Cities and counties who make it illegal to live in tiny homes, RV's or other vehicles just make themselves to look like a$$holes.
Having personally lived in a tiny space on wheels, I can tell you, having permission to park one of these things is the biggest priority for most who live this way.
They want to abide by the law.
They want to have permission to park overnight (no electricity or water hookups necessary).
They would even be willing to pay near a normal monthly room rental fee to do so!
But you have those who are in business who are concerned about liability, trash clean up and people dying while on the premises.
The places I used to park no longer allow overnight parking because the few who didn't respect living this way would leave trash, perform drug deals or would get killed or die otherwise literally while in the parking lot.
The Solution is Simple
Find a network of chain businesses who are willing to create extra revenue by renting out portions (not entirely) of their parking lots each night.
Charge $300-$350 a month (more or less depending on rental rates for a room in your area) for a local "club" fee, payable anyway they see fit per vehicle parked overnight.
Create the rules in the rental agreement to be acknowledged by the renter:
There is no electricity hookups.
There is no water access.
There shall be no open barbequing.
There shall be no open flames.
There shall be no drug use, illegal behaviors of any kind. ALL SUSPECTED criminal activity is reported, you forfeit to right to sleep on the parking lot and you loose all your monthly rental fee (no reimbursement).
Pets shall not be left unattended in vehicles for any reason. Any pet left unattended for any reason is reason for forfeiture of the spot, rental fees, etc... ALL pet waste is to be cleaned up for.
There is no garbage service.
Each parking lot will have a security volunteers to report suspected criminal behavior (if the business is closed overnight). This will prevent vandalism, etc...
Each person renting a spot, will sign a "hold harmless" agreement against the business itself (meaning the person cannot sue the business).
Trailers shall not be dropped from the vehicles at any time. Slideouts will not be opened.
Hours of parking allowed overnight from the hours of 8:30pm to 7am. Registered vehicles in the program may not park for extended periods of time on the premises unless they can prove a legitimate business need to do so. It's up to business management to determine (through the use of video surveillance, etc..) if this is true.
All vehicles will be properly maintained and kept in working conditions (no vehicle work will be done on the parking lot of any kind for any reason).
No trash shall be left open and no trash shall be left behind.
Each chain business that does this, will purchase increased liability policies for their properties that will satisfy local city requirements.
Each business chain can decide how long a person can stay on a spot, how long the vehicle will be, etc...If rented for a month, it might mean staying no longer than 7 days in location, before the person has to move to another location.
Putting strict rules into place and enforcing them helps the system not be abused by the few. The majority of folks willing to pay for this, who abide by the rules will be eager to keep those who don't in check so they don't lose the ability to park overnight with permission.
This is just an Idea
This is not the final solution and there is room in this skeleton plan for adjustments, but it is doable.
There will be enough money generated to pay for the software to manage the rental agreements and or part time staff who do clean up for each of these locations in the event it is needed. There will also be enough to pay for the liability insurance the business has to pay to cover it.
Places that could do this:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints church building locations
The Jehovah's Witnesses church building locations
Walmart
Home Depots
Lowe's
Vacant big box store parking lots (every major city has at least one of those).
Casinos
Hospitals
This CAN be done.
By providing a place to park overnight (with permission), you're alleviating one of the biggest stressors of living in a vehicle or other tiny home.
This allows those who are temporarily homeless a chance to get back on their feet and back into a home if they choose. Those that want to live a mobile lifestyle can now do so with permission, promoting the lifestyle and helping it stay safe and accessible for those who do not abuse it. All the while, creating income for the business.
Why aren't more business owners not motivated to try this?
Image Source: Pixabay