Queenstown Lakes District Council regulatory manager Lee Webster said anyone considering joining the ''My 5-Star Driveway'' scheme needed to be mindful of some of the district's rules, which could mean a driveway had to be listed as ''visitor accommodation'' or as a ''camping ground''.
My 5-Star Driveway Ltd marketing manager Rai Banbury, of Auckland, said the scheme, launched late last year, enabled property owners to register their driveway online as being available for camper van tourists to rent.
Campers could park in a host driveway and enjoy local hospitality and residents could earn some extra money, meet tourists and ''show off your little slice of paradise'', she said.
It would also assist with issues caused by freedom campers.
Mr Webster said more than 350 infringement notices had been issued to freedom campers in the Queenstown district in the past two months, a level consistent with 2013.
''We will continue to have the patrols year-round to enforce the areas where freedom camping is prohibited.''
The idea for My 5-Star Driveway came from Ms Banbury's mother, Janine, who lives in Sumner, Christchurch, and saw businesses struggling after the Christchurch earthquakes, but noticed tourists still wanting to visit.
Freedom camping was prohibited and there was no camping ground.
The first driveways have been registered in Christchurch, with Ms Banbury reporting interest spreading around New Zealand.
She said it was up to the driveway owners how much interaction they had with guests.
''It may just be power and the site.''
Mr Webster said while the idea provided an opportunity for campers to interact with the community, there could be ''snags''.
Property owners wanting to rent their driveways might need to register as visitor accommodation, or a camping ground.
Under the council's district plan, visitor accommodation is defined as the use of land or buildings for short-term, fee-paying, living accommodation where the length of stay for any visitor is less than three months.
It includes a variety of accommodation, including camping grounds, guest houses, bunkhouses, tourist houses and homestays, and could include some centralised services or facilities, for example, food preparation, dining and sanitary facilities.
''This activity [My 5-Star Driveway] is not something that we have necessarily considered previously, but because accepting money for a night's stay counts as a commercial activity, people who sign up to advertise their home driveway may need to register their property [with the council] as visitor accommodation,'' Mr Webster said.
''The fact that a commercial activity is taking place, with customers coming to the premises would prompt the mixed-use [category] for rates initially.''
The visitor accommodation aspect would depend on what facilities, if any, were being provided, for example, just a driveway, or additional facilities such as those for cooking and washing.
While registration was free, there ''may be an impact'' on the property's rates, which could change from residential to mixed-use, equating to an increase of about 25%.
''We would need to know more detail around the scheme and what is specifically involved, as each case may well be different.''
Mr Webster said participants in the district might also need to register their driveway as a ''camping ground'' as a result of the fee paid and, if the visiting van was not self-contained, the property owner would need to provide bathroom facilities.
''If someone is seriously interested in joining the scheme and renting out space in their driveway to paying guests, it would be worth checking out the details first,'' he said.
Ms Banbury said she planned to meet Mr Webster to discuss the potential issues for those in the district wanting to be involved.
