A residential valet contract puts your residents' cars, keys, and daily experience in someone else's hands. Proposals often look alike on paper, so the difference shows up in the answers to a few specific questions. Here are the ten we'd ask if we were on your board.
1. What insurance do you carry, and will you name the association as additional insured?
At minimum, ask for general liability, garage keepers coverage (which covers damage to vehicles in the valet's care), workers' compensation, and hired and non-owned auto. Request a certificate of insurance that names the association and management company as additional insureds, and confirm the limits with your own insurance agent. Our guide to valet insurance in Florida explains each coverage.
2. Who employs the attendants, and how are they screened?
Ask whether attendants are the company's own employees or subcontracted, whether every attendant is background-checked, and whether driving records are reviewed. You want to know exactly who is driving residents' cars.
3. How are attendants trained?
Parking a car is the easy part. Ask how attendants are trained on greeting residents, handling guests and deliveries, driving in tight garages, and your building's specific rules. A hospitality-trained team feels very different from a parking crew.
4. Will we have a dedicated team?
Residents notice when they're greeted by name. Ask whether your building will have consistent, assigned attendants or a rotating pool, and who covers when someone is out.
5. How are keys secured and tracked?
Every key should be tied to a numbered claim check and stored securely, with a clear record of which attendant handled it and when. Ask to see how a key is logged from drop-off to return.
6. How do residents request their car?
Phone calls to a valet stand don't work from a garage with no signal. Ask whether residents can request their car from their unit, and whether they're notified when it's ready. Digital requests shorten waits and reduce lobby crowding.
7. How is a vehicle's condition documented?
Damage disputes are hard to resolve from memory. Ask whether vehicles are photographed at check-in and again at check-out, and how long those records are kept. A photo record protects residents, the association, and the valet company.
8. What is your damage claim process?
Ask who a resident contacts, how quickly claims are acknowledged, how fault is determined, and whether the company's coverage pays regardless of fault or only when the valet is legally liable.
9. How is coverage scheduled and supervised?
A missed shift means an unstaffed entrance. Ask how shifts are scheduled, how attendance and hours are tracked, and what happens if an attendant doesn't show up.
10. What will you report to the board?
Good vendors make their work visible. Ask what reports you'll receive (vehicle volume, incidents, staffing hours) and how often.
How Intrak answers these questions: Intrak is fully licensed and insured, every attendant is background-checked and trained to hotel hospitality standards, residential buildings get a dedicated team, every vehicle is scanned and photographed at check-in and check-out, keys are tied to numbered claim checks, residents request their car with a QR code, and shifts are scheduled and time-tracked. See our condo and HOA valet service.