How to Check Street Parking Before You Buy a Home

The listing says "plenty of street parking", and on Saturday morning at the open home there were four empty spaces right outside. Then you move in, come home at 7:15 pm on a Tuesday, and circle the block for twenty minutes before parking two streets away. Learning to check street parking before you buy takes a few short visits and one or two phone calls, and it can save you years of nightly frustration.

I have sold homes in tight inner suburbs for long enough to know that parking is one of the most common regrets buyers mention in the first year. Here is how to check it properly before you sign.

Why the open home is the worst time to check street parking

Open homes are usually held mid-morning on a Saturday, which is exactly when residents are out at sport, shopping or brunch. Streets that are full every weeknight look generous at 10:30 am on a weekend. Agents know this, and some vendors will even move their own cars away to free up the kerb.

You need to see the street at the times you will actually use it. For most households that means three visits:

• A weekday evening, between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. This is peak demand, when everyone who commutes is home.
• A weekday morning, around 8:30 am. Shows commuter parking if you are near a station, school or shops.
• A Sunday afternoon, or any time of a local event if you are near a sports ground, church or popular park.

Each visit takes 10 minutes. Walk 100 metres in each direction and count free legal spaces. Write the numbers down. If you find zero or one space on the weeknight visit, you have your answer.

Signs, permits and rules that change everything

Read every parking sign within two blocks. Time limits such as "2P 8 am to 6 pm" mean you cannot leave a second car on the street during the day. Clearways, street sweeping days and no parking zones near driveways all reduce real capacity.

Resident parking permits

Many councils run resident permit schemes in busy areas. Do not assume a new owner automatically qualifies. Common restrictions include:

• Properties with off-street parking may get fewer permits, or none.
• Newer apartment buildings are often excluded from the scheme entirely.
• There may be a cap of one or two permits per address, plus a yearly fee.
• Waiting lists can exist in the busiest zones.

Call the council's parking team and give them the exact address. Ask how many permits the property is eligible for, what they cost, and whether any changes to the scheme are planned. It is a five minute call. While you are on their website, it is worth looking at local development plans too, because a new block of 40 units with 20 car spaces will change your street faster than anything else.

Checking the driveway and garage, not just the street

Off-street parking is only useful if your car fits. Older garages were built for smaller cars, and many are now used as storage because modern vehicles do not fit through the door.

Bring a tape measure to the second inspection and measure your own car beforehand. Also check the driveway slope and the angle onto the road. Steep crossovers scrape the underside of low cars every single day.

If the property is in a body corporate or strata scheme, ask whether the car space is on its own title or is just exclusive use, and whether visitor spaces are actually enforced.

"You can always add a driveway later" is often wrong

Buyers looking at a house with no off-street parking often hear this from agents and friends. Sometimes it is true. Often it is not, and finding out after settlement is expensive.

A new driveway usually needs a council-approved vehicle crossover across the footpath and kerb. Councils commonly refuse applications where the crossover would remove a public parking space in a high demand street, damage a street tree, sit too close to an intersection, or clash with heritage controls. Even when it is approved, the crossover, kerb work and driveway can cost several thousand dollars before you touch the front garden.

If off-street parking matters to you, treat its absence as permanent unless the council confirms in writing that a crossover is likely to be approved. Price your offer on that basis.

Electric cars, trades vans and visitors

Think about the next five years, not just today. If you plan to buy an electric car, home charging without off-street parking is difficult. Running a cable across a footpath is not allowed in many areas, and public chargers may be several streets away.

If you or a partner drives a work van, look at height limits, restrictions on commercial vehicles in residential streets, and whether neighbours already park trailers or boats. And consider visitors. A street that barely fits residents on a weeknight will not fit your parents at Christmas lunch.

Ask the neighbours

The fastest shortcut is to knock on a door or chat to someone washing their car. Ask two questions: "How hard is it to park here after work?" and "Are there any parking fights on the street?" Neighbours will often tell you about the house with five cars, the café staff who park all day, or the weekly football crowd. Parking disputes are also a common source of friction that you will not see on paper, much like the issues covered in our guide to reading a neighbourhood before you make an offer.

While you stand there, note the traffic too. Streets used as rat runs to avoid a main road are both harder to park in and louder, so our checklist to check neighbourhood noise before buying pairs well with this one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out if a street has resident parking permits?

Check the parking signs in the street first, since permit zones are usually signed. Then call or search the local council's parking page with the exact address. Ask how many permits the property qualifies for and what they cost each year.

Does lack of parking reduce a home's value?

In busy inner suburbs, homes without off-street parking often sell for less than similar homes with a car space, and they can take longer to sell. In quiet streets with plenty of kerb space the difference is smaller. Compare recent sales on the same street to see how much it matters locally.

What time of day should I check parking before buying?

Visit on a weekday evening between 6:30 and 8:00 pm, when most residents are home. Add a weekday morning visit if you are near a station or school, and a weekend visit if a sports ground or event venue is nearby.