For some Crystal Palace fans, Pat Dunne’s parking spaces are almost as beloved as Selhurst Park. Just a 15-minute stroll from the football club’s stadium, it’s prime estate for frugal Eagles. “It’s close to the ground but not too close to the ground, so you can easily get out after the match,” says the 64-year-old university estates manager, who has been renting out his driveway for the last 12 years. He’s even had match referees and international pundits drop-off their whips in his driveway. And – sacrilege, since he’s actually an Arsenal fan – Spurs supporters. To which he says he jokes: “Get off my land!”
Pat is one of an increasing number of Britons renting out their driveways using platforms like JustPark, Stashbee and YourParkingSpace, allowing people to rent out their spare parking space by the hour, in exchange for the app taking a small cut. “We’ve seen strong growth in homeowners renting out their private off-street parking spaces. There are now more than 45,000 spaces listed on JustPark, and that number continues to rise,” says Steve Burt, senior director of global customer experience at JustPark. The UK garage revival is on.
According to Finder, a hefty 46 per cent of UK adults have a side hustle – and this is another pay packet bolt-on. “A big driver is the cost of living, people are looking for smart, flexible ways to earn additional income, and a parking space is an asset many under use,” Burt explains. Curtilage – a silly word for all the land around your gaff – is now a potential goldmine. Pat says he makes around £500 a year, charging £8-£10, no matter what’s on and landing a couple of bookings a week. Many others are raking in several thousand quid from their front gardens, charging premium prices for matchdays and, in one case, £400 a day for a burger van.
But it’s also a two-way-street; thrifty folk are benefiting from the cheaper parking spaces. With public transport in London the costliest in the world and multi-storey car parks the same old story, high prices are driving demand. With no public parking at Selhurst Park (ironic) and charges introduced at Crystal Palace Park for the first time last year, Pat’s place has become prime real estate – a cheaper option without the need for ticket machine queues or gambling on a space on the big day. There’s also an electric charging point, Pat’s toilet, if you need to spend a penny, and it’s a carriage driveway to boot, making parking way easier than squeezing into a tiny space.
But it’s not just about saving a few quid or a parking-induced panic; the need for more spaces is partially fuelled by the resurgence of live events since lockdown. According to the most recent data, UK consumer spending on live music events reached a record-breaking £6.68bn (driven by Swifties). “Live events are back at full scale. If you live near a stadium, concert venue or major sporting ground, demand can be huge on event days,” says Burt.
Before you go dialling 101, it’s probably not illegal; you’re leasing your front garden, not operating a gangland front, remember. If you own the property and don’t require a permit for your space, you’re good to go. There have been some cases of particularly jobsworth councillors claiming that you need to get approval, but the government is clear. “It should be possible to rent parking spaces without planning permission,” it states, as long as there is no “material change” to the use of the space or any special “planning conditions” in place. Neighbours are more likely to take to Nextdoor to rant about their space being taken, than the one across the road being hired out. So don’t worry too much about nosey parkers.
And even if you rent the property, your landlord may let you become a drivewaylord (for a cut of the dosh, of course). Sadly, if you are both renting a property and you require a council-controlled resident’s permit for your space, then you are indeed blocked from renting out your parking spot.
Of course, that might not even be an issue, as not every driveway is going to make you a fortune anyway. If you’re slap bang in the middle of nowhere or right next to a cheap car park, going to the effort of renting your driveway is probably a no-go. But if you’re lucky enough to live in a chock-a-block city, it can be pretty lucrative. The busier, the better. “Location absolutely matters. Spaces near railway stations and airports or anywhere with decent footfall – be that city centres, sporting venues or tourist hotspots tend to perform particularly well,” Burt says, noting that Liverpool, Brighton and Cardiff are proving to be particularly profitable right now.
It’s not, though, just a savvy side hustle. For some renters, it’s a form of civic duty. “We find people renting out driveways often get more than just cash benefits, it becomes a genuinely positive interaction, because you are essentially doing someone a favour letting them use your space,” Burt says.“ We’ve heard countless stories of space owners giving drivers lifts to football matches, concerts and even last-minute airport dashes, helping with flat batteries, or even welcoming fans with music on concert days, including one homeowner near Wembley who played his keyboard outside for arriving gig-goers!”
While Pat hasn’t headlined his driveway just yet, this community element chimes with his personal experience. “I think it’s a nice thing to do,” he says. “The money isn’t going to change my life. But the majority of the people who park ring the doorbell and say hello. They tell you they’re off to the game and where they have travelled from.” There’s something satisfying about not lining the pockets of the corporate suits that own extortionate car parks, or risking the indiscriminate wrath of the tireless traffic warden.
For the renters, there are definitely risks to take into account. Pat has experienced a Park-and-Dash situation, with two families using his spaces then cancelling it immediately after. Another time, a renter (a Spurs fan, no less!) couldn’t find his driveway based on Google Maps and asked for a refund. “If he wants to use an app, and you know, the app told him to drive into the sea…” Pat says, the incident still living in his head rent-free. For the most part, though, it’s proved a pretty easy ride.
And he’s never had any curtain-twitching neighbours complain about the influx of cars parking up for a few hours at a time. Which is a wise decision, indeed – at the rate that driveway renting is going, they may be doing the same thing too, very soon. “Give it a go. What have you got to lose?” encourages Pat. Maybe, in your front garden at least, there really is a magic money tree.