Has Anyone Rented Their Class B?

[janeybird]

I have been searching for an older PW in order to keep the price down. I am now rethinking this as all of the ones I have looked at just have too many things I would be concerned about due to age/wear and tear.

I am trying to research how practical it might be, if I were to purchase a newer, more expensive PW, and rent it out during the times I am not using it, to help offset the higher cost.

If you have ever rented out your class b, I would love to hear your thoughts on this, if it was worth it, did you keep it rented most of the time, did you have bad experience with rental, etc. Also what company you used and approximate location. I am located in Florida.

Thanks in advance~

[Rocinante]

If we rented out our full-featured Class B, we're pretty sure we'd incur more daily costs in repairs for stuff that RV newbies busted out of ignorance than we'd make in rental fees.

That said, I'm sure there are folks out there who do this and somehow make it work. I'll bet most of them are pretty handy and can do the majority of repairs themselves.

[mumkin]

After renting out a house for 10 years, there is no way I'd rent out any of the RVs I've owned. Too many of the clueless and hapless who have no respect for anyone's property. Especially when you read about an owners doing this on one of my Facebook owners pages, and the renter ran it under a low bridge and ripped off the AC and solar panels.

Seems to me a way to give you sky high insurance rates.

[janeybird]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

If we rented out our full-featured Class B, we're pretty sure we'd incur more daily costs in repairs for stuff that RV newbies busted out of ignorance than we'd make in rental fees.

That said, I'm sure there are folks out there who do this and somehow make it work. I'll bet most of them are pretty handy and can do the majority of repairs themselves.

That is kind of what I was thinking, and I am handy but not that handy!! I could repair very small things and I'm pretty resourceful but just don't know if it would be worth it. Thank you for your response, it is appreciated!

[dmb496]

Originally Posted by mumkin

After renting out a house for 10 years, there is no way I'd rent out any of the RVs I've owned. Too many of the clueless and hapless who have no respect for anyone's property. Especially when you read about an owners doing this on one of my Facebook owners pages, and the renter ran it under a low bridge and ripped off the AC and solar panels.

Seems to me a way to give you sky high insurance rates.

We've experienced the same. I agree with you.

[janeybird]

Originally Posted by mumkin

After renting out a house for 10 years, there is no way I'd rent out any of the RVs I've owned. Too many of the clueless and hapless who have no respect for anyone's property. Especially when you read about an owners doing this on one of my Facebook owners pages, and the renter ran it under a low bridge and ripped off the AC and solar panels.

Seems to me a way to give you sky high insurance rates.

Oh my goodness!! That would be a nightmare. I know there is insurance they are required to purchase with these companies for things like this and I would think it would go against them and not the owner but definitely something I would want to do more research on. Even if it was paid for by their insurance, you would lose the use of your vehicle for the time it took to repair. So definitely something for me to think about. Thank you for your response!

[booster]

I don't know if it is still being done, but there were companies that would handle all the rental stuff for you and store it in the process. Sometimes it was dealers trying to get rid of inventory during slow times, so at least that part wouldn't apply now.


I don't know the details as we are way too picky to let anybody use our van but us, but it might pay to check it out to see if it is available and how it would work. The biggest thing is probably limiting your personally liability issues as that can be huge, even when compared to expensive repairs being needed.

[larryadamsco]

Originally Posted by janeybird

I have been searching for an older PW in order to keep the price down. I am now rethinking this as all of the ones I have looked at just have too many things I would be concerned about due to age/wear and tear.

I am trying to research how practical it might be, if I were to purchase a newer, more expensive PW, and rent it out during the times I am not using it, to help offset the higher cost.

If you have ever rented out your class b, I would love to hear your thoughts on this, if it was worth it, did you keep it rented most of the time, did you have bad experience with rental, etc. Also what company you used and approximate location. I am located in Florida.

Thanks in advance~

Hi janet bird,
I definitely agree with “mumkin ” about irresponsible renters. I have had similar nightmare experiences. I own an older model Roadtrek and am planning to joggle my gameplan soon, considering selling or renting. If you care to talk, reach out to me at larryadams@hotmail.com.

[rvsprinterguy]

I'm familiar with an outfit here in the Bay Area that rents Winnebago Revel and Travato Class Bs. They work through Outdoorsy and RVShare, which handle scheduling and payment, and provide insurance that covers the vehicle, occupants, and liability during the actual time the RV is rented out. Easy access to this insurance makes renting possible; it's much cheaper than adding a rider to your own policy.

RVs get damaged in use. One Revel came back with its driver-side door blown forward by wind. Its hinges were sprung and there was body damage to the fender and the door skin. The repair estimate was nearly $3000. In another case, a Travato's fresh water tank bulged out due to being over-pressurized. This required repair of the surrounding cabinetry under the kitchen countertop the tune of about $400. Another Revel was knocked out of rental rotation because its awning motor quit working, and the repair part was backordered. Bumpers get bent, bodywork gets scratched. A major photo shoot occurs before and after a rental to make sure damage gets caught when it happens.

The only way this business works is if you have an arm's length relationship with your RV, can handle it being mishandled, and can charge enough to cover the wear and tear. Another way it would work is to specialize in generic Class C vans that are cheap to buy and easy to fix. But then, you're CruiseAmerica.

Outdoorsy and RVShare make it look easy to turn your personal RV into a cash machine, but I think the reality is very different.

[Pam G]

Originally Posted by janeybird

If you have ever rented out your class b, I would love to hear your thoughts on this, if it was worth it, did you keep it rented most of the time, did you have bad experience with rental, etc. Also what company you used and approximate location. I am located in Florida.

Thanks in advance~

Personally, I wouldn't rent out my 1999 Roadtrek 190P because I have it packed for going to dog shows, and I would have to empty out all of my personal stuff each time. I've also heard enough horror stories from people who rent houses that I would be really hesitant to rent an RV, although I have thought about it. Just wanted to let you know I did see a post by someone who does rent out their Class B. I can't remember if the post was on this group or another group, but they said they had gotten a bigger, newer RV, and they were using the income from renting to pay for the new RV. Seems like they said they had the Class B rented out most weekends. I don't know if they went through a company.

[RogerY]

Originally Posted by rvsprinterguy

I'm familiar with an outfit here in the Bay Area that rents Winnebago Revel and Travato Class Bs. They work through Outdoorsy and RVShare, which handle scheduling and payment, and provide insurance that covers the vehicle, occupants, and liability during the actual time the RV is rented out. Easy access to this insurance makes renting possible; it's much cheaper than adding a rider to your own policy.

We started renting our Airstream Interstate last spring through Go Camp which is probably the outfit referred to above. They handle the listing on their site and on Outdoorsy. They were listing on RVShare as well but didn't see as much activity there. It was rented almost continuously through the summer and though it was sometimes a hassle it was definitely worth the trouble. The renter is required to buy insurance through the rental company and we did have one fender scrape with was promptly paid.

Go Camp started in the Pacific Northwest and they've expanded through the western states, I'm not sure if they have anything in Florida but they're very responsive.

Feel free to DM with questions, in the meantime, here is our listing on Go Camp to give you a feel for what they do: https://gocampcampervans.com/vehicle...b-currency=USD

Roger

[ArtDeco]

I haven't rented mine out either, but it can work if you live close to a major tourist area. Otherwise, No, Nope, Never. And be sure to check the insurance policy carefully... holes like swiss cheese are the norm, I'm told.

[michaelingp]

My brother rented a Class C for almost a month this summer and it worked out great for him and the owner. Interestingly, from what I could gather, the owner took the opposite tack than you're contemplating. The RV he rented out was an older Class C (I think maybe 20 years old) and the owner seemed very handy as far as fixing things himself. I'm not sure the owner actually used the RV himself much. I think this business model makes more sense, in that you're going to notice every stain and scratch on a newer RV. What's one more stain on a 20 y.o. rig?

[MagicBox]

I would not rent out my class B
With all the things that need to be learned about how to operate a class B it just doesn’t seem like a good idea to rent it out.

A year in I think I finally understand most of the systems but there are issues that still trip me up.
Recently the outlets that are in the same loop as the inverter stopped working. I finally remembered to check in the inverter box for an unplugged cable which happened to me before in my RT 190.

Toilet operation and dumping, leveling the vehicle, remembering what to turn off and disconnect before departure. A stranger sleeping in your bed. Roof and ground clearance.
So many possible pitfalls.

[Bud]

All of us, no
Many of us, no
Some of us, no
A few of us, no
ME, have already screwed up My B.

[rogerstg]

There is obviously a general market and money to be made by renting out an RV. Otherwise RV rental businesses and companies like Outdoorsy would not exist.

But, renting out an RV is a business, a hands on business. The real question is, "how entrepreneurial are you?" Business temperament is generally a key factor in success.

Like any business, you'll need to research your market area, potential for revenue, costs, risks, etc.

I hope this helps.

[Nspekter]

We’ve rented our B through Outdoosy and RVShare for the last 2 seasons. It’s been rented as much as we made it available. The income is good, it has paid off for new tires, shocks, sway bar, TPMS and a nice cellular internet system. We bought ours used at 6 years old and 32,000 miles. It now has 78,000. Close to half of the mileage has been our usage and the rest rental.
We have rental properties so are familiar with the wear and tear but it adds up. I’m very handy and do most of the repairs myself. But not seeing small damages and charging for them at return piles up. I spend close to 2 hours going through everything with each renter which I think minimizes the damage. The one insurance claim we had was for a fluky broken window. The renter chose to put it through their own insurance rather than use Outdoorsy’s. It didn’t matter to me, it got paid.
After saying all of that, we’re probably not going to rent it next year. At 8 years old it seems ready for a little more TLC.

[avanti]

There are so many subtleties to the proper use and enjoyment of our rig that I dread explaining them to the next owner when the time comes, much less a series of renters.