Renting My RV for Families to Take on Vacation

Dishes, pots, pans, basic spices, maybe some board games. Sheets, towels, folding chairs if you are providing those. An instruction booklet (how to connect the sewer, water, how to let down the awning, expectations of what they need to do before returning it), with emergency information, your contact info. I think the rest will/should be provided by the family.

Oh, and don't forget the TP, especially if it requires a special kind!

I would definitely look into the insurance first since you want to see what the cost to you would be. You can pass that on to the renters. Also make the cleaning fee a deposit, with maybe $50 or $75 (whatever the going rate is in your area for a basic cleanup) the starting point, all the way up to a couple hundred or more for bad stuff like spills etc. This way they are more likely to return it in good condition. A friend used to rent out her large passenger van and she would provide an atlas of the US, a tire gauge to check the air pressure, a book about things to see in the US (cost maybe $15). I would think maybe an extra blanket and pillows would be good, some dishes even if paper, toilet paper and napkins or paper towels, a couple of good rags for cleanup and maybe a cleaner so they can clean right away, and an atlas for this type of rental. If I rented an RV, I would expect to bring my own stuff for normal use. Think of it like a hotel.

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We rent out our high-end ski/surf boat. First of all, make sure you have adequate insurance. Also--make sure your insurance carrier knows that you are renting the RV. The second time our boat went out, the renters hit a sand bar and tore off the prop! It cost $8000 to fix! But the renters had signed our release and they were responsible for the repairs. We rent just the boat for our set fee. If they want additional items like surf boards, skis, ropes, life vests, etc, they pay extra per item. We have had no complaints! Oh, also--if the boat comes back dirty, we send it to the detail shop (costs about $300) and the renters have to pay the cleaning fee--they agree to that in advance. It usually comes back SPOTLESS! I guess they don't want to pay detailing fees! lol

Good luck, but please make sure you protect yourself with proper insurance!

www.awakeandboard.com

T.-
Sounds like a good idea. The first thing that popped into my mind was insurance! You need to have access to someone who can supply your renters with short term insurance or you have a way to verify that your renters are insured. You can always hire someone to clean the camper and even charge a "cleaning fee", but I would probably build that into the rental cost so that people won't leave it filthy knowing they paid a cleaning fee. Also, just know most people will not treat your stuff as well as you will.
Good luck on this,
S.

My only advice is to ask for a fairly decent security deposit with each trip. Have you spoken with your insurance company about this? Looked into what your liability would be in case of an accident? I assume so, but there are probably quite a few other things to get clear on before embarking on this venture, including legal advice on how to write up am enforceable contract.

You and your husband should also discuss mileage limitations, damage fines (including interior mishaps), etc. Basically everything YOU have to deal with when renting a vehicle. Also, I would take pictures of the RV before every trip and have the renter sign the back of each photo to show they agree with the condition of the motorhome, in addition to such verbage in the contract. Really, you need to protect yourself in every conceivable way...no matter WHO you're renting to.

I think packing things for families to use sounds nice (in theory), but you'll probably have to deal with them "accidentally" getting taken home afterwards. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to stock the RV themselves, using their own dishes, blankets, entertainment materials, etc. That's the beauty of having an RV, isn't it? You can park it in front of your house and fill it to the brim with all the stuff you can't live without! ;-)

It is a scary prospect, but I think if you make adequate preparations and are extremely careful about who you rent to, this could be a profitable thing for you guys.

Best of luck!

-S.

Hi T., I'm an insurance agent in Gilbert and you really, really need to check with your insurance company. You may have to pay higher premiums if you are renting it, but it will be worth it. Otherwise, you will be at risk of having a claim denied because you were not the driver. Also, the other persons personal auto policy will NOT cover an RV. So their insurance will deny it also. Just something to consider. Good luck!

Hi T.,
What a great idea! Well, with gas prices the way they have remained and the economy not much better. This is a good way to be able to help with your recreational vehicle. Which is "why" I'm sure your doing this right? I can imagine anyone wanted to do this just to do it. For so many of the reasons already listed.

Wow! you have gotten some great advise. I think the best thing to do besides obviously the Insurance and properly safeguarding yourselves. Is to also be realistic from a "Renters" prospective. I think some of the things suggested were just a little unreasonable. Some people would see so many stipulations that they may not want to rent it. It would not be worth it to them. Keep in mind your competition too. There are many RV Dealerships and RV Rental Companies that do this for a living. Find out their prices and what they do.

OK, so this is something my family would like to do "Rent and RV" and go to Disney World or the East Coast. I have a couple of friends who have done that and have heard the "Renters" side. Some dear friends of ours from CA rented this past Fall to go to the Grand Canyon etc.. and really researched who to rent from. They ended up going with someone similar to yourself and ended up having problems. The heater went out in November in the Grand Canyon with kids! Of course, the owner had no idea but they also did not think to check that with the owner to see if those things were working before they left.

Years ago, we had owned a small RV that we could no longer keep. We sold it to some dear friends and they lent it to us a couple of times. It was a sweet deal because we sold it to them for a great price. They put the money into it that it needed plus he was a mechanic. But when we had originally bought it plus when we re-sold it it came with the dishes, Pots and Pans, cleaning rags, sheets, blankets, etc. Pretty much everything you would need to take it out minus food and maybe a few other things you might use like a small hand held vac.

Keep in mind if you don't own an RV you don't know really what it needs and what will work well with it. If you don't have it stocked at least with the staples people may not have the right pots to fit the cabinets or stove etc.. You also may run into people using things in it or on something that could scratch or ruin your fixtures etc.. People don't always clean like one does so if you leave cleaning supplies you more less dictate how and what you want them to use to clean. I know we always kept a small hand vac. in ours because we used it to not track stuff in. You can suggest that so that they can maintain the carpets.

So in the end take most of the advise received with out the "fear" factor but have a proper balance! Look at it as what you would want or expect if your family wanted to Rent and RV for a vacation and I think you will have a nice little business especially with Summer around the corner. It is our dream to do just that but financially we are going to have to wait a couple years before we can afford to do it. Maybe we can rent yours then.

Much Wisdom and Blessings on your new venture!
A.