As Bengaluru’s housing societies struggle with limited parking availability and rising car ownership, the cost of securing an extra parking slot is becoming a growing concern for residents in the city’s large gated communities. A Reddit user living near Whitefield triggered an online debate after claiming that while parking spaces in the society are rented out for about ₹1,000 a month, the apartment association quoted nearly ₹5 lakh for the purchase of a second parking slot.
“I stay in a society near Whitefield and was looking to buy a second car parking slot. Right now, people here rent out their parking slots for around ₹1,000 per month. When I checked with the association to buy an additional slot, they quoted around ₹5 lakhs. Is this a reasonable rate or is it too expensive?”
The post quickly drew responses from apartment owners and residents across Bengaluru, with many arguing that parking spaces have increasingly become a premium asset in large residential communities.
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‘ ₹5 lakh is for peace of mind, not savings’
Several Redditors pointed out that the economics of buying a parking slot often don’t add up to renting one.
One user argued that as long as people can continue parking on public roads, many vehicle owners will remain reluctant to spend lakhs on dedicated parking.
“Till people are allowed to park on roadsides for free, they won’t be bothered to pay more than a ₹1,000 rent for parking.”
The Redditor said that many homeowners prefer avoiding an additional loan burden rather than spending ₹3–5 lakh upfront on a parking space. According to the user, the biggest advantage of ownership is certainty rather than financial returns.
Others noted that in large apartment communities, there is usually a steady supply of residents willing to rent out unused parking spaces, reducing the urgency to buy one outright.
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Legal experts weigh in
Legal experts note that parking spaces in apartment complexes are generally considered part of the common areas of a . As a result, neither the developer nor the residents’ welfare association can typically sell parking spaces as independent units.
“However, societies may allot or rent out available parking slots to residents in accordance with their registered bylaws, internal policies, and applicable state housing regulations. This means residents may be charged a fee for the use of additional parking spaces, but ownership of such spaces usually remains with the collective body of apartment owners rather than being transferred to an individual buyer,” Vittal BR, an advocate, said.
The Supreme Court has, through a series of judgments, maintained that open and stilt parking spaces are part of a housing society’s common areas and generally cannot be sold separately by developers unless specifically allowed under applicable laws and project approvals. However, legal experts note that in many Bengaluru apartment projects, developers continue to assign designated parking slots to homebuyers through separate allotment letters, agreements, or internal allocation mechanisms.
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Karnataka RERA’s stance on parking spaces
In a previous ruling, the underscored that developers must provide parking spaces in accordance with Bengaluru’s civic regulations and cannot reduce parking dimensions while continuing to charge buyers for them.
While examining complaints related to parking allocation and charges levied on homebuyers, KRERA noted that “each of the stilt car parking spaces provided for motor vehicles should not be less than 18 square metres (3m x 6m)”, citing Section 16(a) of the BBMP Building Bye-Laws, 2003.
The authority also highlighted that the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, requires apartments to be sold based on carpet area. KRERA observed that the law does not expressly allow developers to separately monetise or earn profits from common areas in a manner that conflicts with approved building plans and statutory requirements.