Middletown Native Creates AirB&B-Style Beach Parking Rental App

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown native Andrew Smith, who will be a senior this fall at Middlebury College in Vermont, has come up with a unique app: BeachIt, which allows people with driveways and parking spaces close to the beach to rent them out to strangers, in a style similar to AirB&B.

"One summer I found myself driving around for 45 minutes looking for parking to get to the beach, and when I finally found a spot, I had to walk twenty minutes," Smith told NJ.com, which first reported the story. Smith, a true Jersey Shore kid, spent summers working as a lifeguard in Ocean Grove.

"Along my walk I passed multiple driveways and parking lots that were empty, and I thought, 'these could be rented out, like an Airbnb-concept'. So I started building the idea for BeachIt."

He told fellow Ocean Grove lifeguard Andrew Dombrowiecki, from Ocean Twp., and together the two guys launched the BeachIt app.

BeachIt just launched their website this summer, and because they're new they don't have that many users signed up for it yet. But if you want to become a host, you simply sign up your address and parking spot for free, and set an hourly rate.

The suggested fees are $3-$5 per hour Fridays-Sundays, while weekdays it's $2-$4. BeachIt takes a 20% commission from every transaction, NJ.com reported.

BeachIt is currently operating in Belmar, Point Pleasant, Long Branch and Manasquan.

Of course, there's no telling how you can get someone to move their car out of your spot once you want them gone. If the car isn't moved in time, the renter pays a $25 fee and reserves the right to have the car towed.