Parking is usually priced separately from rent
Unless your lease or the original listing says parking is included, a landlord can typically charge a separate fee for a parking spot, whether it's an assigned space, a garage spot, or a permit for a lot. This is standard in most rental markets, and there's no general law that requires parking to be free or bundled into rent.
The difference between "optional" and "mandatory" parking
The legal issue isn't whether a landlord can charge for parking — it's whether the charge was part of the real price you were quoted. The FTC has taken action against large rental companies specifically for excluding mandatory fees from the rent they advertised. In 2024, the FTC reached a $48 million settlement with Invitation Homes over, among other things, excluding mandatory monthly fees from its advertised rent. In 2025, the FTC and Colorado reached a similar settlement with Greystar for excluding mandatory fixed fees from advertised rent.
Applied to parking, the distinction that matters is:
- Optional parking — you can choose not to rent a spot and just not have one, or find your own arrangement. This is usually fine to price separately and reveal at any point.
- Mandatory parking — every unit is required to come with a paid spot, or there's genuinely no other way to park at the property. If that cost wasn't part of the advertised rent, it fits the exact pattern regulators have gone after as a hidden mandatory fee.
What the FTC is asking about right now
In March 2026, the FTC opened a preliminary inquiry into rental housing fees generally, and it specifically asked whether a future rule should require "total rent" to include mandatory recurring charges like parking. Nothing has been decided — this is a request for public comment, not a rule — but it shows regulators already see mandatory parking fees as part of the same problem as other hidden rental fees. Check ftc.gov if you want to see whether that's moved forward since this was written.
A concrete example
Say a listing advertises "$1,700/month, one parking spot included." If the actual lease then requires a separate $75 monthly parking charge for that same spot, the advertised price wasn't the real price — that's the pattern regulators have targeted. Compare that to a listing that says "$1,650/month, off-street parking available for $50/month" — there, the fee was disclosed and optional from the start, and paying it or not is genuinely your choice.
What to check in your own case
- Was parking mentioned in the original listing, and at what price, if any?
- Does your lease say parking is required, or optional?
- If you don't own a car, are you still being charged for a spot you can't decline?
- Has the price gone up since you signed, without your agreement?
If parking is effectively mandatory and wasn't in the price you were quoted, save the original listing and any pricing materials — that documentation is exactly what matters if you want to dispute the charge or file a complaint.
Rent control and parking fees
In some cities with rent control, a new or increased mandatory fee, including for parking, can be treated as a disguised rent increase and subject to the same limits as rent itself. Whether that applies where you live depends on your local ordinance; see is rent control available in my city and the rent control by state page to check.
If your parking spot itself is taken away or reassigned
A separate issue from price is access — if your lease guarantees a specific spot and your landlord reassigns or removes it without your agreement, that's a change to what you're paying for, not just what it costs. Put the change in writing and ask whether your rent or parking fee is being adjusted to reflect it; a landlord charging the same fee for a worse or nonexistent spot is a different problem than a fair price for a real one.
Honestkey™ flags fees in your lease, including parking charges, so you can see whether what you're paying matches what your lease and the original listing actually promised.