Sydney start-up Spacer solves solution to storage wars

No park? No problem. Take a look at website Spacer — an online community hub, taking the world by a storm, where people with spare space can list and rent it out to others for a small fee.

No park? No problem. Store your belongings or car in a vacant lot through website Spacer — an online hub for people with spare space, just like Elliot, to rent it out to others in need.

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It has never been easier to boost your earnings through the simple act of sharing thanks to the rise of websites such as Uber and Airbnb.

Now Sydney-based start-up Spacer is helping people do the same with spare storage areas and car spaces.

The online marketplace connects people looking for a storage solution or a place to park their car with those who have the space to spare in their local area.

Spacer and Parkhound CEO Mike Rosenbaum, who is also the co-founder of The Sharing Hub.

CEO and founder Michael Rosenbaum said the platform, which has grown to have a national footprint since its launch in 2015, is “like an Expedia of parking and space.”

“We have over 30,000 hosts on the platform today,” he said.

“The spaces are typically a garage or a car space that can be lent out for a passive income.

“But it could also be a driveway or a shed or a spare bedroom or a basement.”

Mr Rosenbaum said renters on Spacer (known as hosts) can often earn between $200 and $400 a month from renting a car space, which are especially sought after in major cities with limited parking such as Sydney.

“On the parking side, we’ve found that places closest to a train station or a bus depot or light rail are very popular,” he said. “Spaces near universities and hospitals are popular too because a lot of hospital workers don’t have car spaces to park in.”

Both the price of the spaces and the length of the rental are set by the hosts.

“We look after the transactional side of things, so we collect payments and pay the hosts,” Mr Rosenbaum said.

Single parents, single people and even couples can benefit from using Spacer to find space, just like this couple renting a place for storage in Lindfield.

Spacer also helps to resolve issues such as overdue payments and lost items claims and provides insurance for hosts to cover any losses or damage from needing to remove stored items from a space.

Mr Rosenbaum’s advice to people looking to grab people’s attention with their listing on Spacer is to be as specific as possible with the details and measurements.

“If there’s anything special about your space — if it’s got lighting or access to water in case someone has a boat and they want to be able to wash it or any security features — make sure you add those details in too,” he said.

See more information at spacer.com.au.