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George here talking about how earn extra money renting out your motorhome or campervan.
Table Of Contents
Motorhome And Campervan Bookings Are On The Rise
How Does Renting Out Your Motorhome (or Campervan) Work?
What Motorhome Rental Sites Can I List On?
Camplify.co.uk Review (Motorhome & Campervan Rental Site)
Camptoo.co.uk Review (Motorhome & Campervan Rental Site)
GoBoony.co.uk Site Review (Motorhome & Campervan Rental Site)
IndieCampers.co.uk Review (Motorhome & Campervan Rental Site)
QuirkyCampers.com Review (Campervan Rental site)
SpaceShipsRentals.co.uk Review (Motorhome & Campervan Rental site)
What’s My Favourite Rental Site?
What Campervans And Motorhomes Are Ideal For Renting Out?
Hiring Your Motorhome Case Study: Learn From Steve Who Rents His Motorhome on Camplify.co.uk
Did you know that, when your motorhome or campervan is not used during the summer, you’re possibly missing out on £750 per week? Motorhome and campervan booking are on the rise. So, why not give someone else the chance to enjoy the fun of a camping experience?
Whether you want to rent out once for two weeks in the summer or for 10 weeks a year, you can set the price and availability that works for you. You’re 100% in charge of what you earn.
Payment is quick! Most rental sites will pay you out ASAP.
You’ll be able to create your advertisement in as little as 10 minutes and start seeing the rental requests roll in. Renters will explain who they are and where they want to go, you decide which requests you want to accept.
Motorhome and campervan bookings are on the rise in the UK as holidaymakers opt for private, portable accommodation for a post-lockdown break.
The rental sites cater for all needs. The “I want to go back-to-basics” person might opt for a 1960s VW. The city person might like a modern, sleek-looking, bespoke wood-panelled Sprinter conversion. Or someone wanting to try before they buy might go for a Hymer B544.
So, if you have a motorhome or campervan sitting idle on your driveway, and you like the idea of joining the “sharing economy” and earning a few thousand pounds for very little work, renting is a bit of a no-brainer. And don’t worry, the insurance cover will provide complete peace of mind.
The sad fact is that private owned motorhomes and campervans usually goes unused 95% of their lifetime, while it could be on the road creating memories for more people!
It is possible to both offset the annual costs of your vehicle and earn money on it long term. How much you earn will depend on how often you rent out the motorhome/campervan.
This does not only depend on the number of rentals per year, but also on the type of camper you rent.
The safe way to hire out your campervan is through a motorhome/campervan hire agency…
Probably the quickest and easiest way is via a motorhome/campervan hire agency. You post the advert on the agency site, they market it, respond to customer enquiries and get the bookings.
A good agency will help get your listing live on the website and will be available to answer your questions throughout the process.
Typically, an agency will take 10 to 20% off any bookings they generate.
You get to decide on the price to rent it out for, whether to allow pets, whether to allow travel to the EU and what days you can do handovers.
The agency should make recommendations based on their years of experience and check through all the details of your listing before they go live with the listing.
Safety measures being used by rental companies include:
- Online check-in.
- Contactless pick-up.
- Video tours are sent in advance of arrival.
- Extended gaps between bookings to allow for deep cleaning.
Below is a list of the most popular sites to rent out your motorhome or campervan…
Site: Camplify.co.uk
Locations: UK
Fee: 10% (no upfront costs)
Type: Motorhomes & Campervans
Every year, thousands of UK van owners are earning up to £10,000 on Camplify.co.uk by hiring out their campervans, motorhomes and even touring and static caravans. With the average UK owner only using their van four times a year, sharing it on Camplify is the perfect way to help cover your expenses and turn your van into a new source of income.
Pros
- On average, owners earn £515 from their first booking.
- Keep your van safe with one of their fully comprehensive insurance options.
- All hirers go through licence and ID checks to give you peace of mind.
- It’s free to join and list your van.
- No upfront costs.
- Only pay when you receive a booking.
- Use their earnings calculator to estimate your potential earnings,
- Able to speak directly to their dedicated customer support team.
Cons
- I live in Wales, and not many renters have more than 10 reviews.
Site: Camptoo.co.uk
Locations: UK
Fee: 15% (and a one-time booking fee of £25)
Type: Motorhomes & Campervans
Pros
- Calculate earnings form on their home page (e.g. a 1991 Hymer B544 2 berth = £386 per week).
- 40 nights booked per year is the average for renters.
- If your insurance doesn’t cover hiring out your vehicle, no worries, they have your back.
- Europe’s fastest-growing travel company in 2020.
- Featured on this TimeOut.com article.
- 10,000+ motorhomes and caravans rented out.
- 200+ new owners every month (shows that the rental market is growing rapidly.
- Millions of pounds are earned yearly by renters.
Cons
- 15% service fee per booking is more than Camplify’s 10% fee and GoBoony’s 0% fee, but cheaper than QuirkyCampers 20% fee.
Site: GoBoony.co.uk
Locations: UK
Fee: 0% and no upfront costs (they charge the Traveller a 15% service fee of the rental fee)
Type: Motorhomes & Campervans
Using Goboony as a private owner is completely free, meaning you pay nothing for using the service! You determine what prices you wish to charge for hire and receive 100% of what you charge. Goboony charge the Traveller a service fee of 15% of the rental fee. If you are a business, however, there is a service charge of 7.5% per booking.
Pros
- No fees! Hiring is completely free. The Traveller is charged a 15% service fee of the rental fee.
- Claim to have the largest fleet in the UK.
- Featured on The Guardian and The Telegraph.
- Download a free e-book full of tips about how to hire out your motorhome like a pro.
- Provide support throughout the whole process.
- You decide how you want to rent out.
- Over 3,000 owners use Goboony to hire out.
- 9.6 out of 10 based on 34,041 reviews.
- To discover the kind of rental income, use their “rental price calculator”.
- Eye-catching motorhome/campervan rental page.
- Can get rental insurance with them.
- The Referral Programme (if your Traveller refers a friend, they get a £25 discount next time they book.
- Featured on this TimeOut.com article.
Cons
- 12 out of 20 listings on the home page don’t have “reviews” yet. It would give me more confidence in the site if only listings that had “reviews” were listed prominently on the home page.
- They claim to have the largest fleet of campervans in the UK. That’s good if a high percentage of them get rented out, but also means you’ve got a lot of competition, and may need to up your game a bit (e.g. get your camper fitted with a solar panel).
Site: IndieCampers.co.uk
Locations: UK
Fee: I can’t find their fee anywhere!
Type: Motorhomes & Campervans
Pros
- Featured on this TimeOut.com article.
- 4.5/5.0 stars on Trustpilot and other platforms.
- Trusted by 150k customers.
- 5 million+ annual website users.
- Control your own rates.
- Decide when and to whom you want to rent.
Cons
- I live in Wales, but you can only list your motorhome/campervan if you live in England or Scotland.
Site: QuirkyCampers.com
Locations: UK, New Zealand
Fee: 20%
Type: Campervans
All the vehicles are, you’ve guessed it, “quirky” handcrafted works of art. So, if you’ve spent an age creating a quirky camper, this site was designed for you in mind.
Their high level of service means they are trusted by their customers and their occupancy levels are much higher than any other agency. Having your camper accepted by them is a stamp of approval you won’t find on other sites that accept anything.
Pros
- Only the best camper conversions.
- Live listings.
- Committed owners.
- Single point of contact for all enquiries.
- They are all campervan owners themselves.
- If you call them, it’s the very experienced site owners that you’ll speak to.
- Help you get listed.
- Help you get more bookings.
- Help you manage customer communications until the deposit is paid.
- Featured on this TimeOut.com article.
Cons
- At 21% commission, they take a larger cut than many other agencies.
Site: SpaceshipsRentals.co.uk
Locations: UK
Fee:
Type: Motorhomes & Campervans
Pros
- Start in one location and drop off in another (London, Edinburgh & Dublin).
- Create your custom road trip app.
- Custom designed award-winning vehicles.
- Their vehicles are easy to drive and fuel-efficient.
- Deposit Guarantee – the Traveller never loses their deposit.
- Provide 24-hour roadside assistance.
- Unlimited mileage.
- Comprehensive insurance options.
- No hidden costs policy.
- No extra fee for additional drivers.
- Book a motorhome or campervan hire in just 6 clicks.
- Get a temporary access code to The Caravan & Motorhome Club for the duration of the hire.
Cons
- At this time of writing, they only retent out their own motorhomes at their depots in London, Edinburgh and Dublin.
I think GoBoony.co.uk is a good place to start because of their 0% fee!
Though, I think it’s well worth trying them all out AT THE SAME TIME because there are no upfront fees, and you will only need to get the “rental insurance” when you’ve got your first booking, so there’s ABSOLUTELY no reason why you shouldn’t list on as many rental sites as you can find.
Class B Motorhomes
Class B motorhomes are small, streamlined, and cute.
Nimble and more fuel-efficient than Class C motorhomes, they are perfect for wild camping, or long road trips. Most Class B motorhomes have all the luxuries that provide a home from home including galley kitchens, beds, and restrooms. The length varies from 19 to 24 feet and usually is a two birth (sleeps 2 people).
Most Class B motorhomes can be parked anywhere you can park a car or van. Be aware, however, that Class B motorhomes are taller than a van or SUV and will require more clearance height. Only once on our trip did we come to a very low bridge, that we couldn’t go under. You will, of course, not be able to go under those height barriers on lots of beach, town, and city car parks.
Due to their small size, they can be marketed to”wildcampers” if you have solar panels, and that means you can charge a bit extra.
It helps if you add a personal touch to the inside, so it isn’t a generic, run-of-the-mill motorhome. The more generic your motorhome is, the fewer people will be interested in it, and the less you’ll be able to charge.
Quirky Campervans
Quirky, one-of-a-kind campervans are sought after by lots of people. It’s human nature to love quality craftsmanship.
Points Covered In The Video
- Steve is able to hire out his motorhome at least once a month.
- Why Steve’s customers adore him.
- Great quality images.
- Linen provided for an additional charge of £40.00 per booking.
- Outdoor table and chairs (amenity).
- Spotless inside and outside.
- Nice addition of colour with the red blanket and flower.
- Steve and his partner greet their customers on arrival.
- Steve and his partner give their customers a tour of the motorhome.
- Provide their contact number should we encounter any issues.
- Provide milk for tea, welsh cakes and some local chocolates.
- On the return, Steve was on hand to run through the handover.
- Having refillable gas tanks meant the refill only costs a few pounds (better than swapping a used bottle).
Points Covered In The Video
- Great quality images on location with sea in the background.
- Several reviews mention how “very clean” the motorhome was.
- Richard is very easy to communicate with (review).
- Richard is flexible around the booking (review).
- Richard helped us put the bikes on the back of the van (review).
- It looks very modern inside (will attract city folk).
- Basket hamper adds a nice touch.
- Offer “drive-away awnings with 1 or 2 bedrooms and living space areas” as an extra option.
- Offers a bunch of other extras.
Things to do:
- Quirkiness
- One of a kind craftsmanship
- Beautiful upholstery
- Good service record
- Heating system
- Fridge with freezer
- Legal tires
- Carbon monoxide alarm
Things to avoid:
- Slapdash work done on the interior
- Bald tyres
- Loose gas pipes
- Run of the mill
- Blanket thrown over bare foam
- Dirty interior or exterior (should be spotless)
When the Traveller returns your vehicle, you must fill out and sign the “transfer form” that you used when they picked up the vehicle.
Make sure to document anything that is damaged, both in writing and with pictures. Claim your surcharges and upload the transfer form onto the agency’s website within 48 hours, so they can process them and hold back the deposit.
And if the damage is more than the deposit, then that’s what the insurance is for. All of the rental sites are partnering up with top-class insurance companies to cover your vehicle during rentals across Europe to ensure its protection. This way you don’t have to worry while your motorhome/campervan is on the road earning you extra income.
Yes. You’ll be able to charge more for a campervan or motorhome that has had a solar panel added.
Amenities are great selling points.
Examples of amenities you could offer are:
- Bunk beds
- Solar panels
- Air conditioner
- Awning
- Basic pantry
- Bbq
- Bike rack
- Coffee and tea
- Cutlery and plates
- Double glazed
- Electric panel heating
- Fixed bed
- Freezer
- Fridge
- Gas bottle or autogas
- Gas central heating
- Heating
- Microwave
- Outdoor furniture
- Reversing camera
- Shower (internal)
- Stereo
- Toilet
- Tv
- Wheelchair access
- Wifi (if it’s a static caravan)
Yes, it is possible to both offset the annual costs of your vehicle and even earn money on it long term. How much you earn will depend on how often you rent out the motorhome/campervan. This does not only depend on the number of rentals per year, but also on the type of camper you rent.
When a Traveller views your motorhome/campervan when browsing through one of the rental websites they are able to send you a message, giving them the opportunity to ask questions about your vehicle, introduce themselves, and make a booking request. This is the way that bookings are initiated.
You haven’t figured out exactly how much you stand to earn on the rental site, so you may be hesitant to dive into a comprehensive self-drive hire policy and its initial costs. The good news is that technically you do not have to have an active rental policy when listing on the platform. Many renters list outside peak season and take out their policy in time for their first booking. You would need to at least have a quote from a recognised rental insurance broker/ underwriter as proof that your vehicle is eligible for such a policy. By listing on a rental site, you are formally agreeing that your vehicle will have insurance coverage for any bookings you take on the platform and that it is up to you to take sole responsibility for it.
Each rental site will have its own guidelines. Check the motorhome for any preexisting damage together with the Traveller before they leave with the motorhome. Make sure to check both the interior and exterior. Check if the promised appliances and amenities are present in the vehicle and are in full working order.
The Traveller will need your telephone number, the insurer’s telephone number, the policy number of the insurer and the registration certificate of the motorhome/campervan.
Yes, they are! The agency will screen the renters on various points, including their driver’s license and a credit check.
London. Birmingham. Manchester. Glasgow. Edinburgh. Cardiff. Liverpool. Leeds. Bath. Bristol. Cornwall. Devon.
If you look through the rental sites and have a classic motorhome, you might be put off by all the “new” vehicles sparkling back at you on the page. Fear not. Some people love the classics!
You just need to make sure these legal requirements have been met:
– Ownership: You own the vehicle or the right of its use, and it is not sub-leased/rented.
– Condition: All vehicles are up to date in terms of all manufacturers recalls.
– Maintenance and Technical Inspection: All vehicles must have had routine/scheduled maintenance.
If you like this post, want to support my site and would like more time to spend in your motorhome, take a quick peek at Become A Time Millionaire.
