Yahoo News Landlord undercuts hospital by offering his drive for NHS staff parking
A landlord is undercutting charges at one of Birmingham's biggest hospitals, having transformed his driveway into a 20-vehicle car park.
Akeel Ahmed spent around £20,000 turning renovating the area in front of his house, opposite Heartlands Hospital, into a car park. But he still only charges half the fee of daily parking at the NHS facility.
He charges £5 for all-day parking - a serious saving on the £10.20 demanded by the hospital for a 24-hour stay.
The father-of-three charges £5 for all-day parking - the hospital charge is £10.20. He also targets the school run market with £2 offers for drop-off and pick-up slots on weekdays.
Customers post the cash through the letterbox and head off about their business.
Ahmed, 33, is among scores of homeowners who have hit upon a way of making easy cash by hiring out their drive.
Last year it was reported that residents near Edgbaston Stadium could earn up to £1,000 in the week of an England Test match.
Ahmed's "lightbulb moment" came last October when a driver visiting the hospital asked if he could park on his drive and handed him £5 "for his trouble".
He has installed motion-triggered CCTV so customers know their vehicles are safe.
Ahmed, who grew up in the property, said his primary customers are nurses, many of whom split the cost of a space with colleagues.
He said: "A guy came here while I was clearing the garden and asked if he could park - that was the lightbulb moment. I sorted the whole place which cost £20,000. That included the dig, materials and labour. It took about three weeks because I wanted it in a way you go in and go out.
"There will be 20 bays at a push, at the moment it is 18. It's a work in progress.
Having started off with just a few customers, business is picking up and Ahmed has registered the facility on a nationwide app.
"I'm on the JustPark app and a lady left her car here for a month for £58," he said. "It's good for the airport."
Read More From Yahoo News UK:
Jacob Rees-Mogg: 'COVID rules were inhuman' as he refuses to apologise for Partygate
Wreckage of £38m Russian fighter jet pictured burning in field
'Dullest playground in the UK' left even more boring after single climbing frame removed by council
Ahmed has had approval from the local council who, he said, see his enterprise as "a positive thing".
He said that the road is a red route where congestion and parking cause frequent issues. Signs are placed on the front of driveways warning drivers not to block them, but motorists have dumped cars on pavements and even in the middle of mini roundabouts in a bid to avoid hospital car park payment.
In 2018, West Midlands Police announced officers in Bordesley had raked in £4,000 in fines in just 48 hours after dishing out penalties in the area.
And Ahmed may now be in line for a boost in takings after around 20,000 NHS workers at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Heartlands - were told they will be made to pay for parking again after the Government announced an end to the suspension of charges introduced during the pandemic.
Three Black Country NHS trusts were set to ignore the advice by not charging workers to park. But University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust said its staff will have to pay from May.
