You may have bought your RV or campervan for a trip of a lifetime, and now its sitting in your driveway or in storage.
Or maybe you live in your RV or van and need some extra cash.
The good news is you can make good money renting out your RV or campervan.
Almost nine million American families own an RV. However, on average, an RV sits in an owner’s driveway 50 of 52 weeks per year — incurring payment and maintenance expenses.
Renting out your RV or campervan offers gives you a chance to make money — for some, that means just enough to cover monthly costs and for others, it means a substantial income.
Read on to figure out how to rent out your RV, and if renting out your RV is worth it.
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Is renting out your RV profitable?
You may be wondering if the hassle of renting out your RV or campervan is really worth the money.
The amount you’ll make renting out your RV or campervan depends on several factors.
- How big is your RV?
- How much do you charge per night?
- Are you renting out your RV during the on or off-season?
Here are a couple of real-life examples of people who rent out their RV either on peer-to-peer rental platforms Outdoorsy and RVShare.
- Tom and his fiance Marcie purchased an RV in October of 2016. They, however, had less time than expected to travel. After deep consideration about renting out their beautiful new Class C, they listed on RVshare in January of 2017 as a camper rental. Within a week, they had $11,000 of requests.
- Sarah Grant, of Fostoria, Ohio, purchased her motorhome strictly as an RV rental. Within the first year, she generated about $50,000 on RVShare.
- Full-time RVers Health and Alyssa rent out their RV on holidays, and made $5,000, almost enough to cover their $7,000 annual payment
Both RVShare and Outdoorsy have online calculators that estimate how much money you can make renting out your RV.
Here are some examples from Outdoorsy based on a 1-2 week rental:
- $1,600-$3,000 for a Class A RV
- $1,500-$3,000 for a Class B RV
- $1,100-$2,200 for a Class C RV
- $900-$2,000 for a campervan
- $900-$2000 for a camper trailer
List your RV or campervan on Outdoorsy now.
As you can see, it’s possible to make good money renting out your RV or campervan during peak seasons, like summertime and holidays.
The positives and negatives of renting out your RV or campervan
Sure, you can make good money renting out your RV, is renting out your RV worth it? That’s a personal decision and you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons.
If you’re someone who’s really nervous and anxious about your RV, you may not want to rent it out to strangers. However, if you feel like you can find renters you can trust, go for it!
Peer-to-peer rental companies like Outdoorsy see a lot of different people looking to rent out RVs. They range from Millenials to retirees.
The good news is that you’ll get to handpick your renter, and each renter undergoes a DMV background check. Plus, both RVShare and Outdoorsy offer insurance policies for the owner and roadside assistance.
To help you figure out if renting out your RV is worth it, we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
- Make extra money and/or even start an RV rental business
- Meet new people and introduce them to the joys of RVing
- Avoid paying expensive RV storage fees
- Help pay for your RV maintenance costs
- You pick your rental rates and renters
Cons:
- You’ll have to remove all your stuff from your RV
- Wear-and-tear could lead to increased maintenance costs
- Cleaning your RV thoroughly between each rental
- Taking time to sift through renters and pick the right one
Whether you rent out your RV or not depends on your own comfort level. You can start slow, only renting out your RV for a couple weeks during the summer or over Christmas break.
Take your time, and see how renting out your RV or campervan feels.
You may also like: 40+ ways to make money from your RV or campervan
Renting out your RV with Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is a popular peer-to-peer rental company where owners can list almost any type of RV. You can rent out your RV, campervan, truck camper, or pull-behind camper trailer.
Here are a few reasons to rent out your RV on Outdoorsy:
- $1 Million Insurance policy to protect both renter and owner
- DMV check on all drivers
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Dedicated customer support team
- You get the final say on who rents your RV or campervan
To boot, listing your RV on Outdoorsy is completely free! The company makes money by taking a percentage of your booking fee.
When renting out your RV, make sure you choose your renter wisely. Spend time getting a feel for who they are and look at their profile and rating.
Remember, you don’t have to accept every request. Talk to the renter about their experience and plans, and respectfully decline when you feel like another vehicle would better suit them.
But if it seems like a good fit, it’s time to prepare your RV.
It’s a good idea to thoroughly clean your RV each time you rent it out. Check the tires, signals, fluids or anything else that needs changing.
Then set up a time to meet up with your renter and hand over the keys!
Renting out your RV with Outdoorsy is a really simple, easy-to-follow process.
Check out these FAQ’s to learn even more about renting out your RV.
List your RV or campervan on Outdoorsy now.
Renting out your RV with RVShare
RVShare is another popular peer-to-peer RV rental company and is also the oldest one around.
Some people who rent out their RV on this platform report earning upwards of $40,000 per year! That’s when you’re turning an RV rental into a business.
RVShare is a huge RV rental platform, and reaches millions every year. The company also provides free RV rental coaching, where an expert will walk you through setting up your listing and answering any questions.
Just like Outdoorsy, it’s free to list your RV on RVShare, and the company takes a percentage to cover operating costs.
You’ll be able to choose your renter and decide on either a loose or strict cancellation policy.
Here are some of the reasons you may want to rent out your RV on RVShare:
- Secure payments and deposits
- Free 24/7 roadside assistance
- RV rental insurance
- RV Share’s team will give you 1-1 coaching on listing your RV if you’re stuck
The risks of putting your RV for rent
Renting out your RV can be scary. What if it gets damaged? What if something goes wrong?
According to RVshare, rental insurance is offered to owners of RV rentals at no cost. There aren’t any start-up costs, access fees, monthly premiums, or anything like that. It’s just a service provided to owners for free for listing and booking.
For RV rentals with RVshare Rental Insurance activated, owners are provided $500,000 in liability coverage as well as comprehensive and collision coverage for the value of their RV up to $200,000. Owners also have the ability to transition to a program offering up to $1,000,000 in liability coverage.
Outdoorsy, on the other hand, provides $1 million of liability insurance coverage for owners.
You may also like: How to find workamping jobs while fulltime RVing
Here’s what real owners say about the risk of renting out your own RV.
Tom, who rents out his RV on RVshare, said he gets into an email dialogue with all potential renters first, finding out where they’re going and who’s traveling with them.
“When people are spending the money they are they take care of our motorhome like it’s their own. Luckily, we haven’t had any major issues coming back. Everyone we’ve communicated with and crossed paths with is wonderful,” he said.
Doug and Becky Dempsey have had similar experiences renting out their RV.
“I think its no different than having family or friends come into town and stay in your house in a guest bedroom,” said Doug. “Everybody has been really respectful of our property. I know when I personallyrent a hotel room or a house on the beach I treat it with more respect than something I would own because its someone else’s and I’m respectful of that. I’ve found its reciprocated 10-fold by the people who have rented our RV.”
Rent out your RV on Outdoorsy now.
Renting out your RV as a business
Tom and Marcie have had so much success renting out their RV on RVshare that its now a separate business. They opened a business account, where they track expenses and income from their RV rentals.
“We ask $250 per night, $1500 dollars per week, $6,000 for the month,” said Tom. “We’ve had it go out 2 weeks by one person, shortest one was a 3-day stay.”
The couple who started RVshare, Mark Jenney and his wife, wanted to create an environment where owners could make some cash renting out their RV.
Mark and his then-fiancee had planned to honeymoon across the country in their RV. So, they did the research, purchased the RV, planned the voyage and experienced the trip of a lifetime.
Once home and settled into married life, Mark and his wife looked out at their driveway — now accessorized with a huge motorhome — and thought, “Well, now what do we do with this thing?”
After relaying this story, Mark and a few friends thought there had to be someplace to list the RV online to rent out. And there wasn’t.
Being the eternal entrepreneurs, Mark and his friends, founded RVshare.
If you’re an owner who’s interested in renting out your RV, click here: List your RV
Conclusion on how to rent out your RV
Whether you choose to rent out your RV or not is totally up to you. While its a good way to make extra money, you’ll also have to deal with anxiety, wear-and-tear, and the possibility of an accident.
The good news is that you get to set your own rates, decide on a cancellation policy, and pick your own renters.
Both RVShare and Outdoorsy provide liability coverage, 24/7 roadside assistance and customer support.
Renting out your RV works for both full-timers and people who store an RV in their driveway or facility.
Rent out your RV on Outdoorsy now.
Other RVing stories to check out:
- How to find free campsites when RVing
- What does RV living cost? Tips from an RVing couple
- The 4 Best RV rental companies out there
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