Rent out your driveway: could your empty space make you £1,000 a year?
- 1 day ago
- 13 min read
If you have a driveway or parking space sitting empty for part of the week, you may be able to make money from it without taking on another job. I used JustPark myself when I had a spare driveway available, and on a typical weekday I was earning around £2.80 from a space that would otherwise have been empty. My circumstances have since changed, and I no longer have that spare space, but it gave me a useful first-hand test of whether renting out your driveway can genuinely work as a side hustle.
My location helped because I was around a 5-minute walk from a football stadium. JustPark allows prices to respond to local demand, and I found that my price increased when a big match was taking place nearby. That meant the same piece of driveway could be worth more on some days than others without me having to negotiate separately with each driver.
There is no guarantee that your driveway will earn the same amount as mine, or that it will receive regular bookings at all. The value depends heavily on where the space is, when it is available and how much demand there is for parking nearby. The useful part is that you can check the likely value before deciding whether renting out your driveway is worth pursuing.
How much can you earn renting out your driveway?
There is no standard rate for renting out your driveway because every location has a different level of demand. JustPark bases its earnings estimates on factors including location, nearby spaces and local demand, while owners can choose their own rates or use the platform's automatic pricing system. A space close to somewhere people regularly need parking has a better chance of attracting bookings than one where free parking is readily available.
My own typical weekday rate was around £2.80. It doesn't look like a large amount in isolation, but repeated bookings can make relatively small daily payments add up over a year. The figures below show the maths if a space were booked consistently, rather than predicting what any particular driveway will earn. I actually had a regular 'customer' who came to a local learning centre a couple of times a week, and they'd book our driveway every month, once they knew their schedule, and it saved her money over the local parking charges and meant we had our driveway being used regularly, so it was a win-win for everyone.
Average daily earnings | Booked 5 days a week | Booked every day |
£2.80 | £728 a year | £1,022 a year |
£5 | £1,300 a year | £1,825 a year |
£10 | £2,600 a year | £3,650 a year |
Those figures are before JustPark's current 3% owner fee and assume the space receives a booking on every day shown. Real occupancy could be much lower, while event days or particularly strong locations could command higher prices. I would use the table to understand the potential rather than treat it as an earnings forecast.
What made my driveway suitable for JustPark?
My main advantage was location. I lived around a 5-minute walk from a football stadium, so there was a clear reason for drivers to look for parking near my home, particularly when a match increased the number of people arriving in the area. My listing could therefore benefit from both regular demand and occasional busier periods.
That doesn't mean you need to live next to a football ground. Stations, town centres, hospitals, workplaces, universities, airports and other destinations can all create reasons for drivers to look for parking, although the amount of demand will differ from one street to another. JustPark's own quote tool uses your postcode to estimate what a space might earn, which is a better starting point than assuming a national average applies to you.
My experience also showed why it is worth looking beyond the standard weekday rate. A space that appears to offer only a few pounds on an ordinary day may have periods when local demand is much stronger. If you live close to an event venue, checking what happens to local parking prices during concerts, matches or other large events could give you a more realistic idea of the space's earning potential.
How does JustPark work if you rent out your driveway?
JustPark connects people who have private parking available with drivers looking for somewhere to leave their vehicle. You create a listing for the space, set when it can be used, add access information and decide how it should be priced; then drivers can find and book it through JustPark. The platform processes the booking and payment, so you don't need to arrange cash payments with each driver.
You don't have to make the driveway available all the time. JustPark lets owners set regular days and times, block individual dates and decide whether to accept longer rolling bookings. That means you can rent out your driveway while you are at work, for selected weekends or during periods when you know you won't need it yourself.
This control was one of the parts I liked when I used it. The space could generate some money when I wasn't using it without permanently giving up access to my own driveway. You do need to keep the availability calendar accurate, because JustPark says owners are responsible for making sure a booked space is actually available when a driver arrives.
How do you sign up as a JustPark host?
You can create a space listing through the JustPark website or app. The process asks for the address, the position of the entrance, the type and number of spaces, how drivers get access and details of useful places nearby. You can also add photographs and information to help a driver understand exactly where they need to park.
The basic process is:
Create or sign into a JustPark account.
Choose the option to rent out your space.
Add the address and mark the entrance.
Describe the parking space and how drivers access it.
Add its availability, photographs and price.
Supply the bank and verification information needed for payments.
JustPark reviews listings before they go live, after which you can manage your prices and bookings from your account. The platform may also ask hosts for identity and tax information because digital marketplaces have reporting obligations to HMRC.
Government guidance confirms that online platforms can be required to collect seller details and report relevant rental income, but being reported by a platform does not automatically mean that you owe tax.
How much does JustPark charge driveway owners?
It is currently free to create and advertise a private parking listing on JustPark. JustPark's published fee for short-term space-owner bookings was 3%, which it deducts from the price set by the owner. A £10 owner rate would therefore produce £9.70 after that 3% booking fee.
That fee needs to be included when you judge whether a price is worthwhile. If you are comparing your listing with another parking option nearby, remember that the price a driver sees can also include fees charged to the driver, so their final cost isn't necessarily identical to the amount you receive. JustPark provides the owner-side transaction breakdown within the account.
I would check the current fee before creating or updating a listing because platforms can change their charges. A few percentage points may not make much difference to an occasional £5 booking, but the cost becomes more noticeable as the number and value of bookings increase. Comparing your gross booking income with what actually reaches you gives a more useful picture of whether the side hustle is paying enough.
Can you choose how much to charge for your driveway?
Yes! JustPark lets space owners set their own hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rates, or use its automatic pricing system. The automated option considers factors such as demand, nearby prices, availability of other spaces and seasonal changes.
My football-stadium experience is a good example of why variable demand matters. When there was a big match, the price of my listing could increase to reflect the extra demand in the area, rather than remaining at the normal weekday level. That allowed a space I already owned to earn more during periods when nearby parking became harder to find.
You can still choose manual pricing if you prefer more control. I would compare similar spaces around your location before settling on a rate, because setting the price too high may reduce bookings while going too low could mean earning less than the space is worth. Check the actual amount you receive after fees as well as the headline price shown to drivers.
How do you get paid by JustPark?
Money from shorter hourly, daily and weekly bookings currently becomes available to withdraw 48 hours after the booking starts. You can request payments manually or use automatic payouts, and JustPark says an approved withdrawal can take up to 10 business days to reach your bank. Monthly bookings work on a different payment schedule.
You can see pending and available earnings through your JustPark account rather than keeping a separate record of every driver's payment yourself. I would still maintain your own records of the income you receive because you may need them for tax purposes, particularly if you use more than one platform or have other property income. HMRC says records such as platform statements and bank transactions can form part of the evidence you keep.
Your JustPark account and receiving bank account also need to match the verified account holder. JustPark says this is part of its financial and tax-verification process, so listing somebody else's space through your own account can cause problems if the ownership and payment details don't match.
Do you pay tax on money from renting out your driveway?
Driveway rental income can fall within HMRC's property allowance, which provides up to £1,000 of tax-free qualifying property income during a tax year. This is a property allowance, not the separate £1,000 trading allowance used for qualifying self-employment and other trading income. If you have both qualifying property and trading income, HMRC says the 2 allowances are separate.
The £1,000 isn't a special JustPark allowance. It applies across your relevant property income, so somebody already receiving other qualifying property income needs to consider that income as well when working out whether they remain within the allowance. HMRC refers to gross property income when deciding whether the £1,000 threshold has been exceeded.
If your gross property income goes over £1,000, don't assume that every pound becomes taxable or that the answer is simply to deduct £1,000. HMRC has different reporting routes depending on the amount and your circumstances, and people with higher income may be able to choose between the property allowance and deducting eligible expenses. Check the current HMRC property allowance guidance rather than relying on a parking platform to decide your tax position.
Does JustPark report your driveway earnings to HMRC?
Digital platforms can be required to collect information about people earning money through them and report seller information to HMRC. The rules cover rental of immovable property, and HMRC's property guidance specifically recognises parking spaces within that reporting category. JustPark now asks affected hosts for tax and identity information as part of this process.
That doesn't create a new tax or remove the property allowance. HMRC explicitly says that information being reported by a digital platform does not automatically mean the seller owes tax, because the normal tax rules still determine whether anything is due. The important part is keeping accurate records and checking your total qualifying property income against the current rules.
This distinction matters because searches about JustPark and tax are already bringing impressions to this article. The useful question isn't whether HMRC can see the income, but whether your own income creates a reporting or tax obligation. Use the HMRC guidance for that calculation rather than assuming that staying under a platform payout figure guarantees the answer.
Do you need planning permission to rent out your driveway?
In most ordinary cases, government planning guidance says it should be possible to rent out a parking space without planning permission. The main tests are whether renting it out creates a material change in how the property is used and whether there are other planning restrictions affecting the space. A local authority could become involved where the use creates a notable nuisance or other substantive planning concern.
Renting one existing parking space is very different from turning a garden or other land into a commercial car park. The government's guidance specifically distinguishes normal parking-space rental from uses that substantially change the character or intensity of the property. If you are planning something larger than occasionally allowing a driver to use an existing private space, check with your local planning authority first.
I would also check any restrictions attached to your property before listing. Mortgage conditions, title restrictions, lease terms and insurance policies can create separate issues even where planning permission isn't required. Planning permission is only one part of deciding whether you have the right to rent the space.
Can you rent out your driveway if you rent your home?
You may be able to rent out a driveway attached to a rented or leasehold home, but you shouldn't assume that you have the right to do it. JustPark currently advises tenants and leaseholders to get permission from the relevant landlord, freeholder or management company before listing the space.
That is particularly important where your tenancy or lease gives you permission to park but doesn't give you the right to licence the space to somebody else. Some housing agreements specifically restrict renting out designated parking spaces, so the fact that you can personally park there doesn't automatically mean you can sell that access to another driver.
I rent my home, and my landlord had no issue with me renting out the driveway, so long as they didn't cause any damage or nuisance. If they did, that was my job to fix, which was fine by me, but I never had a problem!
Get permission in writing where you need it rather than relying on an informal assumption. It protects you if a neighbour, landlord or management company later questions why unrelated vehicles are regularly using the property. I would do that before spending time setting up the listing.
What happens if a JustPark driver damages your property?
JustPark's current help guidance says that damage to your property falls outside JustPark's liability. It says damage caused by a driver's vehicle may be covered by that driver's motor insurance, while your own home insurance may also provide cover depending on the policy. JustPark can help you contact the driver if needed.
This is an important correction to the older version of this article, which said JustPark had a guarantee covering damage caused by drivers. Its current published help information doesn't support that statement, so I wouldn't list a driveway without first checking how your home insurer treats paid parking on the property.
Ask the insurer whether allowing paying drivers onto the driveway changes your existing cover and what would happen if a vehicle damaged a wall, gate, surface or another part of the property. Keep bookings and communication inside the JustPark system as well, because having a clear record of who booked the space may be useful if something goes wrong.
Do you need to be at home when someone parks?
No. JustPark says a space owner doesn't normally need to be present when the driver arrives, because the booking can provide the address and access instructions they need. I never had to be home for the bookings made for my driveway. I had made sure that every possible bit of detail about the space was in the information sent to the space renter, so any potential issues were already well documented and the way around it mentioned; worked a treat! You can still communicate with a driver through the platform or using the contact information attached to a booking if a problem arises.
That was a significant part of the appeal for me because this wasn't another side hustle that required me to spend an hour working every time I wanted to earn a few pounds. Once the listing and availability were set correctly, the driveway could accept bookings while I got on with everything else. My role was mainly to make sure the space remained available when somebody had paid to use it.
There can still be some administration. You need to update availability when your circumstances change, deal with an occasional question and keep an eye on payments and records. I would describe it as a low-maintenance income source rather than money requiring no involvement whatsoever.
How can you get more bookings for your driveway?
Start by making the listing easy for a driver to understand. JustPark asks owners to add details about the type of space, access and nearby destinations, while photographs and an accurate map position make it clearer what somebody is booking. The platform also lets you choose the sizes of vehicles your space can accommodate.
Availability matters! A commuter location may perform best during weekdays, while a stadium or entertainment venue can create more demand during evenings and event days. My own experience near a football stadium showed that being available during those busier periods could change what the space was worth.
I would monitor the first few weeks rather than repeatedly changing the listing after every quiet day. Compare nearby parking prices, make sure your access instructions are clear and look at whether the days you have made available match when people are actually likely to need parking in your area. A driveway that attracts no demand at one price or timetable may need adjusting rather than abandoning immediately.
Is renting out your driveway with JustPark worth it?
It was worth doing for me while I had a spare space available. Around £2.80 on an ordinary weekday wasn't a huge amount, but it was money generated by an asset that would otherwise have been unused, and my proximity to a football stadium created opportunities to earn more when local demand increased. I stopped only because my circumstances changed and I no longer had the unused parking space available.
I wouldn't describe it as a guaranteed £1,000-a-year side hustle. Someone in an area with little parking demand may receive few bookings, while a well-positioned driveway near a station, hospital, city centre or venue could be more valuable. The 3% owner fee, property rules, insurance and tax position also need to be considered before treating the advertised booking price as profit.
If you already have an unused space, checking its potential value costs nothing. Run the postcode through JustPark's driveway earnings checker, compare the result with parking around you and decide whether the likely return justifies making your driveway available. My own experience showed me that even a fairly modest weekday rate can become useful extra income when the space receives regular bookings.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I make renting out my driveway?
There is no fixed amount because your earnings depend on location, demand, availability and the price of nearby parking. I earned around £2.80 on a typical weekday from my own space, while event days could increase the price because I lived close to a football stadium.
How much does JustPark charge driveway owners?
It is free to create a JustPark listing. When checked, JustPark charged space owners a 3% fee on short-term bookings, so a £10 booking would leave the owner with £9.70.
Do I pay tax if I rent out my driveway?
Driveway rental income can fall within HMRC's £1,000 property allowance. The allowance applies to your qualifying property income as a whole, so check the HMRC rules if you have other property income or your gross property income exceeds £1,000.
Do I need planning permission to rent out my driveway?
Usually not. Government planning guidance says renting out a parking space should generally be possible without planning permission where it does not create a material change of use, nuisance or conflict with another planning restriction.
Can I rent out my driveway if I rent my home?
You may be able to, but you should get permission before listing a space you do not own. JustPark advises renters and leaseholders to check with their landlord, freeholder or management company.
What happens if a JustPark driver damages my property?
JustPark currently says property damage falls outside its liability. It advises contacting the driver because their motor insurance may cover the damage, and checking whether your own home insurance provides cover.
Do I need to be at home when someone uses my JustPark space?
No. Drivers receive the information needed to find and use the space through their booking, so you do not normally need to be there when they arrive.
