Is Renting Out Your RV Worth It? 6 Important Pros and Cons to Consider

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For the most part, those who live in their RVs full time won’t be renting them out any time soon. That said, if you’re settling down after experiencing the travel life or taking a break from the RV life, you may find yourself wondering about renting your RV. Is renting out your RV worth it? Is it for you?

In this article we will discuss the pros and cons of renting out your RV. So you can decide if it’s the bets option for you and your rig. 

The Pros of Renting Out Your RV

Is renting out your RV worth it? Well, there are several benefits that come with renting your RV out to others. This is especially true if you can’t get out and use your RV regularly yourself. 

Some of the pros include:

Extra Income

The most obvious benefit to renting your RV is, of course, the extra stream of income. This can be especially helpful if you are still paying the RV off, as it will help cover the loan payment as well as the insurance and storage fees associated with holding onto the RV. It can also help pay for fun RV upgrades and extras such as  Starlink or fancy camp chairs. 

How much can you make? Reddit user, rvplusyou states, “My experience is 6 plus years renting my travel trailer 6-10 times per year, average $800 income per rental.” He then goes on to say, “I’m on my 3rd rig and I paid for the first two travel trailers with rental income, not to mention the storage and maintenance.”

Related: RV Tax Information All Full Timers Should Have

Keep Up with Maintenance

RVs really aren’t made to sit unused for long periods of time. Sitting still for too long can cause damage to the tires, and if you aren’t using the RV, you’re less likely to watch for leaks and pests or generally keep up with RV maintenance. 

Renting your RV out means you’ll have to stay on top of repairs and maintenance. This could very well extend the life of your RV, even if the rig is seeing a few more miles than it might otherwise. 

Share Your Love of RVing 

One of the best things about renting out your RV? You have the opportunity to share your love of RVing, travel, and nature with others. You’ll get to watch people light up as they realize what RVing is all about.

You are likely to make some good friends while running your rental business, and you might even end up hanging out or camping together down the line!

The Cons of Renting Out Your RV

So far you know the pros to renting your rig, but is renting out your RV worth it? Well, it’s important to understand that there are also plenty of drawbacks to renting out your RV. If you’re on the fence about jumping into the world of RV rentals, be sure to consider these factors as well. 

Some of the cons include:

Potential for Damage

The most obvious drawback of renting out your RV? It will almost certainly see some amount of damage at some point.

Most renters don’t set out to damage your rig, of course. Most people want their deposit back, if nothing else. Because of this, if you vet your renters well, you likely won’t have to deal with anything major. However, RVs go through a lot of abuse being pulled down the road. Add in some flimsy parts and you’re just asking for things to break.

Because of this, you will want to plan on making at least some repairs while renting your RV, just as you would if you were using it regularly. Depending on whether you deliver or have the renters drive and how well you vet renters, you may end up with more repairs than you would if you were the only user. 

Another Reddit user posted, “I rented out my travel trailer for a couple of years on both Outdoorsy and RV Share. The wear and tear accelerated surprisingly quickly given how often I was renting it out. One guy hit my mailbox as he was leaving my house and caused many thousand dollars worth of damage.” 

Meanwhile, rvplusyou warned, “What is true is that when a renter moves your RV, they tend to hit things.”

In order to reduce the likelihood of damage, it is often recommended that you deliver the RV to each renter’s campsite. You will also want to do a thorough walk through with each renter and charge a healthy deposit that will cover most issues that could come up. Of course, renting through one of the many peer-to-peer RV rental platforms that offer excellent insurance is also key to protecting your investment!

Can Be Time-Consuming

When you rent your RV out, you’re running a business, and running a business can be time-consuming. This is especially true if you end up with lots of renters and have to spend lots of time prepping the RV, giving walkthroughs to renters, and answering customer questions. 

You can of course limit the number of rentals you take on in order to reduce the time spent running your rental business. However, if you’re already strapped for time, starting a new business may not be the best choice. 

Reduced Opportunity for Spontaneity

One of the benefits of owning an RV is that you can load up for a last-minute road trip on any given Friday afternoon. When you rent the RV out, you give up the ability to do this. After all, you can’t use your RV when it’s out on a camping trip with another family.

Generally speaking this isn’t a big deal, as you can schedule around rentals. But if you’re the spontaneous type, it can be a bit of a bummer. 

Is Renting Out Your RV Worth It?

So is renting out your RV worth it? Honestly, this is totally up to you and there really isn’t any one right or wrong answer.

If your RV is just sitting in storage gathering dust, renting it out can be a great way to earn some extra money while making some new friends. That said, if you are emotionally attached to the rig, you may have a hard time letting strangers use it. On top of that, if you’re strapped for time, renting can be difficult, as it does require a bit of a time commitment. 

There are success stories such as this one by eyesrightphoto on Reddit, “I did it for a season here in Victoria, BC, and was crazy busy. $500 deposit and $129 per night with two nights min and three nights min for long weekends. I would tow it, set it up and come and collect it when there were done with it. All the renter had to provide was their own food and clothing. Everything else was provided. With all the renters, we had no damage and everyone was very happy.”

There are also plenty of RV rental horror stories out there like this one from wintz03, “We rented our 2020 hybrid camper out to a father and his 2 teenagers. We were notified that the wheel bearing had gone but somehow they made it to their campsite. Upon receiving pictures the wheel bearing was completely disintegrated metal on metal.”

We recommend thinking carefully about the pros and cons and deciding for yourself whether renting your RV is a worthwhile endeavor. Keep in mind that no matter what you choose, you can always change your mind down the line!

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