Would you (or do you) rent your motorhome??

Looking at some RV rental sites such as Outdoorsy I'm finding that Class A RVs similar to what we're looking for are renting for around $200/day and up. Some look to be pretty much rented solid all summer. One reason we're looking into this option is that we don't plan to do much traveling in the summer which I assume would be the highest demand season. The question is of course what can one expect going that route.

Anyone here with experience with being an RV renter or rentee?

Most of us here on the RV Forum have too much "invested" in our RVs to trust anyone else with them.  Too many things can go wrong and there can be liability and insurance issues.  If you want to rent I should think you might want to try one of the regular RV rental agencies who are prepared for such things - Cruise America and El Monte are two that come to mind.

ArdraF

This question has come up several times with the consensus being that most people would not rent out thie RV..... try searching for previous posts.

If you enjoy keeping your RV in top notch shape, then renting it out can help defray these costs substantially.

Some folks are too emotionally attached to their RV to rent it out.

I lived in the Caribbean where lot of folks owned boats and rented them out too. Mostly it defrayed the maintenance costs but some actually made money.

There are several owner groups that rent out their rigs.

I think it's a great idea.

Check with your insurance company.  I would bet, if you rent, it will require a different policy.  And I know how I treat rentals, I'm not afraid to step on the gas to get up to speed.  Not always how I treat my personal equipment 

Renting your RV may also affect your tax situation. Another thing to consider is if you have your RV financed, there may be a statement about renting it out.

Some info:

https://rvshare.com/how-it-works

http://www.rentforfun.com/how-to-rent-my-rv-out/

In the boating industry, many bareboat companies do not own a single boat. Instead they make arrangements with privately owned boats to put them in their fleet. The owners mark off the time they need the boat, the company rents and even maintains the boat the rest of the time.

RV's are a bit different, but companies are out there for RV owners to rent theirs out.

I see private ads from time to time too. Mostly travel trailers where they tow and set it up at a vacation spot for you then they collect it on your final day.

DearMissMermaid said:

In the boating industry, many bareboat companies do not own a single boat. Instead they make arrangements with privately owned boats to put them in their fleet. The owners mark off the time they need the boat, the company rents and even maintains the boat the rest of the time.

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That's exactly how we rented a deck boat in FL earlier this year. The company's website claimed to have rental locations in a dozen or so locations. Big outfit? Nope, their "office" was a cell phone and a pickup and they did just what you described-- when you wanted a boat at a particular location they found one from their customers and delivered it to that location. No complaints and it seemed like a win-win from our perspective.

kdbgoat said:

Renting your RV may also affect your tax situation. Another thing to consider is if you have your RV financed, there may be a statement about renting it out.

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Right-- taxes, insurance, potential damage... all factors that would need to be considered.

At the same time, looking on one site there's a Class A that's similar to what we envision getting near us that rents and it appears that at $250/ day + charges it's booked pretty much all season. Of course it's possible that some of those dates are blocked for personal use.

All in all we probably won't go that route but what we may do is to rent one ourselves for a few days (which most agree is a good way to get a feel for the overall experience) and perhaps get some insights from the renter as to how it works for them. There's a ton of private rentals out there so it must be a viable option in some cases.

If it works for you then why not....

I personally wouldn't be comfortable with someone in my personal space. I wouldn't rent my house either.

Lots of people rent them here for tailgates.  They will meet the person so they can load it with personal items and then park it for them.  They take the keys (or truck) and pick it up after the renters have stayed usually two nights.  Seems to work for them.  I guess they have much less of a chance of it being damaged on the move but I bet a person or two has had 1 or 8 too many and chucked up a days full of nachos and beer in there.

Usually the deal is when you are out of fresh water you are out.  Spot provides electric. 

Seems like a pain in the rear to me.  There are lots of ways to make money and I would rather be all in or out on something like this.  Either I own a bunch or I keep my own to myself.  I like my own bed bugs!

I will stick to my own bedbugs and dirty toilet thanks.  No others need apply.

Bill

For me the answer is absolutely not, at least not for my personal RV.  As a business, maybe, buy bargain deals on coaches that may not fit ones personal preferences, and then rent them out, ... sure.  But there is just way too much stuff that is way too easy to break to rent out my personal coach.  Think about all those things you would have to teach the potential renter, like use of leveling have so as to not crack a windshield, or the importance of being level for refrigerator or slide operation...

There is a reason the companies that specialize in rental RV's have bare bones models, with rugged interior materials, it means less stuff that the renter needs to know to operate in the coach, and the higher the chances of it returning inn one piece.

The hardest part of renting to someone is that rvs are a very complicated machine, and a renter is not going to be able to learn all they need to know in a short tutorial. We encountered a rental unit this winter in New Mexico. They pulled in right behind us as we were checking in. I think it was a Cruise America rental. The wifi at this park was not good, and I had some computer stuff I needed to do, so I went up to the lounge area to get better wifi. I guess the rental drivers had set up camp, then decided to head into town. After about half an hour of sitting in the lounge, a gentleman came in and asked the desk person who was in site B 12, as he had just shut off their water. There was water coming out of the rv. Turns out it was the rental unit. They had hooked up the water hose to the black tank flush inlet, instead of the proper inlet. They turned on the water, and went to town in a second vehicle that had been following them in the rental. My guess is it filled the black tank up, then began coming out of the toilet and any vents it could find its way into. I wouldnt want to guess how much water damage was caused by these greenhorns. I saw a similar situation before. We saw water pouring out of the front of a guys fifth wheel. We shut off the water and knocked on the door. He also had hooked the water hose up to the black tank flush. Newbies can cause a lot of damage to a rv. Good luck if you try it. You might have better luck as stated by setting it up for them and take the keys away so they cant drive it.

To get a good idea of what renters may or may not know about RV's, read through the newcomers board. Nothing wrong with newcomers, we were all new at one time.

the stories from the boat rentals were pretty entertaining too. But between the profits and the insurance coverage, enough people made enough money to warrant the rental hassles.

My favorite boat one is the folks that went ashore drinking while their rented sailboat crashed on a reef.

The company came to tow the boat to the yard for repairs and gave the family a ride back to the base. Incredulously they asked for a replacement boat to finish their vacation!

Of course the company said they couldn't do that until they finished settling up and paying for the first one they damaged and um  no, the company didn't wish to rent to them again.

They rented hotel rooms at the marina and sat at the pool bad mouthing the boat company. Too funny!

I have two grown sons in their 40s, and as responsible as they are, I won't even let them borrow my motorhome!  I did let one drive it for a few hours once when I was very tired, but the other one has not even driven it. 

I made a snarky comment earlier but I do have another reason I would not rent.  It has taken me a long time to get the coach configured to our liking. All the compartments are arranged with stuff in the order that I can find it again.  The cabinets inside are how the wife wants them.  In order to rent out the coach most of that stuff would have to be removed and reconfigured each time we wanted to use the coach ourselves.    Plus knowing how to operate all of the features on the coach is not something taught in a one hour familiarization tour.  JMHO

Bill

I have a buddy that has two rental travel trailers. You pay your money and he moves them to the requested areas. After your rental time is completed, you either get your security deposit back...or you don't, depending on if any damage is done. He said he rarely has issues though.

His units are bare bones and they don't even have slides. They are both bunk house units. He makes most of his money from out of state city types that want to spend a weekend (or week) in the mountains without having to own an RV themselves.

I have a few friends that rent their RV's and ATV's when we go on weekend excursions. The weekend may cost them a thousand bucks but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying all the equipment.