One thing that surprises new property managers: guests don't have a ParkingPass account or portal. There's no login, no dashboard, no app for the guest to install. The whole guest experience is contained in two places: the resident's portal (where the registration happens) and whatever notification the guest receives afterward.
This article walks through the guest pass lifecycle from the resident-side flow that creates it through what the guest themselves experiences.
The Big Picture: No Guest Portal
Unlike residents, guests:
Don't have ParkingPass accounts.
Don't log in anywhere.
Don't manage their own passes.
Don't see violations, permit status, or any of the resident-side screens.
Everything related to a guest's parking is owned and managed by the resident who hosted them. If a guest has a question, the resident is the answer — not the platform.
This is by design. Guests are typically short-term, and asking visitors to create accounts would slow down what should be a five-minute task.
The Three Ways a Guest Gets Registered
All three live under Guest/Rental Vehicles in the resident's sidebar:
1. Register Guest/Rental
The resident enters the guest's vehicle information directly. Used when:
The visitor is already on-site or arriving soon, and the resident has the vehicle details.
The resident is registering their own rental car or loaner (in which case the "guest" is the resident themselves — see Permit Types Explained).
The visitor isn't tech-savvy and the resident wants to handle it for them.
2. Invite My Guest
The resident sends an invitation to the guest, who fills in their own vehicle details through a lightweight registration page. Used when:
The resident knows a guest is coming but doesn't have the vehicle info yet.
The guest prefers to register their own information.
The guest's vehicle details are easier for them to provide than for the resident to relay.
The invitation contains a one-time registration link. The guest doesn't get a login from this — they fill in their info and they're done.
3. My Friends & Family
For recurring visitors, the resident can save a guest to their Friends & Family list once, then register them with one click on future visits. Used when:
The same visitor comes regularly (a parent visiting weekly, a sibling who stays over, a frequent partner).
The resident doesn't want to re-enter the same vehicle every time.
What the Resident Sees During Registration
Each of the three registration paths captures a similar set of information:
Guest name.
Guest email and phone (for the notification).
Vehicle information: license plate, year, make, model, color.
Pass duration, within the property's configured limits (e.g., a Daily pass type allows X days; a Weekly pass type allows up to a week; etc.).
The host resident's identity — automatically attached, since the resident is the one logged in.
After the resident submits, the pass is active immediately and the guest receives a notification.
Expiration Notifications (to the Resident)
Unlike DNT entries, which expire silently, guest passes generate a series of notifications. These go to the resident host, not the guest — the resident is the one with the authority to act, so they're the one who gets the heads-up.
What the resident receives
Three expiration reminders as the pass approaches its end date. Each reminder is sent by both email and SMS.
A final expiration notice when the pass has actually expired, also by email and SMS.
The reminders give the resident time to either:
Extend the pass if the property's policy allows and the guest is staying longer.
Issue a new pass for the same vehicle when the current one runs out.
Let the pass expire if the guest is leaving on schedule and no further action is needed.
Guest pass reminders are one of five categories of automated notifications the system sends. For the full reference of what's automated and what isn't, see Automated Notifications: What the System Sends on Your Behalf.
What happens when the pass expires
The pass becomes Expired in the system.
The guest's vehicle is no longer authorized to park at the property.
If the vehicle is still on-site, it's subject to enforcement under the standard parking policy.
The resident receives the final expiration email and SMS.
How the Resident Manages Active Passes
Under Guest/Rental Vehicles → My Guest Passes, the resident can:
See all currently active passes.
See the vehicle, and the pass expiration.
End a pass early if a guest leaves sooner than expected.
Extend a pass if the property's policy allows it.
If a resident calls saying "I can't find my guest's pass," confirm whether the resident who hosted them is the one logged in. Guest passes belong to the host, not the guest.
Common Scenarios
"My guest was towed/received a citation — they had a pass."
Open the resident's profile and verify the pass was active at the time the violation was issued. If it was, this is likely a wrongful citation — follow the dispute workflow. If the pass had already expired (or was issued for a different plate), the citation is correct. See Citation Disputes.
"I keep getting emails and texts about my guest's pass."
That's the three-reminder series before expiration plus the final expiration notice — by design, so the resident can extend or renew if needed. If the guest is leaving on schedule, no action is required and the notifications stop after the pass expires.
"I didn't get the reminders my guest's pass was expiring."
Check the resident's Email Log and SMS Log from the Quick Actions menu on their profile. Confirm both that the reminders were sent and that the resident's contact information is current. If their email is bouncing or their phone number is wrong, that's a fix to make in their profile. See Activity History and Logs.
"My guest never got the email."
The guest's confirmation email is logged the same way. Check the resident's Email Log — guest-pass emails sent on the resident's behalf appear there. If it was delivered but the guest didn't see it, suggest they check spam.
"I need to extend my parent's visit by another week."
If the property's policy allows extensions, the resident can extend from My Guest Passes. If not, the resident issues a new pass when the current one expires. If guest stays consistently exceed the property's allowed pass length, that's a policy conversation rather than a per-pass workaround.
"My guest's plate is different now (rental car switch)."
End the original pass and create a new one for the new plate. Passes are tied to a specific license plate; changing the plate mid-pass isn't generally supported.
"My friend visits every weekend — do I have to register them every time?"
Add them to My Friends & Family. Future passes for the same vehicle become a one-click action.
"My guest can't figure out how to register from the invitation."
The registration page is intentionally lightweight, but technical issues happen. Try sending a new invitation, or have the resident use Register Guest/Rental directly with the vehicle info the guest provides.
"I want to give my guest the parking policy in writing."
The resident can download the Parking Policy as a PDF from their portal (the Parking Policy button on My Account / Vehicles, or the View Parking Policy sidebar item) and forward it to their guest.
Things That Sometimes Surprise PMs
Guests don't have accounts, so there's no "guest history" page
If you want to see how often a specific person has been a guest at the property, look at the host resident's User History and Email Log — the guest activity is logged against the host, not the guest.
Expiration reminders go to the resident, not the guest
The system sends three reminders plus a final expiration notice — all to the resident host. Guests don't receive expiration notifications because they don't have an ongoing relationship with the platform.
Repeat guests still need to be registered each visit
Unless the resident has saved them to My Friends & Family, every visit is a separate registration. There's no implicit "this guest came before, just let them in" logic.
Guests can't dispute violations on their own
Because guests don't have accounts, any dispute about a violation issued during their visit goes through the host resident. The resident is the one with platform access to file or argue the dispute.
The host's identity is always part of the record
Every guest pass is tied to a specific resident host. If a guest pass appears with no host, that's an unusual state worth investigating with ParkingPass Support.
SMS reminder delivery depends on the resident's contact info
Reminders are sent by both email and SMS. If a resident has an outdated phone number on file, they may receive only the email half of each reminder. Encourage residents to keep their profile current.
If You Need to Help a Guest Directly
Since guests can't log in, the things they typically need help with all route through the host resident:
"My pass isn't working." — Resident opens My Guest Passes, confirms the pass and plate.
"I need to update my plate." — Resident ends the old pass and creates a new one.
"I got a ticket." — Resident files the dispute on the guest's behalf.
"I never got a confirmation." — Check the Email/SMS Log on the host's profile; resend if needed.
In practice, this means most "guest" support conversations are conversations with the resident. Treat the host as the customer; the guest is downstream of them.
Important Notes
Guests are not platform users. There's no guest portal, no guest login, no separate guest knowledge base.
The host resident is the system of record for everything related to their guest pass. If a guest needs help, route through the host.
Guest pass expiration is well-noticed. Residents get three reminders (email + SMS) before a pass expires, plus a final expiration notice. This is by design so the resident can renew or extend if needed.
Guest passes are time-limited and tied to a specific plate. Changes mid-pass generally require a new pass.
Guest pass policy (number allowed, duration, paid vs. free) is configured at the property level. See Guest Parking Settings.
Patrol vendors see guest passes the same way they see resident permits — the vehicle is authorized for the pass period. Outside the period, the vehicle is treated like any other unauthorized vehicle.