Do you rent your RV to others?

[mparus1]

Hello

I have a 2018 Forester 3011Ds and am considering listing it for rent on Outdoorsey.com or RVshare.com.

If you do or have done this what has been your experience?

Anything I should be aware of?

Thanks

[IsleDog]

You are going to get mostly negative responses to this. Most here (myself included) would not rent out my trailer. the only way i would ever consider doing this is if it was ONLY going to be a rental from now on. you will never get it back in any sort of good condition after renting it.

[5picker]

Only if you don't care if it gets trashed.

The local Cruise America place has told me on more than one occasion the rental R/Vs are almost always used as party wagons mostly in shambles when turned in. Yes there is a deposit fee and they almost always retain it on return.

[bikendan]

NEVER, No Way! This question is asked on all RV forums and 90% of respondents say No. Only a handful have done it, with a 50-50 split of good vs bad experiences.

[bareftn]

X2 you wont know what really went on in your camper, gee some kid could have made a mess on the couch and now its dry and a few weeks later it stinks

[woo10-210]

Just go take a look at the poor condition of used RV's to see how people took care of something they actually paid for then imagine how someone would care for something they only rented for a weekend.

Rent only as a business, not to help make payments on your personal-use coach.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by mparus1

Hello

I have a 2018 Forester 3011Ds and am considering listing it for rent on Outdoorsey.com or RVshare.com.

If you do or have done this what has been your experience?

Anything I should be aware of?

Thanks

Like others have said here.....
Don’t expect to get it back like you want it......unless you already have no pride of ownership.

And.....if you think you’re still going to use it yourself from time to time, a renter could bump you out of your planned vacation, and.....it would always have to be returned by them and yourself AS EMPTY AS THE DAY YOU BOUGHT IT.
That’s just too much work.
If it doesn’t rent, you still gotta make the payments.
So many reasons why we answer......NO WAY.

[Flybob]

If you are interested in renting an RV I recommend you purchase one solely for that purpose and use it as a business and do not plan to use it yourself. If you plan to use and enjoy the RV I do not recommend it. It is hard enough to keep RVs operating smoothly when its owner takes good care of them.

[mikel68]

Unless you like repairs or making insurance claims...your insurance company won't like that...but it won't matter it will be so destroyed you'll probably be able to total it.



Remember most costly damage is to things you can't see. Tires, Undercarriage, Electrical, etc. Fixing broke doors and stuff is easy. Unclogging a black tank from another group...yummy.

[B and B]

You should see the Rental RV's at a large outdoor festival we attend. Most are used to begin with and trashed when people leave.

Think 11 Ft 3 and the top if your Motorhome behind it.

[Capt. Mike]

You open up a whole new can of worms. Is your insurance company going to be told (in advance) of your planned "business use" of the RV? And, if so, what are your rates going to be? I'm not talking about physical damage to the RV. I'm talking about the potential liability if someone gets hurt or killed by your RV in an accident.

Bad idea, in my opinion, unless you are going into the rental business completely, with a separate unit (or fleet) that is not your own personal use RV.

[Cowracer]

I would rent it only for the total price to purchase it from me.

Tim

[rmac04401]

Just think of the “big rolling turd” on the movie “RV”

[kfergiez]

I have a hard enough time getting my kids to wipe their feet off.

[SRN]

Friends last spring purchased a new, more expensive than what they really wanted, travel trailer with the intention of renting it out to help with the payments. Only three rentals convinced them it was a terrible idea. Sure they kept the deposits, but had to deal with the damage, filth, and nasty condition it was returned in - from all three. Expensive lesson learned - and they were warned!

[formerFR]

...my thought is that most who are 'renting' an RV are doing so because they do not own one, have rarely if ever actually used one, and know very, very little about one. They assume, as probably most of us did when we were 'new' to RVing, that you just hop in it and go...and, of course, their first 'rv' trip is going to be cross-country with no 'real' ideas about 'how' to use the rv, how to drive it safely, and certainly not what 'most' of the systems are and how they work.

Do you really want someone 'new' to RVing to use your baby as their 'test' case?
It usually doesn't end well.


...and, not to mention the midnight calls because something is not 'working right'.

The worst case scenario is that they drive cross-country, 'trash' the unit the whole way, and leave it there without returning it. You get the picture.

Unless you have their credit card info, an iron-clad 'damage' contract, and a lot of extra time and money to chase down your RV, you're up the creek.(or is it down?) : /

[formerFR]

...I'll also add that much of the advice for 'first time' RV owners who've never driven or 'lived in' and RV and want to know what they should buy are generally given good advice: rent one out and take it for a few days and nights...

the problem is one that hinges on this same 'rent or not' argument, as there are very few options to really 'renting' short-term an RV that is even 'close' to similar to what you are thinking of purchasing... I know it would be hard to find a 2014 33.3 Palazzo to 'rent' as a test before we purchased ours, though the thought is actually a good one, but not very practical in the 'real world'.

There are a few rental companies around Atlanta, where one rents out mostly small towables(for small trucks and cars), Class C drivables(great for those used to driving a truck), and a few Class A gas motorhomes, for those wanting more of a 'big' experience.

Another rental facility, though, actually also rents a number of DIESEL motorhomes, mostly the more 'entry level' sizes from a few brands. Most of what they do is motorhomes only.

I stopped in one day and acted as though I was someone looking to rent one, to get the 'scoop' on what they charge, the customer up-front education, and the process for licenses, drivers, and insurance.
I was floored by the price, as most are only rented for a minimum of a week, and the price is just crazy... and that does NOT include the fuel, the insurance(you can have your own, but you must show them proof and have the motorhome ADDED to your policy - this can be crazy if you have a teenager on your policy!, or you must buy 'their' insurance package), it has a limited mileage per 'day', unless you want to purchase more, and you are also charged for the number of generator hours used, after a small allowable limit.
You must sign a waiver saying that you are responsible for 'any and every' damage not listed on the original sheet after you return, supply a very hefty 'damage' security deposit, and promise to generally 'clean' before your return the coach(ha!), with an additional 'cleaning' refundable deposit.

They do certainly give the main driver a walk around and discussion of 'how' to use each system, but I can only imagine that most of that is over the head of most any new RVr, since most of us ourselves can remember how 'little' we remember, even from a 'good' PDI... sometimes it just doesn't ring a bell until you actually go to 'use' it. Then it's too late, and you have arrived at the first campground at NIGHT(!), and don't know how to hook anything up, or even where to find the light switch!

After some discussion, the employee told me that they rarely ever get a unit back that they don't have to hire someone to 'clean' anyway, keeping the 'cleaning deposit', and rarely ever give back most or all of the security damage deposit because either the unit was returned 'after hours', more generator hours were used than provided for, not enough fuel was left in the tank, something was damaged, something was broken, something was missing, something was stained or soiled, food stuff left behind, or non-dumped sewer tanks, etc.
And, their main 'damage claim' to their insurer was for the number one damage for most all RVs - the tail-swing collision at a fuel station.


now we know why there aren't more 'rental' rv options!

[spock123]

I don’t even loan my camper out

[kenandterry]

Well.....
I think the verdict is in ......it’s always the same on this topic.

Anyone else notice the OP hasn’t chimed back in?

[JohnD10]

Most people wouldn't even let their own kids borrow their RV...

Let alone letting someone they don't even know use it ��