New Idea – Your Garden, Your Rules, Your Guests

There are things that just sit there. The ping pong table in the garden that you set up three times in summer and then forget about. The football goal the kids wanted that now serves as decoration five out of seven days. The sauna in the basement that you treated yourself to at some point and that mostly stays cold – because sauna alone feels like celebrating your birthday alone. It works, but it’s not great.

And then there are the neighbours. You see them in the morning when you both take the bins out. You nod, say something about the weather, and go back inside. Maybe you know the name, maybe not even that. You live next to each other, but rarely with each other. And that’s fine, really – but it could also be different.

I have an idea. One that doesn’t try to be new – just obvious.

The Idea

Imagine you open an app – or a neighbourhood group, or a noticeboard, doesn’t matter for now – and it says:

“Tuesday and Friday, 2–4 pm: Ping pong table is set up in the garden. Come over. 10 euros or a kebab.”

Or: “Saturday and Sunday the football goal is up. Kids welcome, parents too. Bring a tiramisu or something nice from the bakery.”

Or: “Every other evening, sauna. Two rounds, 5–10 minute break outside, then head home. No house access, no indoor toilet – but honestly great heat. Come with a six-pack or a bottle of wine.”

Or – and this is where it gets really good: “Friday night Magic: The Gathering. Two spots free. Tell me what you’re bringing – homemade goes first. I’ll pick the best offers.”

No classified ad. No service contract. No business licence. Just: I have something, you want to use it, bring something nice, and let’s spend a bit of time together.

Why This Doesn’t Exist Yet – Or Does, But Wrong

There are roughly eight hundred platforms where you can sell second-hand furniture, lend your drill, or offer an hour of tutoring. eBay Kleinanzeigen, Nextdoor, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, TaskRabbit – the list is endless.

But they all have one thing in common: it’s always a transaction. I offer something, you pay for it, done. Even the neighbourhood portals that write community on their banner function at their core like a digital flea market with nice words wrapped around it.

What’s missing is the in-between. The informal. The “I’m setting up the table anyway, why not two more people”. The “the sauna is running regardless, whether one person sits in it or three makes little difference to the electricity meter”. The “I don’t want to game alone on Friday night, but I also don’t want just anyone – I want someone who brings good food and enjoys card games”.

This isn’t a marketplace. It’s hospitality with structure.

The Legal Side of Things

Now of course the question comes immediately: are you allowed to do this? Can you let neighbours use your ping pong table for ten euros? Is a kebab as compensation a taxable benefit? Do you need to report your sauna evenings to the tax office?

I’m not a lawyer, and I won’t give legal advice here. But I’ll say this: neighbours’ kids have been eating at your place for free for decades. Friends are allowed in your sauna. Your mate can play on your ping pong table and bring you a beer for it without customs knocking on your door.

The line sits somewhere between “I’m sharing my life a little” and “I’m running a business”. And that line would need to be clearly defined if this ever becomes something bigger. When does it become commercial? At what amount does tax liability kick in? What about liability if someone twists their ankle at your football goal?

These aren’t small questions. But they’re solvable – and they shouldn’t stop anyone from thinking the idea before drowning it in regulations.

Why This Would Work as an Extension of Existing Apps

The beautiful thing about this idea is: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are already apps with a neighbourhood focus, with user bases, trust systems and ratings. What’s missing is a category. Not “Free to give away”, not “Service”, not “Wanted/Offered” – but something like “Open Invitation”.

A dedicated section where people can post what they’re offering, when, under what conditions, and what they’d like as a guest gift. The host decides who comes. The host decides when and for how long. The host decides whether it costs ten euros or a homemade cake is enough. No automation, no booking system – just an invitation you can accept or not.

That wouldn’t be a revolution. It would be a feature. But one that could turn a sales platform into a place where neighbourhood actually happens.

What I Hope For

Honestly, nothing concrete. I’m not going to build an app and I’m not going to start listing my sauna. But I like the thought that things you own don’t have to belong only to you – without immediately turning it into a business.

The best neighbourhood I ever had was one where you just came over. No appointment, no reason, no return favour. But because that doesn’t work in most neighbourhoods anymore, maybe it needs a small digital nudge. A framework. An invitation that says: you’re welcome, bring something nice, and let’s have a good time.

That’s really all it needs to be.

— Daniel