Legal and Safety Guide

Council and land-use rules

Before accepting guests, check your local council and district plan rules. A simple driveway park-up may be treated differently from a regular paid accommodation activity, a campground, a homestay, or visitor accommodation. Rules can depend on your district, property zoning, number of guests, facilities, access, parking, wastewater, noise, frequency of stays, and whether payment or koha is involved.

The two-party camping ground trigger

Under the Camping-Grounds Regulations 1985, land used by two or more independent families or parties for rent, hire, donation, or other reward may be treated as a camping ground. This includes vehicles, caravans, tents, cabins, or similar structures used for short-term habitation.

• If you are new to hosting, start with one vehicle / one party at a time
• Avoid hosting multiple independent parties unless you have checked council registration and camping ground rules
• Keep stays short and clearly framed as guest stays, not tenancy arrangements

Toilets and self-contained vehicles

The self-containment rules govern vehicles that rely on certification for public freedom camping. They do not automatically require every vehicle on private land to be certified. A host can still require certified self-containment as a property rule, including where no toilet is provided. Hosts must clearly describe facilities and check the sanitation and council rules that apply to their property.

• Toilet provided: decide what vehicles suit the property, subject to council and property rules
• No toilet provided: consider requiring certified self-containment and state the rule clearly
• Always be clear about what facilities are and are not available

See the Freedom Camping Act 2011 and government self-containment guidance.

Waste, greywater, rubbish, and dump stations

Be clear about rubbish, recycling, greywater, and toilet waste. Unless you specifically provide approved facilities, travellers must take waste away and use approved dump stations. Waste must never be buried, poured onto land, tipped into drains, or left behind.

Insurance and liability

Before hosting, contact your insurer or broker and explain what you intend to offer. Standard home, contents, rural, or lifestyle block insurance may not automatically cover paying guests, short-term visitors, guest injury, vehicle damage, fire, theft, or business-style activity.

• Tell your insurer you are considering occasional short-term vehicle park-ups
• Ask about public liability
• Ask whether paid, koha, or free stays are treated differently
• Ask whether guest vehicles, pets, fires, farm hazards, driveways, gates, and shared facilities affect cover
• Do not assume platform terms replace insurance

Tax and payment

Income from hosting may need to be declared. If ParkUp later enables payments, GST and online marketplace rules may apply. For now, hosts should keep clear records of any money, koha, work exchange, or other benefit received.

Work exchange

Be careful with work exchange. If someone works for accommodation, food, or another benefit, employment law may apply. A casual friendly exchange is different from expected labour in return for a stay. If work is expected, scheduled, or valuable to a business, get advice first.

Safety basics

Hosts should make the stay area safe and clearly described.

• Safe vehicle access
• No hidden hazards
• Clear parking area
• No overhanging branches or unstable ground
• Clear pet/livestock rules
• Fire rules stated clearly
• Emergency contact instructions
• Exact address shared only after stay approval

Your vehicle status matters

Some ParkUp sites only accept certified self-contained vehicles as a host or property rule. If a listing requires certification, check that your vehicle meets the stated requirement. The current certification standard applies where a vehicle relies on certification for public freedom camping.

• Is your vehicle currently certified self-contained?
• Does your toilet meet the fixed toilet requirement?
• Is your certification card displayed if required?
• Have you entered your vehicle length accurately?

Follow host rules

Every property is different. Follow the host's rules around arrival time, departure time, pets, fires, gates, noise, rubbish, wastewater, toilets, and where to park.

Waste and leave no trace

Take all rubbish and waste with you unless the host clearly provides facilities. Use approved dump stations for greywater and toilet waste. Do not dump waste on land, in drains, near waterways, or in public bins not intended for camping waste.

Respect private land

ParkUp works because hosts trust travellers. Stay only where approved, do not invite extra people without permission, keep noise low, protect animals and crops, and leave the site better than you found it.