Unused Space = Money
Surviving the current economic slump is something which I imagine is something fairly close to the heart for many people. Homeowners, Companies are all the same – they need to find ways of saving money.
Homeowners are notoriously savvy when it comes to making extra money to get by in hard times and the good. From personal experience I remember growing up with a plethora of different student types living in our house, the majority where lovely people who just wanted to save money by living cheaply with a family instead of living in Halls.
One idea which over the last few months which seems to be gaining more and more momentum, especially in larger cities is renting out your car parking space during the week, to commuters who are working nearby. On average the monthly rental amount is around £120 with the price steadily rising in cities where there is a serious issue with parking infrastructure.
London is one such example of how the savvy homeowner can ‘net’ in the regions of £600 a month for a good parking space. An amount definately not to be sniffed at, and a great way of paying of your mortgage quickly.
For many who only rent apartments or house’s, its worth checking with your landlord, and then perhaps even slipping some cash his/hers way as typically ‘sub-letting’ breaks the majority of tenancy agreements. Of course a great thing to say to the landlord is that you are doing it for the ‘greater good’ rather then some extra pennies!
A concern that many perhaps will have after reading the above suggestion is “What about parking my own car?”. This is of course a valid concern and if you really need your car then perhaps this scheme isn’t for you. However, living in the highly evolved society that we happen to find ourselves, the options are endless as to alternatives to owning a car and frankly paying over the odds for the privilege.
To respond to that question would be obvious – Use public transport, walk or even car share with a friend. 3 solutions which perhaps now have been rammed down your throats so hard by the great and good media that they almost seem to be the ‘worst idea’s’ possible. One thoroughly overlooked scheme is short term car hire, which actually provides a very good service and a bigger bang for your buck.
A while ago I wrote about a Urban Car Sharing Schemes which essentially work under the same principle. I, myself tend to use public transport, as the colour of my Driving License has for a long time remained the colour green, thus rendering me a ‘provisional’ driver, something which I hope to change soon. For many it seems that public transport is an unnecessary hassle in the mornings and evening and leads to a stressful day.
For anyone looking for some excellent information and indeed a more well rounded article on the idea of either renting a car in the short term or even using your parking space as a means to earn some extra cash, should visit the Independents article from which this one is based.