Renting out a motorhome

[joner8888]

Had a customer in recently with some body damage to her motorhome.
She explained that she rented it out all year.
The prices she charges are between £600 to £400 per week depending on the seasons---- sounds tempting !
Is this worth looking into or is it as i imagine --ending up with huge repair bills?

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Too frightened that my precious would not be looked after!

 

[Speve]

We use ours all year round but I don't think we would have other people using our pride and joy to risky,I would think insurance would be high as well

 

[DBK]

I guess the answer is in the OP - the MH came in with some body damage! Dread to think what the insurance costs but I guess like a hire car the hirer pays the premium.

 

[jonandshell]

We would hate the thought of the potential damage hirers could do to the fragile fittings in a motorhome!

I wonder how much of that £500 a week is actually profit once you take into account the extra wear and tear and repair bills?

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[trekkin]

Not sure of the size of the OP motorhome

A lot of motorhomes are hired out for entertainment/events/ festivals accommodation only and do not include self drive. We like the motorhome life as there is a lot to be said for sleeping on your bed and sitting on your own loo seat, so not sure that I would be keen to let someone else use them, even if it generated a small income

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I've often thought thought there's money to be made in renting however I wouldn't rent my own van out !
I was thinking more along the lines of if you bought a couple of older Hymers ,a bit of a spruce up,new upholstery carpets etc then rent.
The depreciation on older vans is very little so if done well the refurb could add value to a van that's making you money,win win.
As long as you were well insured and didn't get attached to the vans whats the worst that could happen?



Vlad the entrepreneur !

 

[davidbaldam]

We bought our van from a bloke who thought he was on to a winner renting it out but he only had a few rentals so got fed up and sold it to us fully loaded and very cheap. Good for us but not for him.

 

[TheBig1]

you should see the state of most exhire vans. premature ageing doesnt come close to describing the condition

 

[hilldweller]

ending up with huge repair bills?

Insurance, neglect, deliberate abuse, scams, maintenance - it certainly is not easy.

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[joner8888]

Insurance, neglect, deliberate abuse, scams, maintenance - it certainly is not easy.

I see what you mean , but up to £2400 per month is a lot compared to a flat/ house rent and for some hassle is a good income

 

[Puddleduck]

I see what you mean , but up to £2400 per month is a lot compared to a flat/ house rent and for some hassle is a good income

You wouldn't get that every month though.

Say a maximum of a couple of weeks at Easter, 8 weeks in the summer and a week in October. Anything more than that would be a bonus.

 

[bigfoot]

At one time I had 2 motorhomes and did consider renting one out,but I received an offer I couldn't refuse. Earlier this year I was filling up at a garage and a guy asked me if I rented it,he was willing to pay £3k and insurance for a w/e so that he could go to the British Grand Prix which was the same w/e as Glastonbury. The festival season is when hire rates skyrocket,thats were the most money can be made.

 

[joncris]

Had a customer in recently with some body damage to her motorhome.
She explained that she rented it out all year.
The prices she charges are between £600 to £400 per week depending on the seasons---- sounds tempting !
Is this worth looking into or is it as i imagine --ending up with huge repair bills?

I do believe that hiring through the motorhome hire website means they provide insurance and recovery in the event of an accident. Also they take a £1,200 deposit from the hirer to cover damage. Looked into it myself to hire out our previous Hymer Camp but decided agin it

 

[joncris]

you should see the state of most exhire vans. premature ageing doesnt come close to describing the condition

Ours is ex-hire and its spotless AND best of all it was relatively cheap

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[pappajohn]

In my opinion you need to do this as a business and as such a motorhome would be an asset, not a possession, to be used solely for hiring.

Like hiring a car....the hirer could drive it like they stole it, dont care if it blows up or catch's fire etc....they took insurance to cover that.
But you could be out of action, and income, for some time.

 

[TheBig1]

Ours is ex-hire and its spotless AND best of all it was relatively cheap

there is always going to be exceptions, where the hire company are very fussy, but from experience most of those I have seen needed more work than was profitable for me to take on. motorhome furniture and fittings dont take well to abuse and quickly deteriorate when used roughly

 

[joncris]

In my opinion you need to do this as a business and as such a motorhome would be an asset, not a possession, to be used solely for hiring.

Like hiring a car....the hirer could drive it like they stole it, dont care if it blows up or catch's fire etc....they took insurance to cover that.
But you could be out of action, and income, for some time.

Or as its a business you could buy Loss of Profit Insurance

 

[pappajohn]

Or as its a business you could buy Loss of Profit Insurance

Which, in turn, eats into your profits and MAY cost more than your actual loss over a year.

 

[joncris]

there is always going to be exceptions, where the hire company are very fussy, but from experience most of those I have seen needed more work than was profitable for me to take on. motorhome furniture and fittings dont take well to abuse and quickly deteriorate when used roughly

I don't doubt you experience for one minute However ours was showroom mint when collected it AND its got a manufactures warranty on both the chassis and the body. Even the gas pro bottle was full as was the fuel tank AND it was supplied with all of the kit everything from pots and pans, knives and forks etc Microwave AND a TV/DVD player Oh! and road taxed ALL FOC

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[joncris]

pappajon You're the guy with the half empty glass as opposed to the one who's glass is half full and you allow for it in your hire charges

 

[joner8888]

In my opinion you need to do this as a business and as such a motorhome would be an asset, not a possession, to be used solely for hiring.

Like hiring a car....the hirer could drive it like they stole it, dont care if it blows up or catch's fire etc....they took insurance to cover that.
But you could be out of action, and income, for some time.

At up to £ 1200 per month compared with£ 600 on a house ,it does give a lot of scope for some repairs if it is ones line of work to sort it out with no costs

 

[jumar]

This time last year Pinkie went to Holland to buy a motorhome to rent out. Anyone know what happened to her and her plan?

 

[jonandshell]

Running a van solely as a business proposition aside, insured or not, a motorhome can be off the road for many months waiting for body parts.
If you hire your personal van out and it is pranged, you can write off your own use of it for the rest of the year if it needs a new body side or back panel!
Not a risk we would take!

OK, so it is financially covered, but we bought our motorhome to enjoy our holidays in.

Would we run a hire business, given some capital to start it? Yes! Not with our van though!!!!

 

[hilldweller]

I see what you mean , but up to £2400 per month is a lot compared to a flat/ house rent and for some hassle is a good income

As long as you know the downsides and still want a go, then go for it. At least you can repair the bodywork, which is pretty vulnerable on a vehicle far wider than most are used to.

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[hilldweller]

I don't doubt you experience for one minute However ours was showroom mint when collected it AND its got a manufactures warranty on both the chassis and the body.

I think that would be the ideal plan, brand new, run until the newness wears off then sell before real costs start. Only people like John's Cross with dealer discounts can pull this off.

 

[shawn&emma]

Working on a campsite I see hire vans regularly, many asking for help in what to do/how does this work etc. the way some of them are treated beggars belief, if you have any love or care for your own motorhome I would not offer it for hire. But if it's just a vehicle to go away for the odd weekend in and have no fellings for it it could be worth doing. Shawn