Renting driveway space popular with homeowners, but not with bylaw enforcers

Sometimes making a bit of extra cash actually is as easy as stepping out your front door.

A website launching in Toronto this week seeks to connect homeowners with people who are willing to pay for the convenience of parking in their driveways.

ParkatmyHouse.com will allow would-be renters to find available driveways or lots near their home, office, or even an occasional sporting event. In a few quick clicks, they can search a list of prime spots for short-term or long-term parking.

As the Toronto Star reports, the idea comes from 28-year-old Anthony Eskinazi, a native of London, England, where the concept quickly garnered attention.

"It's quite a revolutionary approach to parking," he said.

Homeowners have signed up in droves to post their driveways. Businesses advertise open spots available during non-peak hours and a London church has even gotten on board, renting out its parking lot to the tune of a $180,000 profit.

This week, the site makes its debut across a number of North American cities.

But for Torontonians eager to pad their bank accounts, be warned: You could face a costly fine.

The City of Toronto's investigation services — the outfit that handles Toronto's bylaw enforcement, is cautioning aspiring entrepreneurs to brush up on their municipal dos and don'ts.

For starters, any for-profit parking spot immediately becomes a commercial garage. A commercial garage must be located within a commercial or industrial zone. As most homes are situated in residential zones, this conflicts with city bylaw. And even if you manage to circumvent this requirement, owners still need a license to operate a garage.

Businesses, on the other hand, are only allowed to allot parking spaces for purposes associated with their business. That means opening up an after-hours parking lot falls squarely under the city's "not OK" column.

Investigations services director Lance Cumberbatch told the Star that while most infractions are complaint-based, there's a good chance violators will end up in front of a judge and risk paying a fine of up to $25,000. Although it's unlikely anything that high would be applied in this circumstance, he added.

That hovering bylaw specter hasn't stopped Torontonians from advertising hundreds of parking spots on classified sites such as Craigslist, Kijiji, and FreeRentAds.com.

ParkatmyHouse.com will simply be the newest site to jostle for space on an already crowded block.