Renting RV out as a house/room on AirBNB?

[superrayzor]

When I am not using my RV it will be parked on my extra property in Washington. My sister lives on the property and there will be full hookups for the RV.

Has anybody rented out their RV as an extra room on AirBNB? The area it would be in has some tourism for wine country, but even just 1 or 2 nights a month would be nice.

Would like to hear if anybody has been successful.

[crcr]

free radical wrote:
... most rental tenants dont give a c***p if they break or damage anything...

x2

[1968mooney]

fj12ryder wrote:
By your own admission you have nothing to do with rental property, but you just know it's a losing proposition. Okaaaaay, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I don't know where you live, but rental properties are scattered everywhere around here, lower, middle, and high end. You shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush. I reiterate, there has to be money in it or there wouldn't be so much property available to rent.

He has every right to paint all "landlords" as the same. Most people look as RV'ers as poor people. And full timers as very poor people. :R

[free_radical]

I had one rental property and while it payed my bills it was the worst experience in my life and something I would never do again..
I also done maintanance on several rental block houses and the amount of maintanance and fixing things couldve kept me working forever..
,most rental tenants dont give a c***p if they break or damage anything..

[2gypsies1]

If you read other posts by the OP, he's dealing with a lot of issues like living and working in two states, kids going to school in two states, figuring out how he can use the two states (CA & WA) for his driver's license/registrations and wants to register the RV in WA so he can get a Seattle Seahawks license plate. 🙂 He also plans to use the RV when not in CA...strange story. His sister also wants to use the RV for her trips.

...not going to work.

[Walaby]

Interesting discussions... I agree rental property can be a money making opportunity. I don't believe renting a TT would necessarily be though. Let's face it, they are not built that way, and we all know renters do not take care of property the same as if they owned it. I have a house I rent out.. and I know first hand it can make money, but you can definitely have the setbacks and the damage.. even with a S&B house.

At the end of the day, the OP has to decide if it's worth it to make a couple of bucks, but then, have to deal with the negatives. Yes, there will be someone who rents it who smokes a cigarette or two in it, even if told no.. it will suffer damage, make no mistake about that.

Im with Gdetrailer. I bought my RV for me.. I didn't buy it as an investment, and I know at the end of the day, I will lose money, but for the amount I lose, I will surely enjoy it MYSELF.

To each his or her own. I actually hope OP does it and reports back. It won't change my mind, even if he is very successful. My RV is my Rv, for me and my wife to enjoy, and no one else. Others clearly feel differently, and don't mind sharing or loaning, or renting their RV.. and that's cool.

Mike

[fj12ryder]

By your own admission you have nothing to do with rental property, but you just know it's a losing proposition. Okaaaaay, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I don't know where you live, but rental properties are scattered everywhere around here, lower, middle, and high end. You shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush. I reiterate, there has to be money in it or there wouldn't be so much property available to rent.

[Gdetrailer]

fj12ryder wrote:
Personally I think there's a very large difference between doing something like a B&B compared to actually renting out an apartment/house. Big difference.

OTOH, if renting is such a bad deal, why do so many people do it? There's tons of rental property out there. If it wasn't a money maker, that property would be pretty scarce.

Take a good hard look at where MOST "rental" properties are..

Typically not high end or high dollar areas unless they are rented at extremely insane prices..

Most folks who have dabbled a bit in rentals typically will buy derelict, run down and often needed to be condemned buildings.. Often get them from Sheriffs sale for the back taxes owed..

Then they will rehab on the cheap to keep the investment of capital as low as possible..

I used to work with one fellow that had bought an entire city block, fixing up the apartments renting them out for a couple of years then eventually selling the building off to someone else..

Yeah, he turned some profits, but for the amount of work he did in the end he spent more time on those buildings than what it was worth..

Last time I heard from him he was trying to dump all of his holdings, got tired of calls in the middle of the night with plumbing, electrical or heating problems..

A landlord is a landlord, 24/7/365..

Renters OFTEN break rules, all it would take is one day of one renter smoking a few cigs in the RV and that smell will never go away..

Tell them no pets, bet there WILL be one that brings in a bored dog that decides to chew on some cushions or wood work..

Tell them how to use the RV toilet and I would bet ONE will end up clogging the tank..

I did not buy my RV to make money or to break even, I knew going in that I was not recovering the cost of ownership.

I bought it for my own personal use.

Yep, mine sits in my side yard, I stare at every day, I stare at in the mornings when I get up to go to work.. I stare at it when I get home from work.. But it IS there whenever I DO want to use it and I do not have to worry whether I have to fix something someone broke.

To me, that IS "priceless", you can not put a price on the freedom just knowing I do not have to deal with renters, nor fixing things they may have broke.

Just remember, A RV IS NOT A STICKS AND BRICKS HOUSE, it is not built for the abuse of careless renters.

Most RVs are not really designed or meant for full time living..

Toilets are cheaply made plastic with a ball or slide seal that can easily get fouled..

Showers and tubs are often made of cheap low grade plastic, they will not take a lot of abuse..

Drawers and cabinets are often easy to break..

Electrical system is not all that robust and some renters may have issues adjusting to such a limited electrical system.

You take your chances and spin the wheel..

[fj12ryder]

Personally I think there's a very large difference between doing something like a B&B compared to actually renting out an apartment/house. Big difference.

OTOH, if renting is such a bad deal, why do so many people do it? There's tons of rental property out there. If it wasn't a money maker, that property would be pretty scarce.

[Gdetrailer]

crcr wrote:

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

superrayzor wrote:


Would like to hear if anybody has been successful.

Read the 4 pages of replies.

See there are two posters who have rented their S&B properties successfully - - but *NO* RV rental history.

Soooooo either do it or don't.

Revive your thread after the summer and relate your success or failure...:C

~

About 6 or 7 years ago, I rented out the travel trailer we had at the time for a period of 2 or 3 years. I did this because due to personal circumstances at that time, we seldom had time to use our RV for that period of time, and I didn't want to sell it. I did it through a local agency that put together RV owners and renters, and I did have insurance specific to that usage. I had 3 or 4 stationary rentals, where I towed it to the desired location and set it up for an extra fee. Most of the rentals, the renters towed it to where they wanted to go.

I got a good sized deposit each time, and did a thorough check of the RV afterwards. There was damage to the RV by renters several times, both cosmetic damage and things like managing to fry the power converter. Any repairs or clean up needed afterwards, I took out of their deposit and sent them a statement with any balance of the deposit they had coming. One renter then sued me in small claims court, because he forfeited his deposit due to damage done. So I counter-sued. He lost and I won, but it was a hassle to deal with it. Then soon after I had the misfortune to rent to a guy who was so rude and impossible to deal with that that was the straw that broke the camel's back -- I decided I had had enough of renting out an RV, and I quit the business.

I would never do it again, even if I wasn't personally using the RV, but only renting it. Keep in mind that I previously owned, maintained, and managed residential rentals for 20 years during my working career, so I was no stranger to the the ins and outs of the rental business. I sold out of the residential rental business because I tired of dealing with damage, lying, and other unattractive human traits on the part of renters.

That was my experience in RV renting. To the OP, good luck with it if you decide to proceed.

^^^THIS^^^

While there may be some "attractiveness" to the idea of recouping some money from the ownership of your little used property, ultimately it comes down to hassle AND/OR LOSS you are willing to accept..

All it takes is ONE "rotten apple" to ruin it..

Sure, you can take a "deposit" and sure they can pay by credit card but in the end one bad renter and you may be spending considerable time and your money (there goes your "profits") on court costs and repairs..

You bought the RV for your own pleasure/consumption, not someone else s.

I would highly recommend that you seek out some folks who rent apartments and get their perspective.. You better have a rather strong stomach, most landlords WILL have some pretty gory details on the havoc renters can and often do to the rentals..

I personally have stayed out of the rental game, I work hard long hrs for my money, I am not about to work for free fixing things that renters decided to damage or destroy.

[crcr]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

superrayzor wrote:


Would like to hear if anybody has been successful.

Read the 4 pages of replies.

See there are two posters who have rented their S&B properties successfully - - but *NO* RV rental history.

Soooooo either do it or don't.

Revive your thread after the summer and relate your success or failure...:C

~

About 6 or 7 years ago, I rented out the travel trailer we had at the time for a period of 2 or 3 years. I did this because due to personal circumstances at that time, we seldom had time to use our RV for that period of time, and I didn't want to sell it. I did it through a local agency that put together RV owners and renters, and I did have insurance specific to that usage. I had 3 or 4 stationary rentals, where I towed it to the desired location and set it up for an extra fee. Most of the rentals, the renters towed it to where they wanted to go.

I got a good sized deposit each time, and did a thorough check of the RV afterwards. There was damage to the RV by renters several times, both cosmetic damage and things like managing to fry the power converter. Any repairs or clean up needed afterwards, I took out of their deposit and sent them a statement with any balance of the deposit they had coming. One renter then sued me in small claims court, because he forfeited his deposit due to damage done. So I counter-sued. He lost and I won, but it was a hassle to deal with it. Then soon after I had the misfortune to rent to a guy who was so rude and impossible to deal with that that was the straw that broke the camel's back -- I decided I had had enough of renting out an RV, and I quit the business.

I would never do it again, even if I wasn't personally using the RV, but only renting it. Keep in mind that I previously owned, maintained, and managed residential rentals for 20 years during my working career, so I was no stranger to the the ins and outs of the rental business. I sold out of the residential rental business because I tired of dealing with damage, lying, and other unattractive human traits on the part of renters.

That was my experience in RV renting. To the OP, good luck with it if you decide to proceed.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

superrayzor wrote:


Would like to hear if anybody has been successful.

Read the 4 pages of replies.

See there are two posters who have rented their S&B properties successfully - - but *NO* RV rental history.

Soooooo either do it or don't.

Revive your thread after the summer and relate your success or failure...:C

~

[MitchF150]

I don't mind using my trailer that's parked on the side of my house as an extra guest room for family/friends that might visit us. We have a guest room in the house too, but sometimes, we get multiple visitors...

But, I know these people and they know me, so we all have a common understanding of each other.

If renting it out works for you, that's great. I see no reason to not do it if you don't see any reason to not do it..

Enjoy!

Mitch

[2gypsies1]

Renting out a house is completely different from a RV. People know how to flush a toilet in a house and they don't have to do the dump procedure. Things are a lot more fragile with a RV. You'd definitely have to have specific insurance for breakage and if a person would get hurt.

Also, renting out a house in Moab is completely different. It's a destination place, not a field.

[Walaby]

Homer wrote:
Isn't your RV a sort of personal hide a way? Would you want some one else to be messing around with equipment that was not built to handle renters. I personally would not. I would be hard pressed to even allow visitors to live in mine while it was parked and as over night guest. It is just the way I want it and I want it to stay that way. Maybe I am overly protective.

That's the way I feel about mine. My wife asked me if my niece and her friend could sleep in the trailer (they were swinging by to visit us). I said no, I'd rather they were in the house. My trailer is very much our personal hideaway. Maybe in the future I won't be as attached, but right now I am.

Mike