Do not sell RV: hire it out instead for income

Whether you own a touring or static caravan, campervan or motorhome you may be considering selling it for a number of reasons. It may be that you don’t use it as much as you originally thought you would or can’t afford the maintenance, insurance, tax or storage costs. But we have a solution for you…hire it out!

With Camplify you could turn your RV into an extra revenue stream or new business. For example, say you’ve got a 4 berth Bailey Unicorn Pamplona (2012) and you could potentially sell it for around £14,000 in excellent used condition. However, if you considered hiring out your caravan you could earn more than that in just 2 years whilst still being able to enjoy it yourself.

An example of what you could earn with Camplify

Earning example based on 160 off-peak and 60 peak nights each year with an average per night hire price of £37.50 for the caravan mentioned above.

• 160 off-peak night hires @£30pn *2 years =£9,600 or *3 years =£14,400.

• 60 peak night hires @£45pn *2 years =£5,400 or *3 years =£8,100.

• Total of £15,000 income over a 2 year period before commission.

• Total of £22,500 income over a 3 year period before commission.

• Camplify commission rate of 12% if full insurance cover is needed = £13,200 total income for 2 years or £19,800 over 3 years.

• Camplify commission rate of 6% if you already have the necessary cover = £14,100 total income for 2 years or £21,150 over 3 years.

• Compares to around 30% commission if you have a static caravan and go through the park subletting service which would bring your total income down considerably.

For the example caravan used, you can see it has lucrative earning potential allowing you to keep your caravan and hire it out when you aren’t using it yourself to add to the family memories bank. Check out our hire calculator to see what you could charge holidaymakers to use your specific RV.

Thinking about trading in?

If you were at the stage where you wanted to upgrade, a great (and clever) way to do this is to buy your brand new caravan - let’s say it’s worth £20,000 - on a full finance agreement and hire out your old caravan to pay the monthly instalments. This would make complete sense based on the earnings above and especially since you would only receive approx. £11,000 for using to part exchange and when you could sell it for £14,000 privately! Doing it this way could even help ensure you could upgrade more often.

Benefits of listing on Camplify

• We won’t charge you to list your RV with us.

• A full insurance solution is there if you need it.

• RAC breakdown cover.

• We can help you calculate what to charge your guests.

• Our platform allows you to talk to guests interested in hiring your RV – you can either approve or decline.

• Give you tips and guides on everything RV hire that you can refer to time and time again.

• We’ll even inspire your holidaymakers with our blogs and guides about locations all over the UK.

• Ongoing customer service.

Preparing your RV for hire

There are obviously a number of steps you’ll need to take in order for your RV to be fit to hire out. Here are a few of the important ones for you to consider:

Service your RV

Your caravan, motorhome or campervan may be in storage or unused in winter months so you’ll need to get your RV serviced before you use it or hire it out to someone else. A full service will usually cover the following but may differ depending on your RV type:

• Chassis and running gear

• Electrical systems

• Gas systems

• Water systems

• Fire and safety

• Bodywork

• Carbon monoxide health check

• You may have to request a generator check

Inventory

Make your you stock enough inventory to provide your maximum number of guests. Your feedback will be more positive if you make sure their experience is as good and easy-going as possible, and it can also help you set your pricing based on what you provide.

Clean it up

The last thing you want is your guests complaining that your caravan is dirty. It doesn’t look good for you when they review you and your RV which means other holidaymakers may be put off. You’ll also need to clean after each hire.

Check your insurance policy

Make sure your caravan or motorhome insurance policy covers you for every eventuality including third party injury (Public Liability).

Market your RV

It can be quite a job to market your RV yourself as you’ll need to target the relevant audiences and often put some investment behind in order to get the levels of hires that you want. Camplify will take care of all marketing and will reach the relevant audiences interested in hiring.

Check the awnings

Check for holes and rips and that the mechanism works for it to be extended or attached. If it needs to be fixed you’re better off getting a professional to look at it to ensure the job is done correctly.

See our blog on "**How to prepare your caravan for hre"**for more detailed tips.

If you still have concerns and would like to discuss your earning potential with an expert or find out more information on how to list your RV call us on 0330 808 1811 or visit www.camplify.co.uk - we’d be more than happy to help you with anything you need.

So what is Camplify?

We are the UK's fastest-growing peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV sharing community. Camplify is just like Airbnb, but for caravans, campervans, motorhomes, trailer tents and lodges. We connect RV owners with holidaymakers in a safe and secure sharing environment. It's free to list and we take care of insurance and breakdown cover while your van is out on hire.

Curious to learn what you could earn hiring out your van on Camplify? Try our free hire income calculator .