Residents in one particularly popular Sydney council area have created a miniature black market of beach parking permits on Facebook.
Residents in one Sydney council area are flooding Facebook Marketplace to sell their parking permits – but with a clever twist.
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A quick search on the social media site reveals it is littered with ads for “free” Northern Beaches parking permits, sold alongside regular household items with three-figure price tags.
For example, one listing advertises a $150 pen, with a “free Northern beaches parking permit” included in the sale price.
The reason for the “free gift” with purchase is to skirt around Facebook Marketplace rules, which can see listings for illegal items, such as residential parking permits, removed by the platform’s automated moderators.
This practice seems to be particularly prevalent in the Northern Beaches given it is a popular area for tourists and day-trippers but has limited on-street parking, especially during peak summer periods.
However, residents of the Northern Beaches Council area are entitled to two free permits per household and can purchase two more for $250 per year or $126 for six months.
Unlike many other kinds of residential parking permits, the Northern Beaches permits don’t limit residents to parking in a certain street or block but rather allow them to access free, unlimited parking across the entire council area, which happens to contain some of Sydney’s most popular beaches.
This has opened up the potential for residents to make some serious cash on the side by selling their unused permits.
Additionally, after scouring the council’s parking policy document online, we could not find a single clause that makes it illegal to sell the permit.
In a 2020 interview with the Daily Telegraph, Elspeth Cronin, executive manager of customer service for Northern Beaches Council, said there is no legislation stopping people from selling their parking permits.
“The terms of the Northern Beaches Parking permits state that they are not transferable; however, this does not stop some residents from selling their parking permits through Facebook and other social forums,” said Cronin.
“Unfortunately there is no legislation that the council can enforce to prohibit the sale of beach parking permits.”
Part of the council’s action plan is to digitalise the parking permits, which was its goal for the 2021–2022 financial year. However, as of 2024, the parking permits are still physical.
However, plenty of other councils have clauses that threaten legal action against those who try to sell their residential parking permits.
The City of Sydney council’s terms and conditions for parking permits specifically state you will be reported to the authorities if you sell your sticker.
“Permits must not be sold, transferred or allocated to another person. Misuse or fraud may be referred to the Police. In the event of fraud or misuse, the City may also cancel one or all permits issued to your household,” it reads.
This strategy is similar to that employed in other high-traffic, timed parking areas, such as Melbourne’s Yarra City Council and Port Phillip Council.
In a previous story, Heather Cunsolo, the mayor of Port Phillip, told Drive her council is fining people for selling their parking permits.
“We have encountered some misuse of residential parking permits, most often with our transferable visitor permits,” Ms Cunsolo told Drive.
“Due to the impact this can have on legitimate permit holders parking near their homes, we introduced a new clause to our local laws to help deter and manage the unauthorised use of residential parking permits.
“This amendment makes it an offence to sell or purchase, hire, lease, license or receive a residential parking permit that has been allocated to another person. Infringements can be issued to those who have misused the permit and/or the permit holder.”
In the Port Phillip Council area, this infringement attracts 2.5 penalty units, and the value of a penalty unit is currently $197.59 – meaning a potential fine of up to $395.18.
The post ‘Pen for sale’: The sneaky way Sydneysiders are selling their beach parking permits appeared first on Drive.
