Storage Space for Rent

Paid Parking in Shopping Centres - A bonanza for local residents?

2011-10-26T00:37:00.001-07:00

The recent announcements of paid parking at Westfield Shopping Centres in Brisbane has created lots of controversy over the last few months, but may end up being a bonus for local home and business owners.

Paid parking was introduced this week at Chermside Shopping Centre – with plans to implement it at Westfield Carindale in March next year.

The new parking charges at Westfield Chermside have had an immediate impact – leaving empty car parks and resulting in clogged local streets, increased traffic congestion, and the need for a local services club to employ security guards to monitor their own car park.

Parking Fees $20 per day

The new charges, which apply to vehicles parked for 3 hours or more, are designed to encourage commuters and long term parkers to look at alternatives. Parking fees can be as much as $20 for the day.

Shopping Centre staff have been allocated special parking areas, but have complained of half hour waits to get in, and are concerned that they will be forced to pay up to $20 a day if they miss out on one of the staff parking spaces.

Local Residents Cash In

Aside from the extra disruption and congestion being faced by local residents, some may actually be presented with an opportunity to earn some extra income. Some residents with a spare parking spot have already been approached by car owners offering to pay to park there. Home or business owners with an extra parking space in the driveway, garage, or yard may find that they are in demand, and can rent out their unused parking space on a casual, weekly or even monthly basis – with the potential to earn as much as $15 a day or $300 a month.

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Brisbane Carparks become Prime Rental Space

2011-09-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

An article in Brisbane’s biggest newspaper, the Courier Mail has highlighted what SpaceOut members have known for some time – that renting out a parking space can be a great little money earner. The story - Demand for inner-city carparks creates property boom as unused bays become prime rentals, by Robyn Ironside states :

Students and ferry-riding professionals are renting out unneeded parking spots for up to $550 a month.

Money Out of Thin Air

Brisbane has long been a hot spot for SpaceOut members and ordinary Australians with unused space in their home or business are making good money by renting it out for storage, office use as well as parking – and are literally making money out of thin air.

In Brisbane (and many other Australian capital cities), demand for inner-city carpark in space has created a mini property boom as spare parking bays in city highrises and apartment blocks become prime rental spaces.

The average cost of renting a park in Brisbane now stands at $435 a month – or $43.50 a square metre – after growing 30 per cent a year since 2005.

One great advantage of renting your own parking space is that you get 24×7 access and can come and go as you please. Although more than $400 a month may seem light a lot to pay for parking, it is actually a bargain when compared to casual parking rates which are charged every time come or go.

Last year SpaceOut Highlighted in our City drive-in robbery – Brisbane carpark costs soar post that Brisbane drivers wishing to park in the city were paying on average $45 a day (that’s over $200 a week), and the rates have continued to rise…. currently Brisbane casual parking can cost up to $70 a day.

Collaborative Consumption

Renting out your unused parking space – or a spare bedroom for storage – or an unused corner or room at your workplace is a great example of the increasingly popular collaborative consumption movement, where people “share” resources. For the space owner, it is a great way to earn some extra income, and for the space renter it is a great way to find a rental space that is cheap and convenient, and to save money on commercial rental rates.

SpaceOut provides a service which makes it easy for people with spare or unused space, to list and rent it out to those who need the space.

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Sydney parking fines cheaper than parking fees

2011-05-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

A NSW Government parking tax is being blamed for making city parking prices soar. Parking fees have increased to such an extent that motorists are finding it cheaper to pay a parking fine than to pay the standard parking station fees.

After London, Oslo and Tokyo, Sydney was already the world’s fourth dearest city to park, but now the cost of meter parking in the city is set to rise even higher – to $7 an hour.

The NSW Government levy (which was doubled by the state labour government in 2009) forces hotels, councils and commercial carparks to pay up to $2040 a space every year. The tax was supposed to discourage daily commuter traffic congestion in the Sydney CBD, however, because it is only imposed on offsite parking, it tends to encourage commuters to drive around until they find a kerbside park, which actually adds to the congestion.

Parking meter costs

At $7 per hour Sydney on street parking fees are the highest of all other major cities in Australia. The next most expensive cities are Melbourne and Brisbane (at a maximum rate of $4 per hour), with Perth a little lower at $3.30 per hour, and Adelaide the cheapest at just 2.40 per hour for CBD parking.

So for on-street parking in Australian major city CBD’s (assuming you are actually allowed to park for more than an hour) you are looking at paying anywhere between $20 and $60 for the day.

Parking Station Fees

For off-street parking, or parking in commercial parking stations you can expect to pay significantly more (even in many cases at “early bird” rates), with Sydney CBD parking station rates costing up to $35 and hour or $142 per day. If you want the luxury of being able to come and go from, your parking spot as you please, you would normally expect to pay many hundreds of dollars a month.

The huge increase in costs associated with parking in Australian CBDs is fueling the demand for Private parking services like that being offered BY SpaceOut. Spaecout provides a service that allows individuals and businesses with a spare parking space in areas of high demand, to rent it out to those desperately needing parking, but unable to justify the ever increasing costs of commercial parking services. The parking space owner, turns their unused parking space into a regular income, and the commuter gets convenient and cheaper parking – often with 24×7 access.

See what’s currently available right now by clicking one of the links below :

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How to Help Cyclone Yasi Victims

2011-02-01T15:03:00.001-08:00

As Cyclone Yasi, hurtles towards the North Queensland coast, local residents from Townsville to Cairns are evacuating and scrambling for cover.

Cyclone Yasi – upgraded to cat 5, and likely to be more life-threatening than any storm seen in Australia in living memory – is steadily approaching the Queensland coast, and seems certain to dramatically impact on the lives of tens of thousands residents and businesses from communities such as Cairns, Innisfail, Ayr, Mission Beach, Port Douglas and may other areas in far north Queensland

Possibly even more damaging than flooding rains and destructive winds is the tsunami like storm surge that is expected to be at least 2.5 metres and could be a great deal more.

Thousands of local residents have already been evacuated, and latest estimates are predicting that over 30,000 households are likely to be directly affected.

How to get Help

Mandatory evacuation is in place in certain areas, and evacuation centres have been setup in many at risk communities. Listen to your local radio station for the latest news on evacuation centres. There is also an evacuation and information hotline 1300 993 191.

If you are evacuating, you should also register as evacuee with the Australian Red Cross National Registration and Enquiry System – a service that is launched during emergency situations to help people reconnect with family and friends.
For a life-threatening emergency, phone 000 straight away.

For assistance regarding damage to your home, phone SES on 132 500 and they will come to your home once it is safe to do so.

If you have a specific need for temporary accommodation, pet minding, transportation or some other form of assistance you can create a “Help Wanted” listing (for Free) on HelpOut, and someone living in or near your ,local community may be able to help you.

How to Offer Help

Due to the size and unprecedented scale of Cyclone Yasi, it’s very difficult to predict which areas are going to be affected and how hard they will be hit. However, coastal and low lying areas of North QLD, which are known to be flood prone are almost certainly going to be flood and/or storm surge affected. Residents within the Local community who live on higher ground, or in more sheltered areas are already offering assistance to friends and family, but are also being urged to help anyone they can.

If you are able to offer temporary accommodation, look after someone’s pet, or offer any other type of support to cyclone victims, you can create a HelpOut listing (for free) detailing what assistance you are able to provide, and where it is available.

Once the cyclone has passed and the scale of devastation becomes better known, there is likely to be a Cyclone Yasi Support Appeal established so that people Australia wide can offer donations and financial support, but in the interim, members of local communities impacted by Cyclone Yasi can provide direct support – buy offering help, or asking for help via HelpOut.

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How to offer Flood Support in your own local Community

2011-01-22T20:54:00.001-08:00

With much of Queensland and parts of New South Wales starting to recover from the recent disastrous floods, and regional Victoria in the middle of a flood crisis, tens of thousands of Australians have been directly affected, and many more have suffered. These flood victims will need ongoing support and assistance for weeks and probably months to come, but what are the best ways to offer (and ask for) help ?

Financial Donations

Flood relief appeals such as the Qld Flood Appeal and the Victorian Flood Appeal (managed by the Red Cross) have done a superb job at raising funds to help support flood victims, and these appeals are clearly the best way for you to make financial donations.

Business Support

The recently announced Qld Flood National Business Donations Register offers a great method for businesses to offer support to flood victims (Australia wide), with many businesses already offering pledges for a wide variety of products and services.

How Can Ordinary Aussies Help?

There are still plenty of ordinary Australians desperate to help, but not sure how to . However, it is still very difficult for individuals, many of whom live in or near flood affected areas, to find out the best way they can help and support their local community.

if you have muscle or manpower to volunteer you can register with Volunteering QLD who are coordinating volunteer efforts in Queensland, but there are plenty of other ways that you can provide practical, hands on support for flood victims. It is often the simple, seemingly little things, that can make the biggest difference in supporting those affected by floods.

An innovative new service called HelpOut, has been established specifically to connect those people who need help with those who are able to provide help. This service allows individuals living in or near flood affected communities, to list the types of help they can offer. Perhaps more importantly though, HelpOut also allows those people directly affected by flood, many of whom are in desperate need of assistance, to specify exactly the type of assistance that they need.

HelpOut allows people to search by location (town, suburb or postcode), and presents offers and calls for help on a map – so it is very easy to see what help is available (or need) in specific areas.

If you Need Help

If you have been affected by the floods and are in need of something specific, you can create a Help Wanted listing for free on HelpOut (or if you don’t have internet access, get a friend to do it on your behalf). Enter your street name and town/suburb, a description of what you need, and (if you want) a contact number. Your listing will be presented to anyone searching your area to see how they can help, they can then contact you (via our internal message system) to offer their services and exchange contact details.

If you want to Help

First of all, search your local area in HelpOut for Help Wanted listings to see if there is anyone seeking assistance already. If there is already a listing for someone you can help, you can contact them and discuss how you can offer assistance directly. If not, you can create a Help Offered Listing (for free) outlining what you have to offer and what area you are able to provide it.

HelpOut has been developed specifically to make it easier for local communities to help themselves. By putting people wanting to help, directly in touch with those needing help, we ensure that the support that is needed can be given to those who most need it.

For a list of suggestions as to how you may be able to help see : How You Could Help

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QLD Flood Victims Need your Help

2011-01-15T19:50:00.001-08:00

In response to the QLD Floods, SpaceOut has launched a new section of the site – called HelpOut (http://helpout.spaceout.com.au) – aimed at getting help to those people affected by flood.

SpaceOut is very good at hooking up people who have something, with those that need something. HelpOut extends on this functionality, and helps local communities help themselves, by assisting the people who really need it.

We have already had a fabulous response – with hundreds of listings offering help. However, we currently have very few listing from people seeking help, as many of the flood victims are still without power/internet, and are busy dealing with other issues.

Help Wanted Listings are being taken up very quickly – evidence that people are keen to help, but need guidance as to how, where and when they can provide assistance.

Now and in the coming weeks and months, home and business owners affected by flood waters will continue to need assistance, in many different ways to put them on the road back to a normal life. The types of assistance required is going to become clearer as the massive coordinated volunteer programs wind down, and new, more localised and specific needs for help become apparent.

HelpOut is perfect for putting people offering help, in touch with those needing it – within their own local communities.

What Can You Do?

Obviously you should donate to the Flood Appeal if you can afford to. You should also get involved in volunteer programs (through Volunteering QLD for example). But one of the best ways you can make HelpOut as effective as possible, is to simply spread the word – particularly to those people who have been directly affected.

To help spread the word you can do any (or all) of the following :

Email a link to this post to friends, family, colleagues and contacts, or pick up the phone and tell them about it.
If you have friends or family directly affected by floods, consider posting a listing on HelpOut on their behalf (it’s free)
Talk about HelpOut on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter (we’ve added Facebook Share and Tweet buttons to the HelpOut site to make this easier for you)
Download, Print off, and post up this Flyer in your workplace or around your local community, and in particular around flood affected communities
Phone up talk back radio and contact you mates in the media to let them know about this free service
Let us know of anything we could do to improve or promote HelpOut

We are confident, that with the support of SpaceOut members, and the community in general, that HelpOut can make a significant impact in flood affected communities on the road back to normality.

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Help Out Flood Victims by looking after a Pet (or two)

2011-01-10T23:59:00.001-08:00

With the impact on the QLD Floods spreading rapidly to Brisbane, Ipswich and other areas of South East Queensland – and with no end in sight, more and more Queenslanders are finding themselves directly affected by the floods.

But it’s not only the people who are suffering, many cats, dogs and other pets are also being caught up in the disaster. Unfortunately, during evacuation, it is not always possible for people to take their pets with them, and even if they can, looking after a pet away from home under trying circumstances is very difficult.

Even once people can return to their homes, there is often lots of cleaning and mopping up to do – not a great environment to have a scared pet underfoot.

People affected by the floods already have more than enough on their minds, and worrying about their pets is simply adding to the stress. The QLD RSPCA is doing a wonderful job trying to help wherever they can, but with so many people and pets affected by floods, there is only so much they can do.

If you are a pet lover, living in or near a flood affected community, and have a bit of extra capacity to help out by looking after someone else’s pet, you might like to consider creating a listing on HelpOut – specifying where you live and what type of pet/s you are able to look after. It does not have to be for long – maybe just a few days or weeks, but in this simple way you could make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of both the pet and the owner.

See : http://helpout.spaceout.com.au for more information about how you can volunteer to look after a flood victims pet.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Flooding Spreads to NSW - How Can You Help?

2011-01-09T23:41:00.001-08:00

The rains that have caused the devastating QLD Floods appear to be moving south and have now also spread over the New South Wales border, with the Richmond River at Kyogle measured still rising, while Lismore is among the larger towns in the firing line of the Wilsons River. The Brunswick River, which runs through Mullumbimby, is also liable to burst its banks, according to the weather bureau.

So far towns on the New South Wales north coast have escaped flooding, but if rains that are currently battering SE QLD and Northern NSW continue, it seems likely that areas of northern NSW will also experience floods.

A practical way to support NSW Flood Victims

It is very encouraging to see the level of financial support being provided throughout Australia via the various Flood Relief Appeals. However, with expected flooding in and around NSW, with many residents and business owners facing weeks and possibly months of ongoing hardship, there are many members of the local communities who are willing to lend a helping hand, but are not quite sure how to go about it.

Financial donations are obviously best to be made to the Flood Appeal, however it is not usually possible to ensure that these types of donations make it back to the local communities.

Donations of goods and items raise logistical issues with collection and distribution, but there are still plenty of things members of the NSW communities are able to offer on a more practical and hands on level. The problem is really how to match up the people wanting to help, with those who need the help.

HelpOut offers a simple way for Local Communities to help themselves

With the goal of making it easier for flood affected communities to help themselves, we have created a Free online service called HelpOut. This service is aimed primarily at people living and working in their local community.

The types of offers of help that we anticipate will be placed on HelpOut are not just items or goods, but also offers of other practical and “hands on” support such as :

Looking after a pet until the owner gets settled
Washing and drying a load of washing
Popping round (or an invitation over) for a home cooked meal
Hosting a DVD night with popcorn to help things get back to normal
Lending a car or trailer for a day or two
etc..

In a nutshell HelpOut works like this :

People wanting to Help can easily create a Free listing on HelpOut which explains how (and where) they can help.

People needing a hand simply search in their local area to see who might be able to assist them. If there is nothing currently listed that matches their needs, they can create a Help wanted listing (for Free) outlining what type of items or service they need.

Listings can include contact details, or if people prefer to keep their contact details private they can use our internal (anonymous) message system until they are ready to exchange contact details.

HelpOut has only recently been launched and so far, has relatively few entries, but we expect this to grow quickly, and for HelpOut to be most effective, the people living and working in or near flood affected areas need to be made aware of this service. One of the best ways you can help those people who have been directly affected by the floods and need a hand, and those who have not sufferer so badly, but are willing and able to offer assistance, is to let them know about this service.

We would appreciate if you could take a look at HelpOut at http://helpout.spaceout.com.au and if you think that it could be of benefit to your local community, please spread the word by telling people about it, and forwarding on post to your friends, colleagues and contacts in and around flood affected areas.

We’ve also created a Help for Flood Victims flyer which you may like to print off, and post up in your workplace or around your local community.

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Offer a Helping hand to QLD Flood Victims with HelpOut

2010-12-30T00:02:00.001-08:00

Whilst floods are by no means a new thing to many Queenslanders, the current batch of flooding is so widespread and affects so many different areas, they are having a much bigger impact than normal. But what can be done to help

Flood levels are still rising in many areas, and pretty much everything that can be done in preparation, already has been. For many, it’s now a matter waiting to see what’s going to happen, and the moment, there is very little that anyone can do to assist. However, when the floods start to subside, and people start to be able to return to their houses and businesses to see what is left, that’s when the community really needs to rally together to help wherever they can.

While flooding will have an impact on entire communities, there are some (perhaps many) people who are not in the direct path of the flood and who will receive little or no property damage to their own home or business. On the flip-side, those who live or work in lower lying, flood affected areas may very well lose all of their household items, and will soon face the daunting task of mopping, and cleaning up the mess that remains – a task which will take days if not weeks of effort.

It’s moments like these that bring a community together – with most people who are able to help, being more than willing to do so. The problem however, is to know what needs to be done, and work out how best to help those in need.

All concerned Australians, no matter where we live can of course assist by making donations via the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. However, the people that need help, and those that are best placed to offer assistance are those that live and work in the flood affected communities themselves. but putting the people with needs in touch with those who can provide practical assistance could be a problem.

SpaceOut is in a unique position to be able to offer a solution to this problem. The concept of SpaceOut is based around our ability to put in touch people who have something with those who need something – and we do this on a locality basis. Whilst we normally do this with Space (Storage Space, Parking Space, Office Space, etc…), it does not take a big stretch of the imagination to see how this same model could be applied to the wants and needs of flood victims.

HelpOut – designed to Help Out QLD Flood Victims

We have spent much of today tweaking our website, and are very happy to announce the launch of a new service called HelpOut, which we hope will make it easier for people wanting to help and having something to offer, to get in touch with those in flood affected communities who could really do with a helping hand.

Lending a hand doesn’t necessarily have to be something big, or dramatic, and in fact it is very often the small, simple things which make the biggest difference. We’ve outlined below a very brief list of some of the things that have been suggested could be of benefit to flood victims – but there are bound to be plenty of other ways to help :

Offer to care for a pet for a week or two until they get everything sorted out
Drop around a home cooked meal (or invite them round for one)
Offer to assist for an hour or two to clean/mop/wash their house
Offer to wash and dry a load of washing
Drop around with some cold drinks/water
etc…

We have a bigger list of how you could help – and remember, it is not only home owners who are affected, businesses too are suffering, so if you run a business that has not been unduly affected, have a think about what you may be able to offer to help.

HelpOut is a completely FREE service that allows people to either list what items/services that are able to offer, or for those affected by flood, to outline what things they would find really helpful.

You can find at more about How to Help Qld Flood Victims or create your own HelpOut Listing now.

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Big Brother is watching you Park

2010-11-19T16:30:00.001-08:00

The next time you park your car in pretty much any major city in Australia or New Zealand, keep your eyes peeled for the latest parking spyware sensors that could be automatically dobbing you in to the nearest parking officer the second that you overstay your allotted time.

Automated Parking Infringement Sensors

The latest automatic parking sensors are being fitted to both free and paid car parking bays throughout Australia and NZ. Theses sensors take a photo (including a timestamp) when your car arrives and if you stay longer than the maximum time (whether or not you have a valid parking ticket), will electronically notify the nearest parking patrol. These devices automatically take photos of offending vehicles with the time and date of the infringement recorded on the image.

The new system detects a vehicle’s presence in a designated area, recording its arrival and departure time – including vehicle overstays, through the use of sensors embedded in the parking bay. Information gathered is transmitted to the parking Officer’s PDA, when walking or driving near the parking space. the parking officer can also be notified of nearby spaces that are close to reaching their limits.

Gone are the days of chalking tyres – parking Officers are now only needed to enter vehicle specific details - with location and offence details automatically populated directly from the vehicle detection sensors in the ground. It seems to me that a fully automated solution is not far off, so that days of parking officers may very well be numbered as well. If I were a parking officer, I would be very concerned about how long my job was going to last for.

Council Parking Revenue

Unsurprisingly local councils are at pains to stress that this move is NOT a revenue raiser. They “selflessly” claim that they are installing these devices simply to encourage people to limit their parking to allotted times – resulting in greater sharing of the parking space and a fairer service to all motorists – yeah right.

Advertising materials for the product manufacturers clearly highlight the increased revenue benefits of installing their product – providing a case study citing figures for a potential increase in revenue of over 120% for a single parking area.

Sydney’s Lane Cove Council is the latest council to start using the technology, with 200 of the meter eyes about to be switched on.

550 parking sensors have been installed around Perth at a cost of $400,000, and they have already paid for themselves, whilst ramping up revenue 57%.

Devices of this type are already in use (or being tested) by councils all over Australia and NZ, including:

ACT Ranger Services
Adelaide City Council
Auckland City Council
Brisbane City Council
City of Melbourne
City of Perth
City of Sydney
North Sydney Council
Waverley Council

Whilst the altruistic sentiment of “sharing” parking spaces seems reasonable, it’s hard to see this trend as anything but yet another thinly camouflaged money grabbing strategy by councils.

The best approach to parking, and the safest way to ensure you are not hit by hefty parking fees or exorbitant parking fines is still to secure your own private parking space. SpaceOut, remains one of the easiest way for you to locate or rent out your own private car parking space, at a very reasonable price.

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How to get the most out of renting out your spare space

2010-10-02T19:49:00.001-07:00

There are many factors that can influence how much interest there is likely to be in your space - and hence how quickly you could rent it out, so it is not possible to guarantee that you will rent out your space quickly. However, with a potential to earn hundreds of dollars a month a small listing fee is certainly worth taking a chance.

There are however some ways that you can increase the likelihood of renting out your space fast. Below We have outlined some of the main factors which can influence interest in your space – along with some hints on how you can maximise your chances of a quick rental.

Location – We have hundreds (and often thousands) of people every day, searching the site for many different types of spaces all over Australia. The majority of these visitors tend to come from high population areas (such as capital cities), but we also get many visitors from regional and even country areas. If your space is located in a regional or rural area, it may take a bit longer to rent out, but you are also likely to have less competition.

Security – For most people renting private space, security is not the top priority, but they will want some assurance that the space has a reasonable level of security – and the more you can offer (and describe in the listing) the better

Access – Although some renters may require little or no ongoing access to the space, many would require some level of access and the more flexible you can be with this the better.

Type of Space – Some spaces could be used in a variety of ways – for example a garage could be used for storage or parking. You may like to consider creating separate listings for each type of usage – outlining the features and benefits (and also possibly changing the price) depending on the way the space might be used.

Facilities – The more “advantages” or benefits you can describe in your space listing the more likely you will be to rent out your space quickly. These might be anything that differentiates your space from others and could be all sorts of things – e.g. free use of a trailer, 24×7 access with own key, owner able to give you a hand with heavy objects, cool dry environment – ideal for wine storage, can include a regular car wash for a small extra fee (for parking space), free parking available (for office space), etc…)

Price – We normally recommend setting a price at 50% – 70% of the “commercial” rate. If you charge an unrealistically high price you are unlikely to get many enquiries, but if you set too low a price you might be missing out on some income. We generally suggest setting the price a little higher initially, but consider reducing it if you don’t get many enquiries. Keep in mind though, that a faster rental at a lower rate is likely to generate you more income than holding out for a higher price and perhaps earning nothing from the space while you are waiting.

Demand – Some areas are very popular and spaces tend to get snapped up very quickly. In these areas, you can generally charge more for your space than in areas where demand is lower. Sometimes (but not always) you can identify high demand areas by a higher number of “space wanted” listings. If after a month or so you do not get many enquiries, it could mean that there is relatively little demand for the type of space you are offering in your area, so you could consider changing your listing description, reducing your price slightly, or even cancelling the listing.

Because there are just so many factors that can have an impact on how quickly you rent out your space, there can of course be no guarantee when your space will be leased. However there are few more simpler methods of generating handy cash flow, and most people really enjoy the process. By all means let SpaceOut know of any other factors or strategies that you have found to be helpful in renting out your space.

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City drive-in robbery - Brisbane carpark costs soar

2010-10-02T19:45:00.001-07:00

In an article in The Sunday Mail (Brisbane, 3rd October 2010), Amy McCosker and Anthony Templeton highlighted that:

“Parking in Brisbane has become more than a headache, with some motorists slugged over $20 an hour for parking in the city”

As part of a nationwide investigation it has become clear that Brisbane parking rates are amongst the worst in Australia. Brisbane drivers wishing to park in the city pay on average $45 a day (that’s over $200 a week). Brisbane parking station fees are on a par with Melbourne (also $45 a day), and are more expensive than other Capital cities, except for Sydney where you can expect to pay up to $72 a day for parking. Darwin, is the cheapest capital city to park, with fees as low as $2.40 per day at some inner city carparks.

The table below provides an overview of the parking fees for some of Brisbane’s largest commercial carparks (as of Sep 2010) :

Brisbane Car Park	Hourly Rate	Daily Rate
King George Square Carpark	$12	$40
Myer Centre Carpark	$19	$43
Wintergarden Carpark	$24	$66*
Queens Plaza Carpark	$20	$50*
Macarthur Central Carpark	$12	$60*
Wilson Parking (Mary St)	$21	$48
Brisbane Domestic Airport	$13	$40
South Bank Convention Centre	$14	$22
Parklands Carpark	$6	$36

* lost ticket fee

Another big “money grab” used by some of the commercial carpark operators is the policy of applying an extra fee if a motorist loses their ticket. In Brisbane you should expect to pay up to $66 for to park your car for the day if you can’t find your parking ticket.

Jim Kershaw a spokesman from the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) suggested that because of the high parking costs, many people parked outside the CBD and caught public transport, and said :

“In a perfect world there would be cheap parking for everyone”

SpaceOut – offers a cheap and convenient solution to motorists looking for alternatives to the high cost parking offered by commercial operators in city CBDs. People can often find a much cheaper parking option by renting an unused private parking space or garage. People living or working in (or near) the CBD, who have a parking space but no car, can also make a bit of extra cash by renting out their space .

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Money Magazine: Money from Space

2010-09-02T06:33:00.001-07:00

Some of us are lucky enough to have some spare space at or around home -
it could turn into a nice little earner.

SpaceOut was featured in one of the cover articles from the September 2010 edition of Money Magazine – An Extra $200 a month renting out spare space.

The Money Magazine “Smart Money” article outlines some of the many benefits of renting out your spare space and Quotes our Technical Director (Andy Henderson) :

“Almost everyone has unused space around their home, apartment, or business – whether that’s your garage, your parking spot, your shed, a spare room or even your fridge – you’ll find there is someone out there willing to pay you to use it.”

Private rentals are increasingly becoming recognised as real alternatives to traditional self-storage facilities – and are often much more convenient, and significantly cheaper as well. Using online services such as www. SpaceOut.com.au, ordinary Australians can lease out their excess or unused space privately and make a little extra cash on the side.

“Many of us have got a spare bedroom or shed. More often than not it’s half-filled with our own junk, Why not do a reshuffle and rent it out?”

Private storage suits all types of people – particularly retirees and “empty nesters”, who wouldn’t dream of getting in a tenant (and sharing their house and lives with someone), but are very happy to store someones furniture in the spare room for a few months or more while the person is off travelling.

“Typically you are looking at between $100 and $200 a month for doing little more than putting stuff in a room and shutting the door”

If you’d like to read more about how you can make money from space, and turn your unused bedroom, shed or garage into an extra regular income, get out today and get your own copy of Money Magazine – September 2010.

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5 Great Reasons to Rent your Office Space

2010-07-22T03:48:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest decisions many small businesses inevitably face as they grow, is whether to buy or lease their business premises and office space. Although buying and owning your own office space may have some advantages, in these times of economic uncertainty and with steadily increasing property prices, buying can be prohibitive for many business owners.

Instead of buying a commercial property though, renting office space is increasingly becoming the solution of choice for many small businesses. Leasing office space can be great option for many different reasons. We’ve collated a list of 5 advantages renting office space has over buying :

Flexible – Renting office space allows greater flexibility and doesn’t usually commit you to long term decisions. If you are uncertain of the future growth of your business choosing to buy office space can be a very scary prospect. Short to medium term leasing arrangements allow you to could choose a space that meets your current needs and provides greater flexibility to expand (or reduce) your space needs in the future.
Try it Out – choosing to rent office space – particularly for a new business, or in a new area – allows you to “test the water” and check to see how the business performs in that particular area or environment. If things don’t happen to work out as expected it’s generally a good deal easier to break a lease than it is to sell a property.
Mobility – Choosing to rent an office space means that you are more mobile. You will not be tied down to a particular location and will find it a good deal easier to move premises if and when you choose.
Cost – Renting Office space is almost certainly going to be significantly cheaper than buying it. You will also not have the responsibilities of all the other expenses associated with owning a property. Property maintenance can add a significant overheads for property owners, whereas if you are renting the space this will be the landlords responsibility.
Responsibility – Running a business is tough enough without having to worry about all the extra issues associated with property ownership. Renting your space means you can focus on running your business.

The primary aim of any business is to get a reasonable return on their investment – with as little as possible cost, or effort. Small business owners in particular often struggle with the logistics of the day to day management of their business. Renting office space instead of buying it is a cheaper, safer, simpler, and more flexible option for most businesses.

Whether you are looking for office space to rent, or are interested in renting out surplus space in your commercial premises, SpaceOut can help you make the choice easier.

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SpaceOut Users Said. (in April)

2010-05-11T20:34:00.001-07:00

We love it when our members and website visitors provide feedback about the SpaceOut website and the service that we provide. Here is a selection of some of the feedback (along with our response in some cases) we have received from SpaceOut Members and site visitors over the last month or so :

It’s great, good communications system protecting privacy
great idea
Need a place for person who is renting out the space to put their phone number, so someone can contact them!!!
A phone number can be included in the description if you wish, but the message system allows people to contact you – and ensures your privacy until you are ready to exchange contact details
What a great idea! Haven’t found what I need yet, but have more clues now.
Excellent web site and the simplicity of working it.
Great idea,maybe more car park owners+renters would respond.
Would be nice if I could get a permalink to a listing to share outside the site.
Permalinks have now been added to the popup listing details page
This is an easy site to negotiate and set-out is clear and has the necessary info in a great format
very easy to use
pictures of the spaces could be useful as well as a little more info about the space for rent
We encourage owners to provide detailed space descriptions (the better and clearer the information the easier it usually is to rent out the space). We plan to allow owners to include photos in their listings in a future upgrade
Requires some more properties – Presumably project is in the early growth stages, so understandably not much to see at this stage. …Still good!
Yup… the number of listings vary from time to time, but we are working hard at raising awareness of the service
Fantastic site, I would recommend this site to anyone who has spare space to let, couldn’t get any better!
A handy site for me to do a quick search of parking stations in the inner city. Very useful.
Easy to get location and phone number
Why isn’t this so well known … Perhaps more advertising?
very good idea!
Site is great if you live in the cities. I’m in rural Qld and had to type in each place I could think of locally. Maybe a list of areas that have current “”space”" could be added.
informative
We do provide a list of hot listings and also show the latest space listings (by state) and the most popular suburbs, but listings tend to come and go, so at any one time there may not be any listings in a particular area – this is why we encourage people to create a Space Wanted Listing if they are looking for a particular type of space in a particular area.
the concept is great . a good extra income in these hard times
Very Much needed
great idea only thing now is to see if it works if it does we might offer some space when we get our place

If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, criticisms or compliments about SpaceOut please make sure that you contact us.

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Should I create Single or Multiple Space for Rent Listings?

2010-05-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

Many spaces could be used for a variety of purposes, and owners are sometimes unsure as to the best way to list their space. We often get asked for advice on the type of space listing that a Space Owner should create.

At the moment, each Space for Rent listing must be assigned to a particular Space Type (although this may change in the future). If for example you have an empty shed which may be suitable for storage, parking a car, or even for use as a office, studio or workshop, it can be tough deciding which type of space you should associate with your listing.

Our recommendation is that rather than creating a single listing, you should create multiple listings – i.e. a separate listing for each relevant space type. One of the main reasons for this is because the amount you may earn in rental is likely to vary depending on the use of the space. Someone is likely to be willing to pay more for an office or commercial space for example than they would for a parking space or for storage space.

People may also be looking for a particular type of space, and may miss your space listing if it is associated with a different category. Also, you are more likely to successfully rent out your space if you are able to target your description to a particular type of use – rather than providing a general description.

So, when creating a space for rent listing, if there is not a clear space type to associate it with:

Consider creating Separate Space listings under each relevant category
Set a price for each listing that is realistic for the expected use
Customise the description of you space to target the space type you have associated with it

Spending a little time planning your listing and writing a description which is likely to appeal to the different types of people (and uses) that it is suitable for can have a huge difference on how quickly you rent out your space.

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Co-working - an Innovative use of shared office space for small business

2010-03-14T06:24:00.001-07:00

If you are a home based small business, but miss the day to day interaction and collaboration with colleagues or co-workers, then the concept of shared office space, or co-working might be just what you need.

What is Co-working Space?

Co-working space, is essentially a shared office environment where professionals and freelancers (often, but not always, in related industries) work together in the same space, swap ideas and resources, enjoy social interaction, and all at a price that is generally much more affordable that the alternatives.

The co-working concept has proved to be particularly appealing for creative based professionals, such as web and graphic designers, PR consultants, copy writers, and marketing freelancers.

Co-working is ideal for freelancers and self-employed who have found that the realities of working from home aren’t quite what they had expected. Home based workers can face issues such as isolation, lack of networking and fewer opportunities for collaboration. It can also be very difficult for solo workers to find office space for just one person at a price they can afford, while traditional serviced office facilities may be too expensive and impersonal.

One significant advantage of co-working over traditional office space lease arrangements is that a long-term commercial lease or full-serviced office rental arrangements are not normally required, so the shared office space may be available for as long (or short) as you need.

Co-working in the USA

Co-working is alive and well in the US, with a variety of different shared spaces available – including the well known co-working spaces Citizen Space and the Hat Factory in San Francisco and various other shared office services in other US cities. Co-working in the US has been described as “offering a techie twist on the age-old practice of artists or writers teaming up to rent studio space“.

Co-working catches on in Australia

Co-working is now also catching on in Australia. As a direct result of a growing demand from self-employed creatives and freelancers to have an affordable workspace away from home, spaces are opening in many capitals, including Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

Some shared office spaces, like Melbourne co-working space OpenHub (www.openhub.com.au), were started by companies looking to share the cost of office space. OpenHub offers a variety of different services – from a one off use of a meeting room (@$120) to a Full-time dedicated desk space (@$600). OpenHub even offer a Free service for Co-workers associated with charity based projects.

Water Street Studio (www.waterstreetstudio.com.au) in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, provides desk space in an air-conditioned office, with internet, electricity and access to a meeting room / boardroom included. They offer shared office space from just $150 per week for a minimum 3 month term, with no bond or formal lease required.

Shared Office Listings

Online services such as SpaceOut (www.spaceout.com.au) also provide information about office space for rent, and regularly have listings for shared office space in many areas throughout Australia.

Whether you are searching for shared office space or would like to make a little extra income by renting out your spare office space , the co-working concept seems destined to be a trend that will continue to grow.

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Australian carpark prices reach record levels

2010-03-10T22:38:00.001-08:00

It would probably surprise you that a 16 sq m single car parking space at Bondi in Sydney, recently sold for $240,000 – but amazingly other sales in the same price range are expected to follow.

Over the last few years Councils across Australia have been attempting to minimise traffic congestion by reducing the number of car parking spaces available in new developments. As the number of parking spaces is dropping, the value of these spaces is soaring. Car parking spaces in Sydney, once worth $5000 to $10,000, are now regularly selling for between $40,000 and $140,000 each.

Brisbane City Council has also tightened rules to reduce parking in buildings over recent years, and the number of available carpark spaces had been reduced by 50 per cent.

Business owners with spare parking spaces, and owners of inner city units without a car, have been using services like SpaceOut (http://www.spaceout.com.au) to rent out their unused parking spaces and cash in on council policy changes.

There is currently a proposal put forward by the City of Melbourne (which is yet to be approved), limiting a single car park space per dwelling for new developments at inner-suburban Carlton and Southbank, and in parts of the northwest and east of the city.

As inner city parking becomes increasingly scarce across CBDs throughout Australia, there will be more and more opportunities for the owners of Private and Business parking spaces to make some extra cash, by renting their unused space out. Conversely, as the price of inner city parking fees increase there are fabulous opportunities for people looking for a parking space to make great savings by searching for cheap parking on SpaceOut.

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Bully Car Park Operators in the Spotlight (again)

2010-02-08T04:25:00.001-08:00

Once again, the controversial (and probably illegal) practice of “fining” people for alleged breaches of parking conditions is making News Headlines.

Channel 9’s A Current Affair program has run a series of reports over the last few weeks about the methods Australian National Car Parks (ANCP) seem to be using to intimidate people into paying “fines” for failing to get a ticket at public Car Parks they manage.

It was alleged that ANCP take advantage of the fact that people are often unaware that they need to get a ticket – even though the car parks are clearly signed as “2 Hours Free Parking”. It seems that if you fail to get a ticket (even if you stay for less than 2 hrs) ANCP staff have been issuing ‘liquidated damages’ demands for $66 – which quickly escalate to $88 and then $163 if you don’t pay in time – in some cases followed by a NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SUE.

However, as a private company, ANCP does not have legal authority to administer fines.

What the law says:

A DRIVER using a private car park enters into a contract with the operator to abide by the terms and conditions stated on signs (which must be prominently displayed).

Under contract law, parties are not entitled to impose penalties for breach of contract but can seek “liquidated damages” – which are defined as a reasonable estimate of the damage suffered as a result of the contract being breached. If a court finds the estimate is not reasonable it is defined as a penalty and becomes invalid.

If damages are sought by a private car-park operators but resisted by the driver the issue may end up in court, however, the company then has to demonstrate how the damage it suffered equals the damages it is seeking.

There is considerable doubt whether ANCP could justify the $66 damages they have been demanding.

But It’s all happened before :

This is certainly not the first time this type of practice has been reported.

In April 2007, The Age (Crackdown on car parking ‘bullies ) reported similar practices by Australian National Car Parks and highlighted that a number of Victorian Councils had banned (or were considering bans) on ANCP operating within their regions.

Moreland Council, which includes Brunswick, Coburg and Pascoe Vale, accused Australian National Car Parks of bullying behaviour, and Darebin Council, which includes Northcote and Preston, had asked the company to stop handing out tickets.

At the time ANCP was being investigated by the NSW Office of Fair Trading and had also been reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

In 2006, then NSW fair trading minister Diane Beamer urged drivers to “exercise extreme caution” in ANCP car parks because the company could have been engaging in “improper, misleading and deceptive conduct”.

In October 2008, the Herald Sun (Supermarket shoppers not legally obliged to pay parking fines ) reported that tens of thousands of Victorians had paid up for shopping centre parking fines that they were not legally obliged to pay.

On 10th October, Consumer Affairs Victoria issued a state-wide alert warning motorists that Care Park Pty Ltd had no power to issue fines or impose penalties at “free” supermarket car parks. Also at that time Australian National Car Parks was at the centre of a case designed to test the legality of its demands, and a third company that issued demand notices – Parking Infringements Victoria – was under investigation by Consumer Affairs.

A Facebook group called The People vs Australian National Car Parks - has been established with the aim of helping with information and advice. There are also plenty of active forums discussing the issues, but consensus seems to be that if you do get issued with one of these demand notices – don’t panic and don’t lose sleep over it – simply throw the notice away.

If you are tired of dealing with Car Park Operators, and Searching for a Parking Space or if you have a spare Parking Space to Rent out – www.spaceout.com.au could help you.

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mX (Brisbane) - Workers on park avenue

2010-02-03T04:40:00.001-08:00

In today’s Brisbane daily mX Newspaper Torny Jensen wrote the following article about the costs of parking – and how Brisbanites, particularly in the CBD area, are searching for parking alternatives such as those offered by SpaceOut.

Workers on park avenue

Fed-up city workers are ditching expensive CBD carparks for cheaper backyard spots.

Brisbane was ranked as the seventh moist expensive city in the world for parking in the most recent Colliers International Global CBD Parking Rate survey, with motorists having to pay a median monthly cost of $596 for parking.

The survey found Brisbanites were spending more on their parking than those living in Tokyo or New York.

But a local website is revolutionising city parking by matching desperate motorists with inner-city tenants who have room to spare in carparks backyards and garages.

SpaceOut.com.au advertises private car spaces for rent, and places ads for commuters hoping to find cheap car parks close to their work.

This morning the site offered an undercover parking space in South Brisbane for $50 a week or $160 a month

Meanwhile a space with double-swipe security protection at Spring Hill was being advertised for the bargain price of #240 a month.

Spaceout’s Andy Henderson said many private carpark providers were inner-city residents who lived and socialised in the city and chose not to have a car.

“We’re getting a lot more inner-city accommodation, and a lot of those, for example are being filled by foreign students who don’t have a car.” he said.

“They see this as an opportunity to subsidise their rent.“

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Australia Office Space Rental Costs set to Soar

2010-01-25T00:34:00.001-08:00

Business Tenants in Australia are expecting a massive increase in the cost of renting their office space as shortages of quality office space (particularly in CBDs) shifts the pricing “power” back in favour of landlords.

In Sydney, the asking price for prestigious office space that is currently under construction is rumoured to be up to $1400 a square metre.

The anticipated rise in the costs of office space is typical of a market coming out of a recession and reflects the fact that relatively few new development projects have been started in the past couple of years.

Melbourne’s premium rent is more like $550 per sq m, but independent adviser Urbis has predicted a rise of about 10-12 per cent over the next two years.

Australia’s major cities remain among the most expensive in the world for parking space fees and office accommodation – a reflection in the lack of supply and the expected rise in demand for office space as numbers of white-collar workers rise.

DTZ’s 13th annual Global Occupancy Costs report, highlights six Australian cities that are among the world’s 100 most expensive.

According to the report, Sydney’s ranking has increased from position 45 in 2009 to 23 in the latest data – putting it well ahead of many international business precincts including downtown New York, Brussels and Berlin.

Melbourne jumped from rank 86 in 2009 to 53 in 2010. Brisbane is ranked 29, followed by Perth (32), Canberra (73) and Adelaide (80).

SpaceOut continues to offer a realistic alternative for people searching for cheap and convenient office space to rent.

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New Year Resolutions - Towards a Prosperous 2010

2010-01-01T22:49:00.001-08:00

I love to ask people what their resolutions are each year and when I boil the answers down, the most common responses I get are centred around health and wealth. SpaceOut is not in the business of advising on the first of these, but when it comes to adding or saving cash to your monthly balance sheet, we like to sing it out loud!

If you have a finance related resolution this year, chances are that you can utilise SpaceOut to that end. Whether it’s to save money or add to your monthly income, SpaceOut is a great place to start.

Looking for: Office space, Storage space, a handy parking space, a place to park your boat or caravan or truck, a paddock or shed, then SpaceOut is the place where you can find the best deals that are not found anywhere else! Space Owners are regular people who offer their space for very reasonable rates, and you’re likely to find something that suits in the suburb you want it.

Of course if you own any of the above, clean it up and list it now – get in early and see how you can leverage previously unutilised space into cash income that is literally money out of thin air! We receive great feedback every day from people putting all kinds of space to great use, and love hearing from our members. Go ahead, add SpaceOut to your New Year Resolutions and tell your friends so they can benefit too.

SpaceOut wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2010, and a big thank you to all our members who helped to make us what we are today.

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Value Hunter : It's easy money - Quick ways to stretch the budget

2009-12-05T19:38:00.001-08:00

In the Value Hunter column in today’s Australian national Sunday newspapers, Jane Hansen provides some hints and tips about quick and easy ways to make money – including the following snippet about SpaceOut :

If you have any spare space like a spare room, sunroom, shed or garage, you could earn a lazy $100 a week by putting it up for rent as space. Lots of travellers like a place to store their stuff and commercial storage is getting expensive.

It’s a tenant without the hassle says Roget Hawley, who told Value Hunter a few months ago that he had a two-car garage in Brisbane’s north-side, but with only one car, and decided to offer the space for rent on www.spaceout.com.au. It’s now earning him $180 a month.

Today’s article is a follow-up on a piece that Jane Hansen did in August this year where SpaceOut was featured on Value Hunter’s “Cash in Your Spare Space” article.

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Aussie Homes are now the Biggest in the World

2009-11-30T01:44:00.001-08:00

It’s official – Australian homes are now the largest in the world – more 6% bigger than the average US home and amazingly – nearly three times larger than the average home in the UK.

Data released yesterday by Commsec shows that over the last 20 years, the average size of a home in Australia has increased by more than 30%.

The houses are emptier too, with the number of people in each home gradually declining over the last 100 years because of a trend towards smaller families. This trend has only just started to change, with the number of people to a dwelling rising slightly last year – the first time it has done so in over a century.

However, with the increase in house sizes, there appears to be a corresponding increase in rental costs. A report from BIS Shrapnel has also forecasted that rents are expected to spiral with a rise of 5% a year in most capital cities over the next few years.

So, if you (like many Aussies apparently) are living in a large home and have more space than you know what to do with, now is a prime opportunity to cash in on it. You can convert that empty, unused, or spare space into a regular extra income – simply advertise your space for rent, make some extra cash, and provide an opportunity for someone else in your community to save money on storage costs.

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What's the Best Gift you can think of?

2009-11-10T17:29:00.001-08:00

I was brainstorming on the ideal gift the other day – and all sentimental value aside – guess what I decided would be the best thing anyone could get… a passive income!

I mean, just think about it… you as the receiver just suddenly have cash flowing in that you didn’t otherwise have – without having to do anything for it. And I don’t even think the amount is all that important, just the fact that each month or week, you have kind of free money that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

It might stop you going further into debt if that’s where you’re headed, or it might mean you can afford a new monthly luxury that you didn’t have the capacity for before hand.

As fantastical as this may sound, these days you can give this gift, or at least a very good chance of it. Tell your friends and family about SpaceOut.com.au. It is total no-brainer income. How happy will one of your friends be if they start making a few hundred a month just because you told them how to use that spare space. Go on, it’s too easy.

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Money for Jam (Final Episode) - SpaceOut, Kids Jobs, Washing Powder and Small Business Ideas

2009-11-04T03:08:00.001-08:00

Well it’s been a while coming, but SpaceOut finally made it on to the final Money for Jam Episode in this series. Episode 8 went to air – Wednesday night (4 November), with the final round of tips on how you can make or save a little extra money.

This episode featured SpaceOut in a story about some innovative Small Business ideas for making money. Paul Clitheroe, one of Australia’s leading media commentators on financial issues said :

“One Idea that I really like is SpaceOut. I love this idea of making money out of things that we already own. SpaceOut is a website where you can list a spare bedroom, an empty garage, or a farmer could even list an empty paddock for animals for agistment. It’s kind of making money out of nothing – that’s got to be a really good idea.”

The Final episode also included stories about :

Making your own Washing Powder - is easier than you think and a way to save a packet on your laundry costs
Kids Jobs – becoming a referee for their favourite sport – or busking can be a great way for kids to make money
Family Daycare – ever thought about setting up your own Family Day care centre ?
Small Business Ideas – setting up your own small business (like SpaceOut) can be a fabulous way to make some extra money

We are excited to see that SpaceOut has once again been recognised as a great way for ordinary Australians to make some extra money (by renting out unused space in your home and business) or saving money (by finding cheap and convenient space to rent).

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Brisbane CBD Fringe Free Parking to Go

2009-11-03T14:55:00.001-08:00

There will be a dramatic increase in the number of parking meters in Brisbane’s inner city under Brisbane City Council plans to push out free parking from the CBD’s fringe.

Brisbane inner city suburbs including Herston, Kelvin Grove, Bowen Hills, Teneriffe and Newstead are to be targeted. The overhaul would see the number of parking meters increase by 240% from 3750 to 9000.

The council’s Labor Opposition has labelled the expansion plan a “grab for cash”. Labor’s Cr David Hinchliffe said “What is unstated is that this is about parking meter revenue and reducing the number of parking permits that will exempt residents from having to pay for meters. That is what it is all about”.

In the 2008-2009 financial year, 2900 Brisbane parking meters earned $7.5 million. Since July, about 800 more meters have been installed in the inner-city. About 5200 new meters would be added under the changes.

Residential Parking Permit rules change

There is also expected to be a tightening of the current residential parking permit scheme, which gives exemptions to city fringe residents who do not have access to off-street parking.

Currently, about 19,000 parking permits are issued to residents, most of them in the suburbs of Woolloongabba, Dutton Park, West End, Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Kangaroo Point and St Lucia. Residents can apply for one residential parking permit and one additional permit.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the current permit system – which allow residents to park on inner-city streets without having to pay parking meters or pay parking fines – was being abused, with some permits were being photocopied, given to neighbours and sold for up to $10 each.

The council is also facing pressure in a number of inner-city suburbs with commuters from outer suburbs driving into the inner-city before catching public transport to the CBD.

Under the suggested changes, residents of inner-city Brisbane will need to prove that they the homeowner or renter with a tenancy agreement of more than six months. They will also have to provide a current vehicle registration certificate and need to demonstrate that they do not have enough room to park off the street.

A Golden Opportunity for SpaceOut Members

The proposed increase in parking meters and changes to the rules for residential parking permits are certain to make it much more difficult to find parking spots close to Brisbane city. This presents a fabulous opportunity for residents to rent out parking spaces, that they are not using and turn their unused space into cash.

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SpaceOut - Finalist in SmartCompany Best Web Awards 2009

2009-11-03T03:12:00.001-08:00

If you think your website is humming along quite nicely, it might be time to think again – the inaugural SmartCompany Web Awards highlight exactly what you’re up against.

SmartCompany Web Awards 2009

The SmartCompany Web Awards were designed to show just how good small business websites could really be. There were more than 200 entries, from small and large businesses – Australia wide.

We were very pleased to learn that despite very heavy competition – against much larger businesses and websites that have been established for considerably longer – SpaceOut made it into the finals and was considered to be one of the top 3 Best Small Business Websites.

SpaceOut makes it to the finals

We are pretty proud with what we have achieved already (in such a short time) with SpaceOut – and whilst we knew that we had a great idea, a cool website, and offered a fabulous service, it is still very satisfying to get this type of recognition. This is a great pat on the back for us and inspires us to forge ahead with our plans, and make the site and service that we offer even better.

We are also excited to be able to prove that it really is possible for relatively small start-up business to compete with big businesses that have considerably larger budgets. When it comes to great websites, it’s not necessarily how much money you spend but how you spend it.

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SpaceOut Space for Rent - in the News

2009-10-30T00:45:00.001-07:00

SpaceOut’s reputation for providing a new and innovative alternative for renting space is growing, and has started to get more exposure in the media and online. We’ve listed below links to a few of the recent articles and some of the places we have been getting recognition online :

Inside Self Storage – Hot News
SpaceOut Conducts Survey of Australia Self-Storage Prices, Reveals Results
Provides a summary of our Australia wide Self Storage Price Survey
Money for Jam Blog
Money tight? – Now you can make it out of thin air
It is now possible for average Aussies to make real money out of unused space in their homes or businesses by renting it out as storage.
Lifehacker Australia
Storage Priciest In Sydney, Cheaper From Independents
It’s no big surprise that renting storage space costs more in Sydney ($800 per month for a garage-sized space) than anywhere else. But it might surprise you to learn that independent storage providers are generally cheaper than national chains.
Optus Business Biz Think Tank – Featured Business of the Month
The Optus Biz Think Tank showcase a different business every month that have used a mix of innovation and technology along the way. SpaceOut is the featured business for Oct/Nov 2009.
Low Budget Prosper
Crisis business idea – renting storage space
Seems like a perfect crisis business idea… paying for unused office space or ignoring the opportunity to earn money by renting spare space or a parking spot is truly impractical. This business idea just hast to be successful!

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Money for Jam : Episode Six - Garage Sales - Money from Pets - Scrap Metal

2009-10-23T18:11:00.001-07:00

Money to Jam Episode 6 (two more to go) went to air – Wednesday night (21st October), with another batch of tips on how you can make or save a little extra money.

The 6th episode included stories about :

Garage Sales – an age old favourite – and a great way to clear out the things you no longer sue (and make some money)
Money from pets – training your pets for film or TV can be very lucrative
Any Old Iron ? - You can make some extra cash by collecting and selling scrap metal

Remember that one of the easiest way for you to make money is by renting out unused space in your home and business. You can earn $200 or more (that’s over $2,000 a year) by turning your wasted space into cash – now that really is Money for Jam.

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Money for Jam : Episode Five - Booming Business - Community Garden - Money Tips for Kids

2009-10-15T20:48:00.001-07:00

After a couple of weeks break (to make way for the Hey Hey it’s Saturday Specials) Money to Jam Episode 5 went to air – Wednesday night (16th October), with another round of tips on how you can make or save a little extra money.

The 5th episode included stories about :

Business is Booming – despite the economic downturn some business are still doing very well. Businesses (such as SpaceOut) that provide cheaper or smarter alternatives are booming
Community Gardens – not only provide a source of cheap healthy fruit and veggies – but also encourage you to interact socially with other members of your neighbourhood
Extra and location work – can be a lucrative and fun way to make money
Teaching your kids to save money – is a great way for them to learn the value of money and could encourage them to be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow
Talented Kids – find out how talented kids can make money

Remember that one of the easiest way for you to make money is still by renting out unused space in your home and business. You can earn $200 – $300 a month (or more) by turning your wasted space into cash – now that really is Money for Jam.

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Families still struggling to make ends meet

2009-10-13T18:26:00.001-07:00

Despite an apparent turnaround in the economy, in the first half of this year one in five Australian families have still had difficulties paying their bills and many have been forced to seek help from family and friends during the economic crisis.

A new Australian Government report released yesterday, reveals that a frightening number of Australians suffered financial pain in the first six months of this year.

The survey of over 1600 families found more than a third considered themselves financially worse off in the six months to June 2009.

1 in five families reported levels of hardship that meant that made it hard for them to pay their utility bills.
Of the families unable to pay their rent or mortgage on time, nearly 80 per cent were suffering this way for the first time.
Of those who had gone without food, 70 per cent had not experienced this before.

Coincidentally, the government survey was released on the same day Anglicare Australia released its annual State of the Family report. The Anglicare report also highlights that Families have been under increasing pressure because of rising costs.

Families are using a variety of strategies to save money and reduce their costs including :

One in 10 is putting off plans for a new job
Five per cent have put off having a child until the economy improves
Five per cent have postponed their wedding celebrations in order to save money
One in three is travelling less
One in four is spending more time with the family
One in five is planning to grow their own vegetables

Obviously SpaceOut also offers a great option for many struggling families – to either make money by renting out unused space in their homes – or to save money on self storage costs.

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Turn Your Castle into a Cash Cow - How to Make Money from your Own Home

2009-09-25T02:42:00.001-07:00

SpaceOut was featured in – Turn Your Castle into a Cash Cow on tonight’s A Current Affair program on Channel Nine.

The story covered a range of opportunities to make money out of your home.

House Swap – If you’re planning a holiday, you don’t have to necessarily pay out of your own pockets for accommodation. You could save money on accommodation and car hire as well by doing a house swap.

Make Your House a Star – You could earn up to $5,000 a day by renting your house out for filming of television commercials, series or film production.

Renovate and Reap the Rewards – Effie Zahos from Money Magazine says investing in some construction work on your house can make the value soar. “Dropping in $5,000 to tart up your place could actually get you around $25,000 return,” she says.

and of course

Rent Out Your Space – Rent out unused space in your home or business (or farm) and turn it into cash – making money from nothing has never been so easy. You can Register for free and Create your own Listing - Right Now.

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Money for Jam : Episode Three - Boarders, House-sitting & Franchise Opportunities

2009-09-18T19:22:00.001-07:00

Money to Jam Episode 3 went to air Wednesday night (16th Sep), with yet another round of hints and tips on how you can easily make (or save) a little extra money.

The 3rd episode included stories about :

Boarders and House-sitting – make money by taking in foreign students or save money on rent by looking after someone else’s house while they are away.
Franchise Opportunities – there are currently over 800 different franchise opportunities available in Australia – covering a huge variety of business types
Glam Van – an innovative Sydney based business providing a mobile Hair Styling & Make up service

Remember that one of the easiest way for you to make money is still by renting out unused space in your home and business. You could earn $200 – $300 a month (That’s more than $3,000 a year) by turning your wasted space into cash – literally making money from nothing.

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Money for Jam : Episode Two - Promo Work, Community Spirit & Burlesque

2009-09-14T03:00:00.001-07:00

Money to Jam Episode 2 went to air Wednesday night (9th Sep), with another batch of hints and tips on how you can easily make (or save) a little extra money.

The 2nd episode included stories about :

Promotional Work – wearing a silly costume around to promote or advertise a product or business could earn you $20 an hour
Sorting through other peoples Junk that they’ve placed out at the kerbside cleanup is a fantastic way to convert rubbish into cash
Getting together with your neighbours can create a vibrant healthy community and presents an opportunity to share costs for things such as babysitting, and buying fruit and vegies in bulk.
OK so Burlesque is maybe not for everyone, but it’s certainly a different way you could earn an extra income. Have a look at your own “special” skills and see what you may have to offer

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Aussie Farmers rave about SpaceOut Opportunities

2009-09-11T01:40:00.001-07:00

As one of the 3 mates that helped start www.SpaceOut.com.au , it’s fantastic to see people benefiting from this new service. Sure, people in the city have taken to us like ducks to water however; we are discovering many other communities love the concept as well.

On Saturday night I was at my Brother in law’s farm for his 30th, and he was telling all his farming mates about www.spaceout.com.au . I was not saying too much – just letting Rick tell his farming mates about us and to my surprise they loved the concept! Of course they share their neighbor’s space all the time for stock agistment (you pay to have stock on someone’s paddock), share cropping, machinery and produce storage. However, they rely very much on word of mouth and their own contacts.

My brother in law Rick said – “I could think of a heap of ways that SpaceOut could help me.
• I have storage for hay and grain on this place.
• At times I have a heap of feed for agistment.
• At certain times of the year I am looking for places to store my gear when I go around doing contract harvesting.
• If someone in town has a caravan or motorhome they need to park in a shed I have the space”.

As the conversation went on they all chimed in with ideas. Stables for horses…”I have a spare couple of stables said Peter from up the road”. I might find a close Shearing Shed when I need one. Someone from town could store there boat here and on they went.

www.SpaceOut.com.au is all about community pulling together to make and save money. Farmers are great community-minded people.
I reckon farmers could really get a lot out of this service. SpaceOut is still free, so now is the time to get on board.

Nathon

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SpaceOut Social Media Release

2009-09-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

andy@spaceout.com.au has sent you a SpaceOut Social Media Press Release.

Money for Nothing!

Home and business owners can earn money for nothing by renting out space
Home and business owners can earn money for nothing by renting out space with SpaceOut
Click here http://pitch.pe/24394 to access your release or copy and paste the link into the address bar in your web browser.

Andy Henderson

SpaceOut
http://www.spaceout.com.au
andy@spaceout.com.au

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Great Way to Store your stuff while you travel

2009-08-31T23:30:00.001-07:00

Here is a great low-cost storage option that anyone planning on traveling overseas for an extended period should be aware.

Spaceout is a free service that helps people that need to store there gear whilst they travel OS to find someone who has a spare room/garage who is able to store it. With this service you can store your gear at a much more affordable rate than traditional storage - and use the money you've saved to travel a bit longer.

If you are planning a trip and need somewhere to store your things then check out www.spaceout.com.au for a cheap and convenient storage option. Or, if you've just returned from your travels, and need to scrape together some cash for the next trip, you can rent out a spare room, garage or shed for storage, make a bit of cash and help help out a fellow traveler.

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SpaceOut featured in Value Hunter column of Australian Sunday papers

2009-08-29T18:12:00.001-07:00

SpaceOut was featured in today's Sunday Newspapers (Australian Wide) in the highly regarded Value Hunter section. Value Hunter is a consumer advocacy column that has been appearing since the beginning of 2009 in all News Ltd Sunday newspapers. The Value Hunter Column provides useful, simple, and practical information about how to make and save money.

See a copy of the “Money for Nothing” article on the Space for Rent Blog by SpaceOut.

The Value Hunter Article provides info on a variety of SpaceOut members who are already benefiting by renting out (or renting) Storage and Parking Spaces through SpaceOut. The list includes :

· a guy from Brisbane making $180 a week (that’s over $2k a year) by renting out a part of his garage for storage

· a bloke from Sydney renting out an unused bedroom for storage – and making and extra $280 a month ($3,360 a year)

· an apartment owner in Brisbane CBD advertising his parking space (which he does not use during the day) for $320 a month – earning money while he is away at work !!

· a Brisbane recruitment consultant saving over $400 a month by using a parking space she found through SpaceOut

The unique service being offered by SpaceOut is awesome – find out more about renting Storage, Office or Parking Space

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Shared Office Space Available for Rent - Northcote, Victoria

2009-08-28T16:33:00.001-07:00

Creative office/studio space in downtown Northcote

Are you looking for a highly professional, well presented space that gives your creativity room to breathe? Then welcome to 19 Eastment St, Northcote, Melbourne.

Mono Design is a Melbourne-based graphic design and copywriting studio that has been running since 1996, and have operated out of their Northcote studio since 2004.

The space for rent is a shared creative office / studio space which is available right now. On a practical level this fully renovated, open plan studio in downtown Northcote will provide you with:

a large desk to call your own
fully networked environment including ADSL 2
plenty of storage
well appointed meeting room
kitchen
a large upstairs communal space
price includes all bills except phone

Ruth from Mono Design had this to say about Spaceout : “Wow! You are so responsive and have way exceeded any expectations I had . It really is rare to get such good customer service … Much appreciated.”

If you have unused space in your home and business, or are looking for Office Space, Storage Space or a Parking Space to Rent – you can Make or Save Money on Space Rental with SpaceOut.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Money for Jam - Simple ways to make Money for Nothing

2009-08-20T06:19:00.001-07:00

In September, Channel Nine will be broadcasting a brand new television series called “Money for Jam” that’s all about ideas on how to put more money back in your pocket.

As you are probably aware the saying “money for jam” means easy money. Your “bread and butter” relates to your regular income and “the jam”, is a bonus on the top – quick cash that makes life so much sweeter.

Money For Jam promises to offer plenty of easy advice and money-making tips to leave you feeling excited about just how easy it can be to save and make your money go further.

Remember on your quest to either make or save money, that advertising your office, parking or storage space through Spaceout also gives you a great opportunity to get Money for Noting or Save Money on Office, Parking or Storage Space..

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Melbourne has 1.3 Million unused bedrooms !!

2009-08-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

Right now, there are 1.3 Million bedrooms in Melbourne that are not being used. This accounts for nearly a third of all bedrooms in Melbourne, and highlights what a massive opportunity there is for these home owners to convert that unused space into an extra income.

If you have an unused bedroom in your house – you could convert it into a regular income by renting it out for storage – find out how to rent out your space now.

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Money Tight? – Now you can make it out of thin air

2009-08-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

These days, with increased petrol prices and a higher cost of living, most of us are finding it a little harder to stretch our budgets. If you are struggling to keep up with the mortgage payments, or keep the car running, or if the prospect of a holiday is simply out of the question – how much of a difference would an extra couple of thousand dollars a year make ?
It is now possible for average Aussies to make real money out of unused space in their homes or businesses by renting it out as storage. A spare room, a garden shed, an unused garage or office, parking space, wasted space under your house, or even an empty wardrobe can all be easily harnessed to earn you an extra regular passive income – literally making money out of thin air

People from all over Australia – some in your own town or suburb, and maybe even your own street - are already doing it right now, and if you have some unused or empty then you can probably do it too.

A new free service called SpaceOut (launched earlier this year) is a whole new business concept which provides Australian Home and Business owners with an opportunity to turn their spare (wasted) space into a regular passive income. In these times of financial uncertainty and increased living costs, an extra $200 a month (or more) would certainly be a help to most of us.

To get started, all you need to do is create a Space for Rent listing on www.spaceout.com.au and people looking for space in your local area, can search and find your listing. A simple search shows listings on a map, making it easy to identify spaces in or near a specific area.

If you are looking for storage, office or a car parking space, and there is nothing currently available to match your specific needs, you can even create your own Space Wanted listing.

“The idea just popped into my head” says Damon Russell – one of the founders of SpaceOut. “I was visiting a mate before I went Overseas, and noticed his garage was half empty. I asked if I could store my stuff with him while I was away and he said Sure! My next thought was – Hey, wouldn't it be great if everybody could do this... and SpaceOut was born.“

Already the site has been a resounding success, with hundreds of listings for Office, Parking and Storage space Australia wide. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with most people commenting on what a great concept this is - often followed with the words “Why didn't I think of that!”. With membership and listings growing fast, SpaceOut is looking like becoming one of the big internet success stories of the year.