renting out rv

[soozcna]

My husband and I are taking a year off from traveling in our rv. we were thinking about renting it out but unsure if this is a good idea.It is a 1998 Coachmen Santara, we are unable to rent through a company such as RVshare because of its age. Is this something we can do on our own? Any advise?


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[Mountain_Mama]

We letour daughter and SIL use ours one year as there was no available rental property where they moved to in MS. She was an RN & SILwas college percussion professor. A wind came up before a thunderstorm and they were hurriedly trying to get the awning put up. Due to lack of experience and rushing they ended up breaking the glass in the door (with SIL cutting his hand) and messing up (as in ruining) the awning. Just from that experience opened our eyes to not letting anyone else use our RV... especially renters. I’m not sure we’d let them use our current rig now and what happened was all accidental.

[soren]

JaxDad wrote:
Apparently most but Ichabod missed my point.

Two words. DUE DILIGENCE.

If you are dumb enough to put an ad on CL and rent to any and all who reply, you deserve the Darwin Award *and* a trashed rig.

If however you are selective and have your bases covered, it’s unlikely you’ll have any big problems.

I've got a brother who made a very healthy income managing several car rental agencies, and know many who are landlords with a few rentals. Every one of those folks would get a good laugh at your comment. If you have all the answers, by all means, rent out your personal RV and enjoy a business that is nothing but puppies and rainbows, I guarantee it will be awesome, LOL.

[Mr_Mark1]

JaxDad, I agree with what you are saying. But, people are not like you and me.

There are some major slobs out there. My cousin owns 14-15 duplexes that she inherited from her parents years ago when they past away. The stories are amazing. If it wasn't for her husband being in the construction business, it would be a losing battle.

They have to practically keep the eviction people on a retainer.

I recall looking at rentals from Cruise America when we were looking for our first rental. A new unit with 3,000 miles on it (class C) had a sofa chewed up by a dog. And, it wasn't fix for the next customer! I ended up renting from another company but it was an eye opener.

Safe travels,
MM.

[JaxDad]

Mr.Mark wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
Back in 2005 and 2006, we were paying about $350 a day for renting a class A diesel.

So you trashed those units you rented?

No, I'm the type to return something I rented/borrowed better than we I got it.

Good for you, I’m exactly the same way.

That is EXACTLY my point. There ARE responsible people out there who respect others property as if it was their own.


It just rubs me the wrong way when I see all these people constantly screaming that the sky is falling. If you spend a night in a rest area you’ll be murdered in your sleep unless you have a howitzer under your pillow and the door knob rigged with a couple of pounds of C4. If you drive on tires that are 5+ years old they will explode and your coach will roll and you will die or be left in a wheelchair crippled for life.

[Mr_Mark1]

JaxDad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
Back in 2005 and 2006, we were paying about $350 a day for renting a class A diesel.

So you trashed those units you rented?

No, I'm the type to return something I rented/borrowed better than we I got it.

That's why I always buy new as I like the 'new car/coach smell'. I keep things in perfect condition. My trades are always sought after as they are always like brand new 😛

Safe travels,
MM.

[jfkmk]

JaxDad wrote:
It’s incredible that out of 325 million there’s not a single responsible person to rent an RV.

I wonder how all those rental companies stay in business?

Even stranger is all the people who happily buy former rental units and have great success with them for years afterwards.......


It must st be different up here in Canuckistan, there’s a sweet old guy I know from my church, he has an older class A that he only uses for winters south. A few years back he got the idea to let some of the younger families rent it during the summer when he didn’t use it. Besides, since he only puts about 5,000 miles a year on it he was never going to wear it out. It’s booked full-time now he says. He’s happy it’s being enjoyed and not just sitting and deteriorating now either.

To show their appreciation the families that rent it pooled their money and bought him 6 new tires last fall.

Renting to families you know from church is a LOT different than renting to the general population.

[JaxDad]

Mr.Mark wrote:
Back in 2005 and 2006, we were paying about $350 a day for renting a class A diesel.

So you trashed those units you rented?

[JaxDad]

Apparently most but Ichabod missed my point.

Two words. DUE DILIGENCE.

If you are dumb enough to put an ad on CL and rent to any and all who reply, you deserve the Darwin Award *and* a trashed rig.

If however you are selective and have your bases covered, it’s unlikely you’ll have any big problems.

[Bumpyroad]

soren wrote:

Seriously, that has what exactly to do with renting your rig out to random strangers on Craigslist? In our case, the kid next door, his wife and baby are using our Class A for a week this summer, and I doubt it will give me the urge to let total strangers ruin it. When you have been to a national park and repeatedly watch European tourists smash tree branches with the cabover on a Class C rental, and use the stinkly slinky rinse hose to fill the fresh water tank. When you are parking cars at a Nascar race, as a volunteer with your Boy Scout troop, and watch ten drunk idiots dancing on the top of their rental. When you see a Cruise America pass you on the interstate at darn close to triple digit speeds. When you find an owner who is trying to get rid of the cat pee stank, or paying the bill to reupholster what the renter's dog ate, well THEN you decide if it's the same as loaning the thing to the folks at church. I rented a Cruise America rig, that was at the end of it's service life, and about to head in for "refurbishing". I can assure you that it isn't a pretty sight. It was beyond beat up, and full of funky stains, and roach traps. Not how I live my life, and not how I would allow others to do so, in my equipment.

As for "how rental companies stay in business?" Well, it's a lot like my local equipment rental outfit. That place pays $1500 for a tiller, and rents it out for a few years at $80 bucks a pop. Once it's been used a couple of hundred times, they sell it for $5-600. A place like Cruise America is similar but huge in scale. They contract a manufacturer to build hundreds of custom designed and specified rigs at a time. Collect a couple of hundred grand in rental income during each unit's service life, then resell then. This business model has got as much to do with you renting your personal rig, as you piloting a single engine small plane a few hours a year does with being a 767 pilot for a major airline.

well stated
bumpy

[soren]

Bumpyroad wrote:

JaxDad wrote:
It’s incredible that out of 325 million there’s not a single responsible person to rent an RV.

I wonder how all those rental companies stay in business?

Even stranger is all the people who happily buy former rental units and have great success with them for years afterwards.......


It must st be different up here in Canuckistan, there’s a sweet old guy I know from my church, he has an older class A that he only uses for winters south. A few years back he got the idea to let some of the younger families rent it during the summer when he didn’t use it. Besides, since he only puts about 5,000 miles a year on it he was never going to wear it out. It’s booked full-time now he says. He’s happy it’s being enjoyed and not just sitting and deteriorating now either.

To show their appreciation the families that rent it pooled their money and bought him 6 new tires last fall.

and everybody lived happily ever after
bumpy

Seriously, that has what exactly to do with renting your rig out to random strangers on Craigslist? In our case, the kid next door, his wife and baby are using our Class A for a week this summer, and I doubt it will give me the urge to let total strangers ruin it. When you have been to a national park and repeatedly watch European tourists smash tree branches with the cabover on a Class C rental, and use the stinkly slinky rinse hose to fill the fresh water tank. When you are parking cars at a Nascar race, as a volunteer with your Boy Scout troop, and watch ten drunk idiots dancing on the top of their rental. When you see a Cruise America pass you on the interstate at darn close to triple digit speeds. When you find an owner who is trying to get rid of the cat pee stank, or paying the bill to reupholster what the renter's dog ate, well THEN you decide if it's the same as loaning the thing to the folks at church. I rented a Cruise America rig, that was at the end of it's service life, and about to head in for "refurbishing". I can assure you that it isn't a pretty sight. It was beyond beat up, and full of funky stains, and roach traps. Not how I live my life, and not how I would allow others to do so, in my equipment.

As for "how rental companies stay in business?" Well, it's a lot like my local equipment rental outfit. That place pays $1500 for a tiller, and rents it out for a few years at $80 bucks a pop. Once it's been used a couple of hundred times, they sell it for $5-600. A place like Cruise America is similar but huge in scale. They contract a manufacturer to build hundreds of custom designed and specified rigs at a time. Collect a couple of hundred grand in rental income during each unit's service life, then resell then. This business model has got as much to do with you renting your personal rig, as you piloting a single engine small plane a few hours a year does with being a 767 pilot for a major airline.

[Mr_Mark1]

JaxDad, the reason why ALL of those rental companies stay in business is because they charge out the 'wazoo' renting them out! Have you checked rental rates?

Back in 2005 and 2006, we were paying about $350 a day for renting a class A diesel. I bought a $1M insurance policy as you know how people are now with all of the lawyer advertisements on TV. We had about 100 miles a day allowance and then it was $1 a mile for overage.

If someone wants to rent their RV out, more power to them! I wish them the best of luck.

It's when there is a problem will the renter know what to do? Do they check tires pressures? If an inner dual is low, they would never know unless the RV has a TPMS.

I'm wondering if the example you used about the guy renting to young families protected himself legally. There are so many things that a person has to think about and I feel that's what most here want to point out.

It's like renting your house. It just takes one bad renter to eat up any profit from all the damage they can do.

Safe travels,
MM.

[IAMICHABOD]

JaxDad wrote:
It’s incredible that out of 325 million there’s not a single responsible person to rent an RV.

I wonder how all those rental companies stay in business?

Even stranger is all the people who happily buy former rental units and have great success with them for years afterwards.......

:B:B:B

[Bumpyroad]

JaxDad wrote:
It’s incredible that out of 325 million there’s not a single responsible person to rent an RV.

I wonder how all those rental companies stay in business?

Even stranger is all the people who happily buy former rental units and have great success with them for years afterwards.......


It must st be different up here in Canuckistan, there’s a sweet old guy I know from my church, he has an older class A that he only uses for winters south. A few years back he got the idea to let some of the younger families rent it during the summer when he didn’t use it. Besides, since he only puts about 5,000 miles a year on it he was never going to wear it out. It’s booked full-time now he says. He’s happy it’s being enjoyed and not just sitting and deteriorating now either.

To show their appreciation the families that rent it pooled their money and bought him 6 new tires last fall.

and everybody lived happily ever after
bumpy

[JaxDad]

It’s incredible that out of 325 million there’s not a single responsible person to rent an RV.

I wonder how all those rental companies stay in business?

Even stranger is all the people who happily buy former rental units and have great success with them for years afterwards.......


It must st be different up here in Canuckistan, there’s a sweet old guy I know from my church, he has an older class A that he only uses for winters south. A few years back he got the idea to let some of the younger families rent it during the summer when he didn’t use it. Besides, since he only puts about 5,000 miles a year on it he was never going to wear it out. It’s booked full-time now he says. He’s happy it’s being enjoyed and not just sitting and deteriorating now either.

To show their appreciation the families that rent it pooled their money and bought him 6 new tires last fall.