Has anyone ever rented their Rv before?

love__goofy

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 30, 2006
Have you rented your RV out before to people you don't know? We are considering renting ours out through Outdoorsy just to bring in some additional income. Considering that it is just a year or so old, we are hesitant to rent it.

If you have done this, can you give me the good, the bad, and the ugly? Thanks.
 
Have you rented your RV out before to people you don't know? We are considering renting ours out through Outdoorsy just to bring in some additional income. Considering that it is just a year or so old, we are hesitant to rent it.

If you have done this, can you give me the good, the bad, and the ugly? Thanks.
sounds like a great idea for people like DH & I who would love to rent an RV once in a while.
 
Have you rented your RV out before to people you don't know? We are considering renting ours out through Outdoorsy just to bring in some additional income. Considering that it is just a year or so old, we are hesitant to rent it.

If you have done this, can you give me the good, the bad, and the ugly? Thanks.

We are considering buying an RV (eventually) so I was curious about Outdoorsy, and went over to snoop around.

It looks pretty comprehensive, in terms of protections for both the owner and the renter; I thought it was interesting that you (as an owner) could also rent out or include "accessories" to go with the RV, like kayaks, bikes, etc.

I suppose the biggest down side would be the prep work to rent, and the clean up after - in addition to what Outdoorsy requires (tire checks, etc.) you would probably want to consider stuff like:

- clean out all of your personal belongings (just as if you were selling it) In addition, I would remove any "custom" items you don't want a stranger's cooties on, like bedspreads and throw pillows.
- make sure that you inventory anything you do leave in it (like sheets, towels, glassware, dishes, etc.) -and/or- make a comprehensive shopping/packing list for any potential renter of what they would need to bring.
- be prepared to clean up after strangers have lived in your RV, so scrubbing the toilet, tub/shower, sinks, mopping floors, and generally cleaning the entire unit after every rental.
- be prepared to restock any items that you send the unit out with (like sheets, towels, dishware, etc.) in the event that it doesn't return with the RV for some reason... (the same reason that people steal hotel towels? Why do people steal hotel towels? Another topic for another day...)
- make an extensive and thorough photo *and* video "inventory" of the RV before you rent it (to document it's initial condition) and after it returns every time. Consider making a handout that shows important controls/features/hookups, and how to use them.

As a renter, I would probably look for a newer, super clean unit. (Super clean would be my #1 priority, quite frankly) I would want it to be completely empty of anyone else's "stuff"; and I would prefer to have a set of "rules" about what was expected from the owner that was clear - and consistent with Outdoorsy's. As a renter I would also hope to have some kind of basic documentation (and a quick overview at the time of pick up) that would guide me through everything from deploying awnings to answering questions like "Can I leave the AC on if it's hooked up to power at the campsite?" (and that's just the tip of the iceberg for the questions I would have LOL)

That's all just off the top of my head. Obviously, it will add miles and the associated (and inevitable) wear and tear on the vehicle, and potential additional maintenance costs that you don't normally have on a vehicle that you have been parking except when you use it. But, the income could help offset some of the expense of owning the unit, as long as you don't mind keeping it "rental ready" all the time, and you don't mind the extra (potential) work before and after the rental.

I'm sure that an experienced RV owner will come along with some thoughts that are more relevant to you; in the meantime, I'm going back over to Outdoorsy to see what's available locally...
 
Have you rented your RV out before to people you don't know? We are considering renting ours out through Outdoorsy just to bring in some additional income. Considering that it is just a year or so old, we are hesitant to rent it.

If you have done this, can you give me the good, the bad, and the ugly? Thanks.

Never, never, never - no more than we'd rent our personal home! That's part of the reason we have our mh to begin with - our bed, bath, kitchen, that's not used by anyone else. Just my feelings for us - everyone has their own reasons/feelings on the matter. There would be many cons for us and very few pros. (Our luck would have someone trashing it beyond the deposit - then what?)

All of the above that @mamabunny said! She stated it much better than I could! :) I'm very sensitive/protective of our personal space - maybe we're not the majority.

By the way @Lynn CC , there are several dealers around us that rent units if that is something you are interested in - being already 'in the business' they know the right 'contracts', etc. etc. to protect you, themselves and their units.
 
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Yup....not for me either personally. However, I remember hen I was between 9 and 12, we rented an RV three times (a Class C). Three different RV’s that local dealers places were renting out for the owners. So, certainly people have been doing this for a long time. Just not something I would want to do.
 
My parents rented out a condo they owned in Colorado for awhile. It was so much work, and it didn't even pay the note on it.

I told my husband that I wouldn't mind renting out our trailer when we no longer use the trailer and buy another one for ourselves, but he says he doesn't want the headache.

For our personal trailer, it's not just the liability and the work. It's also that we purchased it for the peace of mind of knowing who is sleeping in it and how it is being treated. We know it doesn't have bed bugs. If someone urinates on the beds, we will be able to handle it promptly (and we keep mattress casings on it anyway). My younger child has allergies, so I can control what foods are present, which animals are present, and how the unit is cleaned.

We know that nothing other than urine, feces, RV toilet paper and flush water are going into the black tank (and toilet chemical). We know the tank is being flushed, and we follow our check list so that we don't rip stabilizer jacks off during departure, etc. We know how it is being hauled, and that the hitch is set up correctly, and it isn't being hauled down the highway at 80mph.

We want it to last us a long time, and I'm afraid it wouldn't if we didn't take care of it.


We also keep a lot of our personal items in the trailer. It would be a huge deal to move it all out and back in.
 
Wow, could not imagine trying to get all our stuff out. 43 ft fifth wheel holds a lot of stuff, it is a tiny home. Then there is the whole 3 bears thing, with someone else sleeping in my bed. Yea, not a fan.
Then the deposit would have to cover a whole lot of damage, as the insurance company may not cover it if you do not have business coverage on it. Too much work and effort on my end to make it worth while.
 


Well, I spent some time over at Outdoorsy.com, and I learned a bit more, so I thought I would share...

First of all, if you own an RV and decide to rent it, apparently there is some kind of insurance that Outdoorsy provides to help cover your RV in the event of damage (or heaven forbid, a complete loss). That means you might not have to have special insurance or riders to be fully covered, but I'm sure you would want to read it carefully!

The other thing that I found most interesting of all was that there are some folks in the Orlando area who are renting their RVs on Outdoorsy and specify that they will deliver to FW and setup. The setup appears to average around $100 for a stay of more than 4 days, which is not too bad - as a total noob to the RV world, I would happily pay that to know that everything had been done correctly by a professional! I easily found a few 5th wheels and a couple of RVs to rent - and they have a calendar on each unit's page that will show you if it is already rented out for your vacation timeframe. I did notice that they require you to rent a "Premium" campsite - I assume that is for the size of the RV? One of the RVs I found was a brand-new, 2018 model, and one family renting theirs out had decorated it on the inside with lots of fun Disney-themed touches.

It seems like Outdoorsy is basically like the AirBnB of RVs. Lots of positive comments from renters to be sure, and you can even sort through potential units (as a renter) and specify that you want a washer/dryer, or an outdoor TV, etc.

We may give it a try; if we do, I'll certainly come back and write a review about the entire process, and the rental itself.
 
I agree with PaHunter, would not be worth it for us. I suppose if you had a tear drop or small hard-side it wouldn't be that much risk.
 
It would be interesting to also looking into what your insurance company will charge you when your unit suddenly becomes a rental. May not be worth the extra expense.
 
Wonder how they are getting the units in to the Fort, since Disney has approved vendors that pay for access to the Fort to rent their units. Having to go thru security your name has to match for the reservation with your ID. So do they make the reservation ?? If so you can not make it a package deal without giving them all your personal information.
 
It would be interesting to also looking into what your insurance company will charge you when your unit suddenly becomes a rental. May not be worth the extra expense.

Sure that the State and Feds would be more interested in the income, since they are not getting their share....ie, local sales tax, federal income tax, etc. Sure there are those who feel they are not breaking the law. But the prosecutors usually don't share that same viewpoint.
Insurance company could drop and refuse to insure you further. If the bank found out, they could demand immediate repayment, as your loan if you have one was not for commercial use.
 
The gate never checks ownership of the rental units if you are driving it in yourself, only if someone is delivering it for you (I assume).
 
Wonder how they are getting the units in to the Fort, since Disney has approved vendors that pay for access to the Fort to rent their units. Having to go thru security your name has to match for the reservation with your ID. So do they make the reservation ?? If so you can not make it a package deal without giving them all your personal information.

The gate never checks ownership of the rental units if you are driving it in yourself, only if someone is delivering it for you (I assume).

That wasn't really addressed on the Outdoorsy site - and we have not contacted any of the renters yet to find out. If we do try to rent through Outdoorsy, it won't be until a trip well into 2019. They would have to deliver it, since our entire family (yes, we have 3 of them in the driveway LOL) drives Kia Souls, and I am pretty certain that my car won't tow much more than a little red wagon full of groceries home from the store! :drive:
 
Thought I would weigh in here. We signed up with Outdoorsy just this summer for the first time. We live in Michigan, so camping is HUGE during the summer months. Because of kids sports, we never get to do a weekend away until some time in July, so I thought we'd test the waters in renting it. So far we've booked most of June, and almost all of July (at our choice, you pick/choose the dates you want to leave the unit available). The first rental came back on Sunday, and the folks were thrilled. It was a race team from Canada that didn't want to haul a camper AND all of their car trailers, so they rented from us. Unit came back with no issues, and an easy $361 in our pockets for a 3 night rental (plus delivery). Today it goes out for the first round of being towed by the renter, an older couple that used to have campers but as kids grew up they got out of it. They are headed to a church board week long camp. Other renters vary from vacations to a couple of groups using it for a week at the local fairs with kids showing in 4-H (which as a 4-H alumni I love).

Outdoorsy does supply supplemental insurance if the renters submit to a background DMV check. We require this for all rentals, regardless if we are delivering or if they are picking up. As someone mentioned above, you can add options that folks can request (chairs, grill, etc).

You always have the final say on approving a booking. I thoroughly "google" and facebook stalk people before accepting. :)

We checked with our insurance agent and they aren't sure what the answer was. Essentially, the company that underwrites the supplemental insurance through Outdoorsy also owns our insurance, so from their standpoint, everything was fine.

We are actually considering adding a pop-up next year as that seems to draw lots of interest as well. We have a manual in the camper of "how to's" with pictures, and have our own contract wrote up in addition to the one that Outdoorsy provides. You do have to remove personal items, but we keep everything in a large rubbermaid bin in the garage. Easy in/easy out. Happy to answer any other questions!
 
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