Parking expenses top the list of concerns for community homeowners according to the results of a three-week online inquiry posted on the local government's website on Monday.

The survey was conducted in light of a new draft regulation on property management administration.

Comments on the draft specifically targeted the current parking fee system and price standards.

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A resident with the online name Wang Xuejun commented that management companies should set parking fees following negotiations with residents. Management companies currently make this decision alone.

Zhang Zhuo, a 28-year-old resident in Chaoyang district, said she normally pays 2 yuan per sq m for the management of her apartment every month, but she is asked to pay another 38 yuan per sq m for her underground parking space.

"It's too expensive. Some of the residents park their cars in community public areas to avoid paying the parking fee. It messes the whole community's environment and increases the risk for children playing outside," said Zhang.

Zhang Daxian, director of the property owner and management office of the China Association of Social Workers, told METRO the parking fee usually includes a management fee and a space rental fee.

Zhang added the management fee usually accounts for 25 percent of the total parking fee, according to his investigations of more than 100 economically diverse communities in Beijing.

"We found that the average underground parking fee might be 400 yuan per month, and this provides a significant profit," said Zhang.

Zheng Hua, a professor of economics at Renmin University of China, said it costs 70,000 to 80,000 yuan to develop an underground parking space with 20 sq m.

Developers can recover this cost within roughly 10 years if they charge 400 yuan for a single space each month.