So you lay claim to an underused parking space, but you aren’t sure if you can rent it out with JustPark for a bit of extra cash?
Save yourself having to scan over lengthy Terms and Conditions and use this handy checklist to help bring you up to speed:
1. Do you require a resident’s permit for your space?
NO
Ace! Eyes on the prize… we’re off to a cracking start, and you are but four questions away from turning empty space into money.
YES (council permit)
Bad luck. Unfortunately the status quo is pretty clear cut here; you can’t legally rent out your parking space if it’s controlled by residents’ permits allocated by your local council.
YES (different kind of permit)
In some rare cases where there are non-council permits involved, such as churches and schools, it may be possible to rent out your space(s). Please make sure you check with the Powers That Be – God, the head teacher, you know the score – before jumping on the JustPark bandwagon.
2. Are you the legal owner of the property?
YES
Obviously this is pretty great to begin with, but it’s also great news in terms of parking possibilities. Proceed.
NO
An obstacle but not a deal-breaker. If you’re not the legal owner, you may nevertheless be able to receive permission from your landlord or property manager, so give him or her a holler. In our experience, landlords will often grant permission, but be prepared for the fact that they may want to take a cut of the income.
3. Do you need a key, fob or code to access your space?
NO
Perfect. This means that you can list your space as “book instantly”, i.e. drivers can rock up at your space and get on with things without you needing to be there.
YES
Another obstacle but not a deal-breaker. You can list your space, but…
- …you’ll need to liaise with the driver before the booking commences in order to take care of the necessaries.
- …take care to give detailed instructions in your listing to make it clear what is required in terms of advance or on-the-day arrangements.
- …if a code is needed, this should be included in the special instructions that a driver receives when they’ve paid for the booking.
- …at the risk of stating the obvious, make sure you’re on hand to perform the access ritual when the driver turns up.
- …adjust your availability in the calendar function or disable space when you spend time away from home.
4. Can you respond to messages every couple of days?
YES
Communication between drivers and space owners is the cornerstone of our community. Sometimes prospects may have a burning question about your space – and really, how else are they going to find out about your garden gnome collection? More likely though, the person will want to know the spot’s dimensions (those Monster Trucks are wicked hard to park).
NO
It’s important that our space owners are able to respond to messages. If you repeatedly give enquirers the silent treatment, we have no choice but to disable your space. Should something crop up life-wise to push you offline, such as a holiday, please make sure you visit your account dashboard to manually disable your space before you jet off.
5. Do you think you might need planning permission?
NO
There’s essentially only one answer here, and that is a big NO. Tarmac-flavoured glory is within striking distance. Government guidance was recently issued instructing councils to relax regulations surrounding private residential parking space rental, so the overwhelming likelihood is that it’s fair game to rent out your parking space, because:
“The Government’s view is that households should be able to rent parking spaces without planning permission, provided there are no substantive planning concerns such as public nuisance to neighbours.”
YES
It’s extremely unlikely that you need planning permission to rent out your parking space. However, should you need clarification around your space's allowances, you can ask one of our experts via help@justpark.com.
Made it past the red lights? Happy days! If you’re a potential JustPark space owner with a spare parking space that’s simply yearning to be rented out, go forth and conquer. It only takes five minutes to list your space for rent with JustPark, and it’s completely free to advertise. We’re revved up and ready to dust off your parking space and get it generating the income you deserve.
