I have heard this idea mentioned many times over the years. I had a building I was trying to sell without much luck. It was a newer 50'x50' building with two overhead doors, heat, 2 post lift, running water and toilet. I had a friend suggest I open it to people looking for a place to work on their cars, charge them by the hour or day, whatever. Or maybe form a club or group that would use it and charge a monthly fee. I could only see major problems doing this and never considered it. I bought a package of 3 trucks from a guy a couple of years ago who bought his elderly father's house that came with a very nice detached garage that he said he planned to rent out to someone, he didn't anyone lined up yet, to work on their cars or whatever project. I thought that was also a bad idea with a lot of potential problems. Now I see quite a few people on FB Marketplace renting out garages and car trailers by the hour. I see the same problems doing this.

My main concerns would be insurance. Like the Great Truck Relay from many years ago, I can't see any insurance company insuring anyone who allows an assortment of friends, not to mention total strangers, use their equipment. Second, if I would have rented out my shop I would have needed to be there every time someone was using the building to make sure they weren't doing something dangerous or stupid or damaging to my building or stealing things.

I think on the surface it would be an interesting way to make some extra cash and help others but I am sure it wouldn't work out the way some may think it would work. What is your opinion?

 

You might want to chat with Car Club of Rochester ( https://share.google/gHEFq3vfB7uXikmFr ) or the Egypt Garage ( https://www.facebook.com/100067000364152/ ) they seem to do something similar to what you are looking to do. They may have insights on how it wall works including insurance, non-profit, limited liability and similar all work.

Their campuses made for an interesting tours a few years back when I visited.

 

Why don’t you just rent out heated storage for guys with expensive cars or boats. That way you won’t have people milling around. Most people have fire and theft insurance on their vehicles. I think you would only need fire insurance for the building. I think it’s too much risk with the hoist. I wouldn’t let someone in my shop on my hoist if I wasn’t there. Sounds like a real headache. My 2 cents. They are Canadian cents so they aren’t worth a hill of beans. Doug.

 

There is or used to be a place close to where I live. You had to bring all your own tools. They would have someone on had to guide if required. Not sure about a hoist. I to see a lot of potential problems coming out of this. And do you want another job? Even as a side line.

 

Lemme just be blunt.

The only people these kinda shenanigans work for are typically ignorant people who "haven't had enough success worth losing" in life.

I see BEAT TO CRAP 1994 Chevy trucks hauling **** around town every day: broke windshield, limo tint, four uniquely different tires, faded primer gray, open exhaust, Autozone LED headlights pointed to the moon, no license plates, and I bet you lunch no insurance.

...And the guy driving it looks like he just ripped off the lawn mower and table saw in the bed of the truck.

the only kinda people that drive a car that begs to be pulled over.....with no registration/insurance....are the kinda folks who have very little to lose.

You are correct to be careful; the folks who do rent their garage by the hour(8am-9am) probably would be moved out by 9:15 and disappeared if....let's say....someone were to drop a car on themselves.

You? A responsible person who's worked for everything they have and stands to lose a lot?
Just gotta watch yourself like walkin on the rough side of town with gold chains and fancy watches.

If you allow people to do semi dangerous things on your property, they might see your "money" and "accidentally slip and fall"



I think an alternative idea is a little more drawn out...but, maybe make friends with some local car group--you don't actually have to like the cars they drive--and give them a place to work and learn. Yes....this may mean you gotta be friends with a bunch of snot nosed little brats that drive fart-can hondas. but if you judge them to be honest after getting to know them, maybe you can trust them on your property.....???

 

My opinion is that more than a few people will never take care of someone else's property. Some will, but many will not.
The lift is the biggest concern to me. I have one in my garage and it isn't hard to have a vehicle shift a little if I didn't set the lift points on the vehicle perfectly. Now take someone paying by the hour (or day? and they are going to rush and take chances.
Oh, and fluids will spill on the ground, and some will get dumped out back when nobody is looking. Nobody around me takes used transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant, etc. for free. The local transfer station charges $6.50 a gallon and many people are too cheap and can't be bothered to go there to drop it off.
I have to choose carefully who does work in my garage. One friend of a friend used my lift in winter and he did not clear the snow off it first. The snow melted and flowed all over things I had on the floor that shouldn't get wet. No attempt at clean-up, no apologies.
I like better the idea of renting it out for seasonal storage.
Tom

 

Storage only, or button it up and ask your tax man how much you can write off on it.....

Do you have a commercial real estate outfit working it?

 

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. In order to create some income from the property; form a LLC that owns the property/building, procure appropriate insurance and rent/lease the building to a single entity.

 

I think Bob is only asking a hypothetical. Bob sold this garage. He does his electrical circuit systems work at his shop at his home.

So he is thinking back if there would have been a better use for the warehouse/garage.

Bob, correct me if I am wrong.

 

I think you all are confused, or I didn't myself clear, I never considered this. I could only see a bad situation coming from such an arrangement. I just see a lot of people doing this. I run my own small business and pretty much anything I do I think through the liability of any actions I am about to do. I also carry full business insurance.

At the time it was suggested toe to loan out my building my business was failing and I had a mortgage to pay on the building. I couldn't sell it, the offers I got were less than half of what I paid for it. Even then I wouldn't entertain such a goofy idea. It's now I've been seeing quite a few people offering up their buildings and equipment for hourly/ daily rentals. I think it foolish. Maybe some good money to start be eventually they'll get bit in the butt.

We had a place locally that rented out stalls by the hour to to do DIY repairs The building was an auto repair place at one time with lifts. The rental place didn't last long. I know from my own business there are a lot of guys doing the same type of work I do for half of what I charge working out of their garage but they don't carry any kind of insurance.

 

We had a former JC Penney garage near me that I thought would be perfect for that idea. I thought having an attendant and rent tools and bays would be an income and very needed here. Insurance and people that are careless were the main reasons I never went forward with the idea. Also already working my own business didn't allow time to for another one.

 

Yes bob I was confused and didn't read this thread well enough, sorry for rambling pointlessly.

 

I think the insurance would be a major hurdle. I'm sure you could probably develop a series of waivers that users would have to sign that would help transfer the risk. But, in the litigious society that we live in that still might not be good enough.

As an aside, I recently attended a company sponsored event at one of those ax throwing places. We each had to sign a waiver with multiple clauses that each had to be initialed.
I work for an insurance company and on the way home I was thinking about the "what ifs" of it. There I was driving a company car, from a company sponsored (and paid for) event, after consuming company purchased frosty beverages....
.....what had me thinking is that, I would bet dollars to donuts that my company wouldn't write a policy for the ax throwing place.

 

As someone who works on my truck out of a double storage unit. (The owner is well aware and I am lucky to rent it). I would Love to find and try to buy a building like Bob is talking about near me. Storage condos are getting popular in my parts. They are partially finished, put together for car guys, each stall has its own toilet and mezzanine. The $190K they are asking prices out a lot of folks. Not to mention the utilites, ever rising property taxes, insurance, etc.

 

I know of 1 or 2 garages who do this but none close enough to me to tell you how they operate. The hourly rate does seem a bit high to me so I'm not sure how attractive it would be to anyone to use. I know from personal experience of working on other peoples stuff at their home I never have the things i need on hand to finish a job. And that might be tools, parts or the need for spares I hadn't predicted I would need. So the same must be true of that type of drive-in garage.

I think they might work ok in commercial workshops where they can afford to set aside an area for use by paying customers. At least that way someone responsible is always around to stop the worst happening. In theory anyway.