ParkatmyHouse is the sort of company that makes you wonder why you didn’t manage to come up with the idea first. It’s so simple, appeals to just about anyone with a car and, well, it solves a genuine problem.
Launched originally in 2006 by London-based Anthony Eskinazi, ParkatmyHouse does exactly what its name suggests – it lets people rent out their parking spaces to people with cars. It’s of particular use in high-trafficed urban areas, where road real-estate is either hard to find or uber-expensive. You can think of it as an Airbnb of the parking realm.
ParkatmyHouse is perhaps more well-known in the UK market, but it’s Web app is also being used in the US, where it currently counts 30,000 users. It’s also active in other countries around the world, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and we’re told – in all seriousness – that it has had listings in the North Pole.
At the time of writing, it claims 180,000 users in the UK, and 250,000 around the world.
While the Web-based service is global, it is still largely a UK-centric service in terms of where it’s actively targeting, which explains why it’s first foray into the mobile realm on iOS is only open to UK users for the time-being.
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ParkatmyHouse goes mobile
The new mobile app has been a long time coming, considering there’s every chance you’d need to find a space while already out and about. On a practical level, the ParkatmyHouse app lets you search for private car parking spaces in town centres, near airports, train stations, sports stadiums and everywhere in between.
Enter your desired location (or choose to leave it at ‘Current Location’), the date and times, and click ‘Find Parking Now’. You’ll then be presented with a list of available options.
Click on any free space, and you’ll see a map and description.
To proceed with a booking, you can log-in with your Facebook credentials, or set up an account using your email address. You’ll then have to enter details about your car, including make, model and registration number.
Click on ‘Check Price and Availability’, then ‘Select a Payment Method’ and you’re good to go.
ParkatmyHouse is a no-frills app that does exactly what it professes to do. It’s disappointing that it’s only available in the UK for now, and restricted to iOS devices, but it’s a start. If you are in the US of A, you’ll maybe want to check out Park Circa (see previous coverage), while Parkopedia (same developers as ParkatmyHouse, see previous coverage) is designed more for finding parking spaces in general, as is Yellow Line which is London-only.
ParkatmyHouse is available to download from the App Store now.
Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
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