KEY POINTS:
Hamilton residents are cashing in on an accommodation shortage for next month's V8 series and some punters are charging up to $10,000 a week for their homes.
More than 150,000 people are expected over three days at the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar street race, which runs from
April 18-20.
But with every motel and hotel in the city fully booked for the event, some Hamiltonians are taking the opportunity to make a small windfall.
Lyndon Hemi and his wife, Cheryl-Ann, say their four-bedroom, two-bathroom modern central Hamilton townhouse, just 400m from the entrance to the V8s, is a "pretty good deal".
The lounge is air-conditioned with a huge projector display for rugby matches and one of the bedrooms has a 42-inch plasma television.
Nearby is a supermarket, fast-food outlets and a picturesque walking track along the banks of the Waikato River. The cost: $6000a week.
"If you have four couples staying here it actually works out to a bit over $100 a day. That's not too bad," said Mr Hemi.
The couple said they had fielded "a bit of interest" in the property and were looking for "quiet family" types and were flexible about arrangements.
The manager of the Hamilton I-site visitors centre, Liz Stolwyk, said many residents had registered their homes with the centre's website "to help out where they could".
She said the going rate for an average furnished three-bedroom home within walking distance of the 3.4km track was between $2000 and $4000.
However, cheaper options are available for the budget-conscious and one Trade Me punter has thrown in a free pick-up and drop-off at the airport, cereal, tea and coffee and a car for $100 a day to go with the $600 a week rent for a three-bedroom home in Frankton.
"You could say we've been overwhelmed with the responses we've had," said Ms Stolwyk.
Five local high schools also look set to add to their coffers with each charging about $95 for a night's stay in a dormitory bed with shared bathroom facilities and breakfast.
Ms Stolwyk said outlying Waikato towns had also benefited and motels and bed and breakfast stays in Cambridge, Pirongia, Morrinsville and Matamata had received solid interest as well.
Christine Brasell, of the Te Aroha Motel, said despite the 45-minute drive to Hamilton, fans were starting to look at the Thames Valley town as an option.
"All of Morrinsville is booked out so we are starting to get a bit of interest," said Ms Brasell.
But motelier Ian Morgan, whose 20 bedrooms at the Sails Motor Inn in Whitiora were booked out for the V8s as soon as the city had secured the event, doubted whether the place could handle such an enormous influx of people.
He said the accommodation shortage was so bad that officials for the Super 14 match between the Chiefs and Crusaders on April 18 were having to stay in Auckland rather than Hamilton.
"We had the cricket here last week and were booked for about six days solid," he said.
"No motels had any vacancies and that's with the bloody Black Caps in town, so you can imagine what it'd be like with the V8s ... I just don't think the bars and restaurants are going to cope."
HOT DEALS
Accommodation on offer in Hamilton for the V8 series, April 17-19
* Hamilton West:
Fully furnished. Sky TV, DVDs in every room. Mod kitchen, all appliances. $2500 a night or $10,000 a week.
* Hillcrest:
House with six or more bedrooms and four bathrooms. Can sleep up to 10 people. $1000 a night or $7000 a week.
* Whitiora:
Fully furnished, three double beds in full-sized double bedrooms.
$5000 a week.