the team for help.
The real test isn’t how much parking a provider can show you. It’s whether it can find parking that actually works for your operation.
Before choosing a provider, ask:
WhereiPark offers two ways for businesses to find monthly parking.
For straightforward requirements, customers can search one of the world’s largest existing marketplace inventories from residential and commercial property partners.
When the requirement is larger or more specific, WhereiPark’s sourcing team can search for a new location based on factors such as space count, location, access, vehicle type, and parking duration.
The team can also handle negotiation and contract finalization. Once the parking is secured, WhereiPark continues to support customers with invoicing, on-site issues, and requests for additional spaces.
It’s the same model WhereiPark used for Sixt: use existing property relationships where they fit, and source new locations where they don’t.
Tell the WhereiPark team where you need parking, how many spaces you need, and any vehicle or access requirements. The team can determine whether existing inventory fits or whether a broader search is needed.
A parking search firm helps businesses find parking around requirements such as location, capacity, access, and vehicle type. Depending on the provider, the service can also include sourcing new locations, negotiating terms, finalizing contracts, and ongoing support.
A parking search firm is worth considering when you need a large block of spaces, have specific access or vehicle requirements, or can’t find suitable parking through existing inventory.
A parking marketplace lets you search parking that’s already available. A parking search firm can take the search further by looking for new locations when existing inventory doesn’t meet the requirement.
Yes. A search can focus on employee or team parking near a workplace, subject to local availability and the company’s requirements.
Yes. Fleet searches can account for space count, vehicle type, access hours, clearance, EV charging, location, and other operational requirements.
Yes. Parking can be sourced for construction workers and crews near a project site, with the search accounting for factors such as crew size, vehicle types, access, shifts, and local availability.
For a few straightforward monthly spaces, start with available inventory.
If you’re trying to accommodate a large group or fleet, need very specific access or vehicle requirements, or can’t find suitable parking that’s already available, a managed search can take the process further.
Have a more complex requirement? Tell the WhereiPark team how many spaces you need, where you need them, and what the property needs to accommodate.
Zarah Mae Torrazo is a contributor and writer for WhereiPark, bringing her previous experience as Head of Content at Spacer Technologies, where she led content creation for Parkhound, Spacer.com, Spacer.com.au, and WhereiPark. With nearly a decade of experience in digital content, Zarah specializes in crafting engaging, SEO-optimized writing that bridges both B2B and B2C audiences. Her work spans a wide range of industries from real estate and finance to mobility, health, and tech, with a focus on turning complex ideas into clear, actionable insights. At WhereiPark, Zarah writes extensively about multifamily property management, urban mobility trends, and the monetization of underused assets like parking. She’s particularly passionate about the sharing economy and its power to reshape how people and businesses access space, transport, and opportunity.
Louise has worked across digital publishing, content marketing, and media, producing blog articles, news features, and educational resources. Her background includes writing for financial education platforms, technology publications, and global content teams.
She has experience creating content for diverse audiences across international markets, adapting tone and structure to meet regional and platform-specific requirements.
At WhereiPark, she produces content focused on parking, cost-saving strategies, and location-based services across the U.S. and Canada.
Have any questions about content that you’d like to ask Louise? Drop her an email at Louise@spacer.com.
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