In 2018 we decided to rent our RV to others through RVShare.com and Outdoorsy.com. These sites facilitate peer-to-peer RV rentals, much like AirBnB does for homes and apartments. We had never heard of such a thing, though we had priced renting an RV from one of the big companies (you know the ones, with their name and website plastered all over the RV?) when deciding whether to rent an RV or buy one.

Why rent your RV to others when you’re not using it? Doing so allows your renters to pay your RV loan, build your vacation fund, or whatever you want a little extra money for.

Like AirBnB, RVShare and Outdoorsy do take a cut of the rental fee, but they’re also bringing customers to you and facilitating the transactions. In addition, they offer insurance for the renters, which you can make optional or mandatory.

We listed our RV on both websites to increase our chances of renting the RV, which is what many owners do. When the RV was rented on one website, we’d go to the other and mark those days unavailable so we wouldn’t get double booked.

Some of the experiences we had while renting our RV to others.

The first rental was for two nights, and they stayed at a local farm for a family reunion. They only slept in it and never used the bathroom or kitchen. Rented on Outdoorsy. Super easy.

Another rental was supposed to be for a full week. This one didn’t happen because I discovered the water heater hole 5 minutes before the renters arrived. They were super nice about it all, I was super stressed about the situation, and their money was refunded. Rented on RVShare. Stressful, but RVShare took care of the refund process promptly.

We had another two night rental, and they stayed at a campground a couple hours away. They called for help when the AC wouldn’t turn on. The battery cutoff had been switched off, so it was a simple fix, and since it’s something we’ve inadvertently done as well, we knew to have them check that first. Rented on Outdoorsy. Another easy one.

We had a three week trip to Idaho and back booked, but they had to cancel after a job change meant they didn’t have enough vacation time. We were fine with them taking the RV that far, but when they had to cancel, we weren’t upset about it, and I’ll explain why in a minute.

Just because you get an inquiry, doesn’t mean you have to book the trip.

In fact, we turned down more potential renters than we approved.

Someone wanted to book a 5 day trip to Las Vegas and back. The drive time is 35 hours one way, so we declined.

Somebody else wanted to book a 4 day trip to Chicago and back, with a family reunion in the middle. They could almost have managed their trip, but they would have had some really long driving days and they’d have been driving tired, which would have increased their risk of having an accident. We strongly discouraged them from doing the trip and they didn’t end up booking the reservation.

We had a couple inquiries about renting with a dog, even though our listing says no pets. Nope.

There were a couple requests to pick up the very next day. Also nope. There’s certain things that could signal a problem renter, and next day pick up is one of them. As is people who want to haggle over every little detail. From what I’ve heard, those never go well.

Why we’re not renting the RV this year.

I found the rental experience stressful. The money was nice, but we were always worrying about the renters damaging the RV. If we were planning on keeping the RV for a while, this wouldn’t have been as much of an issue, but we’re planning on selling it in a year or so in preparation to buy our Airstream. We need to keep it as nice as possible so we can sell it for as much as possible.

Despite that, we had a positive experience and will most likely do some sort of rental when we settle down after traveling full time for a couple years in the Airstream.

Want to bring in some extra money to pay your RV loan? Here’s some tips to get you started, though it’s not an exhaustive list, so be sure to do your own research.

How to have a successful rental experience

1. Have a good listing. Look at other listings and see what people are including in their listings: good pictures, lots of details, clearly spelled-out rules and fees, etc.

2. Have a large enough deposit to cover the insurance deductible.

3. Speaking of insurance: make sure your insurance company knows you are renting out your RV or trailer. Even though the rental insurance will be in effect while it’s being rented, many insurance companies don’t allow rentals and will use it as grounds to deny any claims and cancel your policy. There are some companies that do provide insurance for RVs that are used as rentals, but be prepared to pay a bit more, depending on where you live.

4. Have a clean and well-kept RV. Regular maintenance is a must, especially tires and oil.

5. Maintain prompt communication with renters, through the RVShare or Outdoorsy website (so you have a record of what was agreed upon).

6. Do a thorough walk through and test drive before they drive away with your RV. This is actually required for insurance purposes, but it also ensures that they understand how to properly care for it and return it to you in good condition.

7. Have a video, booklet, etc that details how to set up your RV. Questions will come up, and if they have instructions right there with them, they’ll have an easier time figuring out how to use everything.

8. Install a GPS tracker on board. These track speed, location, etc, should you end up with dishonest renters. It does happen, unfortunately.

9. Advertise on Facebook, Craigslist, etc to drive more traffic to your listing and stay booked.

10. Develop routines for cleaning after a rental and getting it ready for the next one. If you’re booked solid, quick turnover is a must.

11. Expect wear and tear, and damage. Just as things break or get worn when you use your RV, the same will happen when others use it.

12. Decide what kinds of extras you’ll include with your RV. Will you include linens, kitchen equipment, chairs, a grill, games, etc. Some people charge extra, others include them for free. We included all of the above, except a grill, for free.

13. Will you have a welcome basket with treats? Many AirBnBs do this, and it’s spilled over into the rental RV sector as well. We always left treats for the renters, but I know not everyone does.

14. If you’re renting a trailer, you may want to offer delivery and set up, for a fee. This eliminates the worry that the renters may not have the proper truck and hitch to tow your trailer.

15. Have a business mindset. If you love your RV and really don’t want anyone to damage it, don’t rent it to others. If you want your RV to earn its keep and don’t mind some wear and tear and possible damage, renting may be for you.

16.  Don’t forget to mark off some dates on your rental calendar for you to use your RV. That’s why you bought it, after all, right?

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Interested in making some money on the side by renting out your RV or travel trailer? Getting started on RVShare and Outdoorsy is free and easy to do. Use my links and I’ll earn a small finder’s fee, at no cost to you.