Considering renting out our motorhome

errpaul

errpaul

Free Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Posts
538
Likes collected
83
Location
Wiltshire
Funster No
5,757
MH
A Class
Exp
11 yrs
We have just put our motorhome up for sale having bought a different model. However, we are actually considering keeping our current one to rent out.
We considered it in the past but decided against it as didn't want to share our van! This time would be different as we would be keeping it purely as a rental. Has anyone done this? It's a 2004 model, but has 5 belted seats and bunks, so believe it would make a popular rental choice (priced to take account of the age).
I know insurance for self drive hire would be pricey, and would have to take a deposit of at least the insurance excess.
Any words of wisdom from anyone.....???
 
Not a chance for me, when they get in trouble in it.
Cons!
Stuck somewhere
Scratched
Screw the arse off it
Have parties in it
let dogs use it as a breeding and Sh**ing ground.
speeding Tickets hassle
Electrical checks and safety checks
fighting with renters who you dont want to refund deposits too
the list goes on and on and on.

Pros ?
earn some rent??...ID rather sell
 
Most peoples advice is don't do it, lots of pitfalls for the unsuspecting.
I think your biggest problem would be the vehicle returning with a fault and its booked out two days later and you have to ring your customer to tell them their holiday is cancelled as the van is unservicable.
 
You’ll be inundated and as a word of caution, vet vet vet I once used camptoo which was great but after many great renters had a bad one and I had to fork out hundreds to repair damage and wait a very long time for insurance from camptoo and it ruined a great side earner ! If it’s not your van then different. Compare different hire sites and their terms and conditions. I’ll not hire again as was to stressful to sort problem hirer out
 
Been there and done that with much regret. If you are prepared to carry out repairs every time it returns and end up possibly out of pocket then go for it.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Not A Chance

Some people can't operate a car.

Seriously, forget the idea. I recall one client of mine laughing at how a friend let them borrow their camper. They left the wind out awning out in the rain without supports and it tore off. They thought their stupidity was hilarious, I doubt their friends felt the same on its return, despite offering to pay.
 
Agree with all of the above. However with some caravan rental company's now quoting £4k a week for a static, you might be able to ask for enough to offset the damage done. The other issue is insurance.
 
iI think the challenge is thus.
You have been a forum member for 12 years, and your interaction with “ motorhoming tyoes” on here may have lulled you into believing that the public out there who may want to borrow yours will treat it as most on here would treat it if you lent it to one of us

Unfortunately, I believe you are in for a shock
 
No way. Sell, you will be a lot better off in both the short and long term.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Don’t even think about it.........unless you are some sort of weird masochist who thinks that the great British public will look after the vehicle. They won’t. Please please don’t do it!!!!! :giggle:
 
The ideal rental van: a camper

2 berth with 2 seatbelts

No toilet, a sink with no tap, 10 ltr fresh water container, camping stove with gas cartridges, 220v electric socket with hook up - all designed to 'persuade' renter to use campsites and reduce damage to vehicle.

You could not teach someone everything about your van on changeover - so much to learn and go wrong - I wouldn't do it
 
Unless you are a sadist just sell it now whilst the market is buoyant so you should get a good price and enjoy yourself.

Forget about any possibly income you might get from it, even with good hirers, the stress and hassle it will cause you will far outweigh any possible benefits. Its not like a rental property where agents can look after it all for you (even this can be a nightmare at times though) so you will have to get involved with it all and have lots of aggro/work including advertising, checking hirer's details, getting deposits, dealing with irate/idiotic customers, sort out repairs, chase debts, disappoint other hirers because it's not available due to being unusable, then of course there's insurance, maintenance etc not to mention doing a tax return for any income you may make (if they don't do one already this would likely put most people off immediately!).

In a word ...

NO

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I seem to recall a similar thread on here about a year ago.
The Funster had done his own van conversion especially for rental customers and thought he had made it tough enough to cope with anything the renter could throw at it. But the very first customer somehow managed to return it in a terrible state - broken in places and filthy dirty inside. They returned the van to his house after office hours, later than arranged and dropped the keys off without it being inspected. They scarpered. He was left out of pocket and with hours of work to clean the van and put right the damage before the next customer could rent it.
I also recall that many Funsters advised him against renting out his van, but he did it anyway.
 
Last edited:
No, I would not do it, and I'm a landlord and we also run holiday lets.
I'm used to the idea of strangers being trusted to borrow assets worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Like every landlord, I can tell you a few first hand stories of disasters, but I would also tell you that after 40 years in the business the majority of people are good and do their best.

BUT, If you still wanted to proceed with renting out your m/h I'd very strongly recommend you do it via an agent, then them deal with the vetting, the cleaning, the late arrivals, the damage and the money.
They will earn their commission!

There is no way I'd rent out my M/H on a personal level
 
No No No GIF

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
You have got to be joking !!
Do you really enjoy stress, sleepless nights and conflict ? No amount of income would be worth this type of hassle !
Sell while the market is in your favour and enjoy your new Motorhome.
 
1618505084336.gif

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Figaro said:
Most peoples advice is don't do it, lots of pitfalls for the unsuspecting.
I think your biggest problem would be the vehicle returning with a fault and its booked out two days later and you have to ring your customer to tell them their holiday is cancelled as the van is unservicable.
Click to expand...
And a deposit refund
 
I think that's pretty unanimous then. I did find a company that do it all, they basically look after your motorhome, but they haven't got back to me. I think it's as they only want really new ones. No chance of that.
 
I did take a look at many different options, including having someone to do handovers and cleaning in between.

All my concerns have been echoed here.
I guess I was hoping to hear
'yes it's a great way to make a bit of money, and worth the hassle, (especially since we won't need the use of it ourselves).'
But not so 😂
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top