7 Ways How to Rent Out Your Camper
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Do you have a camper and want to make extra money when it’s not in use? Renting out your RV might be a good investment. If you’re looking for guidance on how to rent out your camper, you’ve landed on the right article. We’ll take you through the popular solutions with their pros and cons to streamline the process.
This article sheds light on two options you can proceed with:
- Third-party rental platforms dealing with RV listings;
- Website to drive direct traffic and bookings.
Let’s explore each of them in more detail!
Rent Out Camper On Rental Marketplaces
A rental marketplace provides RV listing services, with you signing up on their websites. You are allowed to add a description, photos, availability dates, and the rental price. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this approach?
Pros:
- Access to a wider audience of potential renters;
- Trust and credibility to well-known platforms with review systems and customer support;
- Reduced marketing efforts with no need to invest in advertising;
- Secure payment processing and facilitated communication between owners and renters.
Cons:
- Fees and commissions charged for each booking;
- Limited control over branding and customization;
- Dependency on the marketplace policies and terms of service;
- Competition with numerous other similar vehicles.
Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is one of the well-known platforms to rent out my campervan. Once you list your RV, you can manage rates and bookings via the dashboard. This marketplace is prominent for renter verification, insurance terms, and quick payment processing. Payments are made 24 – 48 hours after your RV has departed.
How much does it cost to get started?
You can list your camper on Outdoorsy for free. However, a transaction fee is taken from each successful booking.
What does insurance cover?
Outdoorsy covers up to $1 million in liability insurance for your RV or trailer whenever it’s being rented.
RVShare
RVShare takes care of listing your camper and ensures 24/7 roadside assistance. The website reaches a large audience and includes verification & protection plans. With RVShare, you access a secure payment system. Also, the company offers coaching sessions and support to help you set up your listing.
How much does it cost to get started and rent out my campervan?
It takes no initial fee to rent out my motorhome with RVShare. However, you will be charged a percentage of your rental fee. The commission starts at 25% and can decrease depending on your performance.
What does insurance cover?
The insurance and protection coverage depends on the package you choose at the checkout. The RVShare Protection plan includes up to $300,000 (based on the value of the RV).
RVnGO
How to rent out your trailer? List it on RVnGo in a few clicks and start receiving requests from renters. Then, you’ll get the rental payment within 72 hours with no transaction or hosting fees. RVnGO brings such options as ADA Compliant, Wheelchair Accessible RVs, or Pet-Friendly RVs.
How much does it cost to get started?
Similar to other rental marketplaces in this guide, listing with RVnGO is free. The company charges guests a 3% credit card fee.
What does insurance cover?
As stated in the Insurance Terms, the insurance coverage by RVnGO covers the Guest and the Host up to $1 million for Liability and up to $200,000 in Property Damage for exterior damage to the rented RV.
Create a Website to Rent Out Your Camper
The next option we’d like to talk about is building an online presence for your camper. Let’s see what awaits you if you rent out trailer on your website.
Pros:
- Direct communication and relationship-building with customers;
- Flexibility to set your own pricing and rental policies;
- The ability to choose marketing and advertising strategies;
- Complete control over the rental process, including branding, messaging, and customer experience.
- No fees for listings and bookings.
Cons:
- Less exposure among potential renters;
- Requires more technical expertise or resources to hire a developer;
- Initial costs for web development, hosting, and ongoing website maintenance;
- Investment in search engine optimization and marketing.
This section covers different content management systems (CMS) your website can be based on.
*Prices are subject to change
WordPress
Used by 43.2% of all websites, WordPress CMS can be referred to as a rental website builder since it provides a wide range of rental software and ready-to-go designs.
It’s known for a user-friendly site development process and a huge community. You can choose a preferred design, customize content on your site, and integrate the required functionality via third-party plugins (both free & premium). So, how to rent out your camper with WordPress?
If you are looking for a well-designed camper WordPress theme with an integrated booking plugin, MotoPress has got you covered! In addition to the built-in Hotel Booking plugin, the Campterra theme delivers pre-made designs & extra WordPress blocks to showcase your RV, trailer, camper, etc.
Get Campterra View Demo Hosting
If you have already installed the WordPress rental theme, you need a booking plugin to enable online camper reservations.
Being the best-in-class rental property solution, the MotoPress Hotel Booking plugin equips your WordPress camper website with:
- A mobile-friendly property search form and real-time availability calendars;
- Dynamic rates and seasonal prices;
- iCal synchronization with OTAs;
- Online & offline payment gateways;
- Flexible booking rules;
- Admin and renter email notifications;
- Different booking management options.
How much does it cost to get started?
It’s worth noting that the cost of creating a website with any CMS may vary according to your specific requirements and the features you need. We’ll provide the potential expenses you might encounter.
| Domain Name | $9-$15+ per year (depends on its length, uniqueness, and extension). |
| Web Hosting | Depending on the hosting provider and hosting plan, the price ranges from $3 to $800+ per month. |
| WordPress Themes | There are both free and premium themes in the WordPress directory. The premium prices are $30-$200+. For example, the price of the Campterra theme starts from $89. |
| WordPress Plugins | Some plugins are free, while others may be premium with one-time or subscription-based pricing. The investment in premium functionalities is estimated at $50-$200+. For example, the MotoPress Hotel Booking price starts from $139 for a single site. |
Wix
Wix is another popular CMS used for hotel and short-term rental websites. It features a user-friendly admin panel, a marketplace with a wide range of extensions, and a large set of pre-made templates.
To rent out travel trailer with Wix, you can opt for one of the Wix templates designed for rental websites. Also, you are free to choose and redesign any template from the collection. These templates take care of a modern and customizable design, while you need third-party software to add a step-by-step booking form to Wix rental websites and accept online bookings.
How to rent out your camper with Wix? There is a Wix Hotels app developed to integrate an online booking system into short-term rental websites. Free for Wix users, this app allows you to manage multiple channels, payment processing options, search rules, emails, etc.
How much does it cost to get started?
Creating a website with Wix is free. However, premium plans give you access to domain services, web hosting, Wix templates, etc.
| Subscription Plan | There are various subscription plans with different features and capabilities. Their cost ranges from $4.50 to $35 per month. |
| Domain Name | Free for one year with most of the plans. |
| Apps and Add-ons | You can invest extra money to power up your website with one of the apps from the Wix AppMarket. For example, you need a Business plan starting from $17/month to enable all features of the Wix Hotels app. |
| Wix Templates | Like other templates, the Wix RV Rental Company template is free with Premium plans. |
GoDaddy
Can I rent out my campervan with GoDaddy? With its easy-to-use website-building tools, this CMS sets the stage for a professionally-looking website. You can use one of the pre-designed templates and hassle-free customize it with the website builder. GoDaddy keeps hosting services, domains, and design tools under one roof.
How much does it cost to get started and rent out my campervan?
| Website Builder Plans | GoDaddy website builder plans include hosting, design tools, and various features. The pricing for these plans ranges from $10 to $21+ per month. |
| Domain Name | Free with GoDaddy Subscription. |
| Website Templates and Customization | Some templates may be included with your subscription plan, while premium templates may incur additional costs. |
| GoDaddy Booking | Suitable for recurring appointments, this option is available with the Premium plan that costs $14.99/month |
Squarespace
Squarespace is next on our list of popular content management systems for a fully-fledged website. You’ll find a few real estate and vacation rental templates customized for your needs. How to rent out your motorhome with Squarespace?
Although Squarespace doesn’t provide built-in booking capabilities, you can integrate external products from the same provider: Acuity Scheduling – for appointment scheduling and Tock – for the hospitality industry.
How much does it cost to get started?
| Subscription Plans | Based on the included options and features, Squarespace Plans cost $16-$49 per month (billed annually). |
| Domain Name | Free for one year with Squarespace Plans. |
| Squarespace Website Templates | Packed for free in Squarespace Plans. |
| Squarespace Booking | The price to rent out your camper with Acuity Scheduling starts from $16/month, while with Tock costs $79-$769 per month. |
How to Rent Out My RV: 5 Tips to Make it Ready to Launch
If you are first time renting out your camper, we’ve prepared 5 tips to enhance your renters’ experience:
- Use high-quality photos to attract potential renters.
- Prepare your camper inside and out.
- Provide some extras to add a nice touch via motorhome amenities.
- Teach the renter how to use your RV.
- Establish clear instructions in case of any breakdowns or roadside issues.
Wrapping Up on Renting Out My Camper
- To summarize our guide on how to rent out your camper, rental marketplaces offer access to a large audience and convenient rental management tools. However, their downsides include per-booking charges, limited control over branding, and potential competition.
- Having your own website allows for more management tools and closer relationships with customers but requires more effort in marketing and technical setup. We’ve compared popular content management systems and different solutions to facilitate the RV rental process.
- So, which way do you choose for renting out your camper? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Disclosure: this article may contain affiliate links for third-party products. If you click a link and later make a purchase, we may earn an affiliate commission that doesn’t result in additional charges to you.
FAQ
What are the pros and cons of renting out a camper?
How to make extra money by renting out your camper?
What is the best website rental template?
