Why hire out your motorhome?
Why hire out your motorhome?
Hundreds of motorhome and campervan owners now hire out their vehicles. Some owners are new to motorhomes and have been sold a brand new van and others realise it is more profitable to hire out a good second hand van without incurring high depreciation costs. Others are planning to sell or upgrade their van and the extra income goes towards funding the new one. Others just want flexibility, they have bought a motorhome to ensure they have an annual holiday but choose to take the income from hire to fund something different for a change. Owners come from all walks of life and either have the time to do the handover or consign it to an agency to do it for them. The thought of making extra money from your motorhome maybe tempting but is it easy money or full of risk.
The customers can be right on your doorstep, but just how much business do you want. Do you want to earn a living, cover all your annual costs or settle for enough to cover your running costs?
It is not worth trying to go it yourself. Self Drive Hire insurance is available to an individual but it is very expensive and may not cover all risks associated with self drive hire. Your Social Domestic & Pleasure (SDP) policy will not permit cover for drivers other than yourself and named drivers, you therefore must have other cover. You will also still have to fund your advertising and you could easily find yourself in debt rather than profit.
Dangerous Owner Schemes
Be cautious of the timeshare, caretaker, guaranteed income or other joint ownership schemes as you will be locked in some way and could lose some rights as an individual. You may not even own the motorhome.
Good professional agencies will screen customers, find out who is in the party, where are they going to and if they want to bring the dogs, the cat and the parrot. Some customers may prove a risk for a variety of reasons and this is where an experienced agency is invaluable.
Your first handover can be unnerving but owners tell us they soon feel confident and enjoy meeting new hirers. If you prefer you can consign the motorhome to the agency but you must ensure the agency can prove where your motorhome is at any point in time.
The Right Vehicle for hires?
The next question is how many berths are best for hire. Buy the layout that suits you. You will then always enjoy it and there will be others like you who will enjoy it.
There are some points to consider however. A vehicle over 3500 kgs will be restrict your market to drivers with a C1 entitlement and the number of passengers you can permit will be limited to the number of seats fitted with seat belts.
Vehicle Damage, you need a good agency
What about damage, if you work with a good agency you are not going to have your motorhome trashed. The damage is likely to be minor and accidental, something you could have done yourself or somebody could have done to you. The hirer will have paid a damage deposit to cover this or the repair will be claimed on the insurance. Damage is upsetting and is the down side to owner hire but if you are with a good agency your repair costs are covered.
Related Links
