Renting your parking space: the complete guide (owners and renters)

Renting a parking space between private individuals: how does it work?

The principle is simple: a person who has an unused space (garage, box, driveway, courtyard, corner of a garden) makes it available to someone who needs it, for an agreed period and at a price set by the owner. It applies to cars as well as motorbikes, bicycles or larger vehicles such as motorhomes and vans.

There are different ways to go about it. The table below compares them honestly: none is the best for everyone.

How much can you earn by renting out your space?

The income from a rented parking space depends on a few factors you can anticipate:

• The location: city centre, station, beach, stadium, convention centre, tourist area or business district attract more demand than a quiet neighbourhood.
• The season and events: school holidays, festivals, matches, trade fairs and year-end markets push up the demand for parking.
• The type of space: a closed garage or covered space generally rents better than an open-air one.
• The size: a space that accepts a motorhome, a van or a lorry interests renters who are poorly served elsewhere.
• The equipment: charging point, power socket, lighting, camera, water point for motorhomes.
• Ease of access and availability: the easier the space is to reach and the more often it is free, the more bookings it receives.

Suggested prices by city

When you create a listing on ParkForCar, a daily price is suggested according to the city. It is an indicative estimate made by the team from manual research, not real-time data. You remain free to set your own price.

Calculate your income

Choose a city, adjust the price and the number of days booked per month: the calculator estimates your gross income and what is left after ParkForCar's commission. The calculations run in your browser and nothing is saved.

How to set the right price

1. Find the daily rate of the nearest public car park: it is your natural point of comparison. A private space that is a little cheaper, or better located, rents more easily.
2. Start from the suggested price for your city, then adjust: higher for a closed garage, a charging point or a very central spot, lower for an open-air space a bit off the centre.
3. Offer several durations: an hourly rate for day visitors, a daily rate, and if it suits you a weekly or monthly rate for long stays, with a better price per day.
4. If you welcome large vehicles, set a size surcharge above certain dimensions: it is shown on the listing before booking.
5. Watch your bookings for a few weeks, then adjust. Little demand: lower the price or improve the listing. A space that is always full: you can raise the price.

Creating a listing that makes people want to book

A clear listing reassures and reduces questions. These are the elements that matter most.

• A precise title: "Closed garage 5 minutes from the station, height 2 m" is better than "Parking space".
• Good photos: the first shows the space itself, well lit and clear. The following ones help to find it on site: a landmark from the street, the gate, the key box.
• The real dimensions, especially the height available under the gate or the ceiling. Without it, renters of tall vehicles do not dare to book.
• The accepted vehicles: car, motorhome, caravan, lorry, motorbike, bicycle.
• Access: manual or motorised gate, keypad, key box, how easy it is to manoeuvre. The access code is only given after the booking.
• Protection and equipment: cover, camera, alarm, lighting, charging point, power socket, water point.
• Up-to-date availability: hours, blocked periods, holidays.

Taxes and VAT: what you need to know (France)

Income from renting a parking space must be declared, even if it is occasional. Here is the general framework.

• Category: according to the tax authorities, income from renting garages, sheds and parking spaces falls under property income ("revenus fonciers") when the owner provides no service (washing, fuel distribution or a repair workshop, for example). If services are attached, it falls under industrial and commercial profits.
• Scheme: the "micro-foncier" scheme (a flat-rate allowance on income, without justifying expenses) applies below an annual ceiling of gross property income, above which you move to the actual-expenses scheme. The ceiling and the allowance rate are set by law: check them for the current year on impots.gouv.fr.
• VAT: the official tax bulletin (BOFiP) states that rentals of parking spaces for vehicles are in principle subject to VAT, including when the landlord is a simple private individual, with exceptions (for example a space closely linked to the exempt rental of a home). Small landlords may benefit from the VAT basic exemption, below an income threshold that changes: check it with your business tax office.
• Platforms: under a European directive (the DAC7 scheme), intermediary platforms must send the tax authorities certain information about their users' income, notably for the rental of real estate. The known exemption threshold (fewer than 30 transactions and €2,000 per year) concerns the sale of goods, not rentals: assume that your income, even modest, may be reported. This may pre-fill your return, but you remain responsible for declaring your income, whether or not the platform reports it.
• Social contributions: property income is subject to them, at a rate set every year.

Co-ownership, lease and insurance

In a co-owned building, each co-owner has free use of the private parts of their lot, provided they do not infringe the rights of the other co-owners or the purpose of the building. The co-ownership rules cannot impose any restriction on co-owners' rights other than those justified by the purpose of the building, as defined in the deeds, by its characteristics or by its location (article 8 of the French law of 10 July 1965). In practice, re-read the rules of your building before making a space available to third parties, and if in doubt ask your managing agent.

If you are yourself a tenant of your home and your space, re-read your lease: subletting or making the space available to third parties may require the written consent of your landlord.

Finally, think about your insurance. Tell your insurer about this activity and ask what your policy covers (damage to a third party's vehicle, an accident in the courtyard, etc.). Do not assume that your home insurance covers it.

Safety: avoiding unpleasant surprises

Whether you are an owner or a renter, a few habits avoid most problems.

• Always use the platform for the booking and the payment. Refuse any payment outside it (cash, bank transfer, gift cards) asked by a stranger.
• Owner: only give the access code after the booking. On ParkForCar it only appears once the booking is made. The renter states the licence plate of their vehicle.
• Renter: check that the photos match the space, read the reviews, and be wary of a price far below those in the neighbourhood.
• Owner: state the dimensions and the rules in the listing, so that a vehicle that is too large does not turn up.
• In case of a problem (space occupied, vehicle left after the end time, damage), report it from your account as soon as possible, with photos. To keep a space from being taken, an owner can install a retractable parking barrier and flag it in the listing (“Retractable parking barrier” option).

Motorhomes, vans, motorbikes: special cases

Oversized vehicles need more checks. For a motorhome, compare the length, the width and above all the height (roof air-conditioning, solar panels, aerial) with those in the listing, with a safety margin. Look at the type of ground: asphalt and concrete bear the weight, gravel or grass may sink after rain.

As for the rules, a parking space is for parking the vehicle. If you intend to spend the night there, check that the listing allows it and ask the town hall: municipal orders or co-ownership rules may apply. For a caravan set up on private land outside an equipped site, the French urban planning code requires a prior declaration beyond three months per year (article R. 421-23), and the mayor may intervene in some cases (article R. 111-34).

Owners can indicate services useful to motorhomes: water point, grey water disposal, black water disposal, power socket. Do not assume anything: if a service is not indicated, it is not offered.

The most frequent mistakes

• Not stating the available height.
• Dark or blurry photos, or photos that do not show the space itself.
• A price far above the neighbouring public car park, with no advantage to justify the gap.
• An outdated calendar: a space shown as free when it is not.
• Forgetting to tell the insurer or to re-read the co-ownership rules.
• Forgetting to declare the income.
• Accepting a payment outside the platform.

Renters: the checklist before booking

• Your vehicle's dimensions (especially the height) compared with those in the listing.
• The accepted type of vehicle.
• Access: gate, keypad, key box, how easy it is to manoeuvre.
• Availability hours and free dates in the calendar.
• The protection and equipment you need (cover, camera, charging point, socket).
• Reviews from previous renters.
• Licence plate ready, because it is requested at booking.
• End time of the booking noted: the renter agrees to vacate the space at the scheduled time.