What's the worst that could happen if I advertised a parking space that doesn't belong to me?

[ParkMyFace]

I live in an estate with one parking space per apartment. Quite a few of the parking spaces are never used because people don't have cars. I've lived here for years and know which ones they are. Also I am brassic. If I advertised on a parking site that they were available to rent, and collected money, even though they're not mine, what's the worst that would happen? I don't mind paying money back but I don't want to go to jail.

You ar elucky enough to live in housing subsidised by the taxpayer, and you are looking how to get free money by fraudulently renting out a car parking space that does not belong to you? It seems like you have gone to great lengths to research this before doing it. Why don't you get a job instead?

These are not you rspaces or property so no, you cannot do this.

I am the chair of directors for a freehold company for our private block of flats.

We have a car park - half the spaces are private and owned by flats in their leases, the other half are for the general use of all residents and their visitors and allocated on a first come first served basis.

We only allow residents and their visitors to use the car park for safety reasons and as we have had issues in the past with parked cars blocking access for essential works or the bin lorry.

We allow residents who own their parking space to sub let their space to other redients but not commercially to non residents. If we found out they or another leaseholder was doing this we would issue a breach of lease notice.

We had one tenant who was clearly using the commually available parking spaces to store unroadworthy cars in various states of disrepair (we assumed he was doing them up and selling them) - we reported it to his landlord (the leaseholder) and threatend them with a lease breach notice. The tenant as evicted.

Clamping is illegal now

Too late. There are already services like that. Called Just Park

I think you have hit upon a good idea but approaching it incorrectly. Spend the time knocking on doors and ask people to split the profits. You do the leg work and get 50% of the profits. They provide the parking space and get the other 50%. Once its working you could expand and suddenly your business model increases exponentially.

No one is going to pay a 50% management fee!

Thing is - if I wanted to rent out my parking space on somethign like Just Park - why would I pay my neighbour to do it?

The only way the OP's model works is by doing it without the owner of the parking space knowing so she can pocket all the rental money.

You will put your tenancy at risk and then you'll be broke and homeless close to Christmas. The hospitality sector is severly short-staffed so you could pick up a second job. Or you could apply for a better paid job, there's more things you can do then stealing & defrauding someone.

For doing nothing? I would. This isnt about people who are switched on to it the fact there are apps etc for it. This is about the thousands of people who would look at any money for using land they couldnt give a toss about as a bonus. 50/50 seems fair to me

@ParkMyFace i applaud you, you sound like you’ve done your homework, I’d go for it. I reckon worst case someone will put a note on the car and then the renter will alert you and stop using that space/ offer to manage it for the owner. I don’t see how you’d jeopardise your tenancy, how would the person who owns space find out who had arranged this? I used to live in a prestigious apartment complex in central London which had underground parking I was surprised by both the number of empty (owned) spaces and cars parked gathering dust.

Life would get an awful lot tougher if you were convicted of a fraud- related offence. You might like your job, and it would make it much harder to get another job as you’d have a conviction which says you can’t be trusted.

You might be evicted for beaching the terms of your HA agreement.

People are fiercely protective of parking spaces - the owners might not be using them, but doubt they’ll just ignore someone making money out of “borrowing” them either!

Then you’d be a complete mug. I just spent a few seconds on Google and JustPark only charges 3%! But no, people are going to give their neighbour half the rent for sticking an ad on Gumtree…

I don’t see how you’d jeopardise your tenancy, how would the person who owns space find out who had arranged this?

Owner of space spots someone parking in it and asks them what they think they’re doing. Parker says they’ve rented the space. Owner asks who from. Parker tells them.

It’s worrying that you need this explained.

It would be through a site, the op isn’t going to be named. Yes I’m sure they could track it down, but op probably going to be alerted first, they could then stop using 🙄

Mate, I love your brass neck. Go for it but think this is a wind up post.

Relatively confident she was planning on committing tax and benefit fraud too.

Fraud Act 2006 offences too

How about asking owners of the unused spaces if they'd like to rent them out? You could do the managing and take a a percentage. That way they would be giving you permission to rent out the space which seems OK. You can do it under their name but with a phone number which you use exclusively for this space business.

Perhaps via one of those noticeboards they have in big supermarkets? You want to keep your name out of it.

OP is going to find a way to do this completely anonymously, is she? And when the site starts getting complaints that the space they’ve rented in good faith actually belongs to someone else who is threatening to have their car towed, they’re going to “warn” OP so that she can just stop, no harm done? They’re not going to worry about the reputation of their business?

And what about the owner of the space? They’re going to just give up on finding out who’s conning them, are they? OP is planning to do this with several spaces. All it takes is two neighbours having a conversation for someone to spot a pattern.

Little eye-rolling faces are all very well, but you’re the one who’s failed to spot the very simple ways in which OP could get caught.

Pwople get really really funny about parking spaces and can take matters in to their own hands. You may find one of your "customers" comes back to their tyres let down or their car plastered in abusive notices.

All these posters saying “oh you’re so clever, that’s a great idea…you’ve really done your homework…” – what bullshitt!! Let’s call it what it is – pure and simple stealing!

The spaces are not owned by OP and she does not have permission to rent them out. Her “homework” has consisted of staking out the spaces to know which ones are used & which are empty – akin to Ocean’s 11 staking out the Las Vegas casino. So yes, it may be well done but it’s still stealing. Oh look, there’s a telly someone isn’t using – I am going to take it and sell it. There’s a lovely patch of grass, nobody is camping there so I am going to rent it out as a campsite (despite the fact it is someone’s garden).

The OP doesn’t care what’s morally, or legally, right – she just wants to take what belongs to others and make money from it. So be very clear OP, it is stealing and if you go ahead with it you will be a thief. But you don't care....

But the space is not yours to rent out! I cant believe people are calling this enterprising, its nothing but fraud. I understand you are struggling- like a lot of us, its really hard- but this is not a good idea and its fucking cheeky sorry! Im not sure about jail- possibly? though fraud is taken really seriously and you'd no doubt be in a lot of trouble either way. Not worth it.

Surely getting a few evening shifts in a nearby pub would be easier than this? If you plan to keep your day job would you really have time to run a complex parking scam?

If cars suddenly started appearing in my space I would be leaving them messages, possibly in lipstick on the windscreen. If I then found that a neighbour was making money from my space I would contact the freeholder / management company, and take legal action as appropriate.