If you’re lucky enough to own a campervan you’ll know how great they are for impromptu trips and sight-seeing tours, but they can also be a handy source of extra income if you use yours as a holiday rental campervan.
If you want to hire out your campervan you can advertise it privately or go to an agency which will do a lot of the hard work for you. But either way, you will want to be satisfied that your holiday rental campervan is in good hands when someone borrows it for their break.
Good insurance will bring peace of mind
If you are hiring out your campervan, getting some decent insurance cover will be imperative. You should go to a specialist campervan broker such as Sterling to secure the right level of cover for your vehicle, whether it be a classic VW camper, a Mazda Bongo, Toyota Previa or self build camper conversion.
Sterling self-drive hire insurance allows campervan and motorhome owners to make money from hiring out their vehicle with the security of knowing it is protected by comprehensive cover and will be restored to its former glory should it be involved in an accident.
You may also want to consider some of the great value policy extras that will give you even more peace of mind when your holiday rental campervan disappears along the road with a stranger at the wheel.
Extras geared towards you, your campervan and those who may want to rent it out, include:
Camping equipment cover from £26.50: Standalone camping equipment cover can protect all camping-related furniture and furnishings, personal possessions, luggage and camping accessories.
Misfuelling assistance from £13.99: With a stranger driving an unfamiliar campervan holiday rental the risk of misfuelling is higher than usual. If your vehicle is misfuelled with diesel instead of unleaded, or vice versa, we will help sort out the problem.
Breakdown cover from £78.40: Home-start and UK breakdown cover keeps your campervan on the move, wherever it may be. We can also offer European breakdown cover for motorhomes or campers travelling further afield.
Keycover from £17: Replacing lost or damaged keys can be expensive with the average cost for a keyfob, including security re-programming, at more than £125. Cover includes recovering the keys if they are locked inside a premises or vehicle, and the cost of replacing them afterwards if need be.
Gadget insurance cover from £55: Protect all your campervan’s portable electronic gadgets from accidental damage, theft and even mechanical failure. It’s even possible to take them abroad for up to 90 days within any 12 month period.
Other ways to keep your holiday rental campervan safe
As well as insurance you will want to work out how much to demand as a prepaid security deposit for renting out your campervan.
The actual amount you agree could be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to £1,000 and it will depend on how many berths your campervan has, how old it is, and whether it is a peak or off-peak rental period.
There are other practical ways to keep your holiday rental campervan safe while it is out on the road.
Get it fitted with a good alarm and a tracker device and make sure there are stickers in the windows warning opportunist thieves of their existence. That may just put them off!
Invest in good quality campervan wheel clamps and apply them when your vehicle is parked for any length of time and most certainly overnight and when it is left unattended.
These added security measures may even earn you a discount on your insurance so tell your insurer about them and make sure anyone renting your campervan knows how to use them.
Take time to explain the features of your holiday rental campervan
When someone arrives to rent your campervan take the time to explain all the features it has and how to use them. Provide user manuals and additional literature for them to refer to when they are out on the road.
These days it’s quite simple to create supporting videos explaining how to work more complicated features such as switching from leisure battery use to mains supply at a campsite.
And include in your instruction pack the answers to a number of “what ifs” that may come up during a trip away: What if the oven won’t light, What if the sink won’t drain, What if the internal electricity is dead?
Answer all the questions you think may arise and ensure they have a mobile phone number for you so they can call for help if something not on your list comes up.
All these problems are probably easy for you to sort out as you are an experienced campervan tourist but for campervan rookies they can be complete disasters.
Let them take you for a ride before you wave goodbye
You will also need to produce a full inventory of all the equipment stored in your campervan — everything from plates to satellite dishes, and microwaves to magnetic Scrabble — and get the renter to check and sign the inventory when they take the vehicle and you do the same when it is returned.
And don’t forget to check they are actually licensed to drive your particular vehicle and provide them with a copy of your insurance documents before they head off on their trip.
Let those renting your vehicle take it out for a short practice drive before you let them loose in it. It will familiarise them with the way your campervan drives, give them confidence and give you confidence that it is in safe hands.
We know you are renting your campervan to make money, but if you fear the person renting your vehicle is incapable of driving it, it would probably be better to let them know at this stage, before anything untoward happens out on the road!
But remember, accidents do happen, however, with Sterling self-drive campervan insurance we will be there at the end of the accident claim line awaiting your call, ready to help and ready to restore your campervan to its former glory.
If you do advertise to rent your campervan for holidays, come to the campervan and motorhome experts at Sterling insurance. Insurance is normally quicker and cheaper over the phone so call 0344 381 9990 for a speedy no obligation quote.
