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Living in your RV can be an amazing adventure. But what do you do when you’re ready to get off the road? You could of course choose to sell your RV, but what if you want to keep it around so you can take some shorter trips whenever the opportunity arises? In this case, you could choose to hold onto the rig and learn how to rent out your RV when it isn’t in use in order to offset some of the costs of ownership.
There are pros and cons to doing this, and it is definitely something you will want to think about before diving in. If you do decide you want to learn how to rent out your RV, you will need to figure out where to begin. That’s where this article comes into play.
Peer-to-Peer RV Rental Platforms
The first step in learning how to rent out your RV? You will need to decide where to list your RV for rent. You could of course wing it on your own, listing on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist—but we don’t recommend going that route. Instead, we recommend looking into one of the many reputable peer-to-peer RV rental companies out there.
Some of the more popular peer-to-peer RV rental companies include the following:
How to Choose an RV Rental Platform
Obviously, you will want to do some research before deciding which of the peer-to-peer RV rental platforms best suits your needs. Things to look into when deciding which platform to list on (or multiple platforms, if you’re feeling ambitious) include the following:
Insurance
Most of the well-known platforms offer excellent insurance, so you won’t have to worry too much about your investment. That said, it is of course a good idea to look at the specifics of the insurance offered by your platform of choice to ensure they meet your needs.
Owner Support
Another important facet to think about? Owner support. What kind of support does the company offer RV owners like you? Will they have your back if something goes awry?
This is something you don’t want to find out the hard way, so we recommend reading reviews or joining Facebook groups for those who rent out their RVs in order to find out what people have to say about the various platforms.
Ease of Use
Play around with the dashboards of various RV rental platforms. Which one is easiest to use? Do you need to have an app so you can be productive on the go? Does one dashboard have something that makes it stand out? Ease of use (or the lack thereof) should also factor into your final decision.
Advertisement
Which RV rental companies do the most advertising in your area? If you’ve seen advertisements from Outdoorsy pop up but have yet to see an RVshare ad, there’s a good chance those around are seeing something similar. You might have better luck listing on a site that advertises to those in your area.
Roadside Assistance
You certainly don’t want your renters to find themselves stranded on the side of the road. Unfortunately, breakdowns are bound to happen. Make sure the platform you choose offers some sort of roadside assistance that can help renters out if you are unable to reach them to help them yourself.
Fees
Of course, you will have to pay some percentage of your total profit to any platform you choose to use, and if you aren’t careful, these fees can easily eat away so much of your rental income that renting is no longer worthwhile.
Be sure to look into the fees charged by each platform, as well as the details of how the rental process works, before you choose one over the other.
Listing on Multiple Platforms
If you want to increase your chances of renting your rig out regularly, you might even consider listing on more than one platform. Just be sure you understand the ins and outs of each platform before diving in. Never assume any two platforms will be the same.
Creating a Listing
There’s more to learning how to rent out your RV than choosing a peer-to-peer platform and throwing together a listing. Here are our top tips for attracting and maintaining a customer base.
Take Quality Photos
Once you decide where to list, be sure to take high quality photos of your RV to include in the listing. After all, a picture says a thousand words and people are going to be drawn to the listings with lots of bright, well-lit, well-staged photographs.
List Amenities
In your listing, be sure to include all amenities your RV offers. You may also want to add in some little extras that aren’t built into the RV, such as a coffee maker and camp chairs. Let potential renters know they are included as well! Little extras like these are often the very thing that encourages a renter to choose one rig over another.
Offer Trip Ideas
Another thing you might want to include in your listing? Trip ideas for your area. If you know of a great state park nearby, let renters know it’s there. You can also change the trip ideas to reflect the season, suggesting ski trips in winter and beach vacations in summer.
Price According to Demand
Depending on where you live, demand could fluctuate throughout the year. Pay attention to events that are happening in your area—as well as what the weather tends to do—in order to anticipate demand, and then adjust your prices accordingly.
Charge a Healthy Deposit
If the platform you choose allows you to set your own deposit rate, you might be tempted to make it low in order to attract more customers. The thing is, good customers know they’ll be getting that deposit back, and the customers who think they might lose their deposit are exactly the type of people you don’t want to attract.
The deposit is there to protect you should the customer damage something, and it is important that the amount charged is enough to take care of the majority of potential issues.
Charge for Mileage and Generator Usage
If it is an option, you’ll also want to make sure to charge per mile driven over a certain limit. Have a generator onboard? Charging for generator usage is also a good idea. This will ensure the renters don’t use your engine and generator excessively, and if they do, you’ll be compensated for it.
Offer Delivery
If possible, offer delivery with your RV rental. Many people feel too nervous to drive a big rig—especially when it’s a rental—and some people can’t tow larger trailers because they don’t own a strong enough vehicle. Offering delivery will widen the pool of people who can and will rent from you, making this one of the better tips if you’re looking to learn how to rent out your RV.
More Tips for How to Rent Out Your RV
Once your listing goes live, the next piece of how to rent out your RV involves getting ready for the actual rental part. There are a few things you should make sure you do, both before and after the RV goes out.
Prep Your RV
Before your RV goes out on a rental, make sure you clean it well. The rig should look as though it’s never been used, meaning no dust in the corners and no crumbs in the carpet. Make sure the tanks are sprayed out well and the fridge has been wiped clean to eliminate smells.
You might also consider leaving a small gift basket or box to welcome your renters. Again, the details matter here.
Related: Choosing and Storing the Perfect RV Vacuum Cleaner
Teach Your Renters
When your renters arrive, take the time to walk them through the entire rig. Show them how to hook the RV up to water and electricity. Teach them to fill the freshwater tank, use the water pump, and dump the wastewater tanks. Make sure they understand how the fridge, stove, oven, and water heater work.
Walking through each part of the rig and making sure they are comfortable using it will help make their trip smoother and help prevent damage to your RV.
Do Paperwork and Take Photos
Before you send your RV, make sure you’ve crossed your T’s and dotted your I’s. Do all of the required paperwork and make sure to take lots of photos of the RV both before it goes out and after it comes back home. This will give you some evidence in case you ever need to file any sort of claim.
Gather Reviews
Once your renters return, encourage them to review you and your RV on the platform they rented from. The more positive reviews you have, the more renters you will attract, so gathering those reviews is very important!
There you have it, everything you need to know about how to rent out your RV. Why not get started right away?
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