“A game-changer”: How Jon makes $2,500 by sharing his driveway with the community

Last month we caught up with Parkable host and Brisbane student Jon Kowski, who makes extra income by sharing his single parking spot with the community.

In early 2018, Jon decided to move into Brisbane’s CBD so that he could improve his lifestyle and be closer to university and work, but as a student with part-time employment, he needed affordable rent. He realised that by renting an apartment with a car park and then subleasing the parking space through Parkable, he could afford a much nicer place to live.

Because Jon doesn’t have a car and lives close to public transport, he can sublease his car park to someone full-time, making over $2,500 each year. That makes a big difference for Jon, but is still far more affordable than most parking options in the Brisbane CBD; on average, just an hour of parking in Brisbane costs $28.71, and it’s often a struggle to find a parking spot.

“Parking is really difficult in Brisbane’s CBD,” says Jon, “so I’m happy to share something I don’t need with someone who can use it.”

It just took five minutes for Jon to list his car park on the Parkable app, and a few days to find someone who wanted to lease his parking bay long-term. Parkable was the perfect solution because he could list his space for free, find a tenant quickly, and then relax while monthly payments were sent to his bank account.

With the income generated from subleasing his car park, Jon’s rent is no more expensive than his previous rent in the suburbs. “It’s a lifestyle I never thought I would be able to afford until I graduated, and it costs the same as living twenty minutes out of town,” says Jon.

“Having affordable rent means I get to live somewhere great, and then have money left over to actually enjoy that. I get to see live music, go clubbing, and have dinner in some great spots really easily. I’ve saved enough to go to Japan in a few weeks! It really has been a game-changer for me.”

Most of the time, Jon doesn’t have to think about his parking arrangement at all - every few months he’ll email the parker if there are road works coming, but otherwise he gets all of the benefits with none of the hassle. “Parkable was really accessible,” says Jon. “By finding a long-term parker, I could set and forget, and focus on my studies.”