fud3 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I was wondering if anyone does this when they are not using their vehicle. I have a 2 birth van Swift Suntor and although we use it as often as we can, we are a long way from being retired and being able to tour the country, europe and the world. We have been thinking therefore that when we are not using the van to try and hire the vehicle out. You see lots of motor homes around, they all can not be rented from dealers and hire companies, does any one hire out there van and if so who do you advertise with. How easy is it, how much can be charged, what about the dreaded tax man wanting his share. What about the insurance, should I change to a policy which covers any driver or should I be looking at a more commercial policy, also break down cover! any suggestions would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Our motorhome is a personal thing. When thoughts about hiring it out came up it took all of 2 seconds to dismiss them. If however you had half a dozen of them and none of them were your personal Tardis then thats business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Take a look in the Motorhome Magazines advertisements, I can recall some time ago seeing an advert that provided a website that gave advice on 'Earning an Income from your Motorhome'. It offered advice on Insurance requirements and other important related matters. In this day and age I would think twice, what security would you take from the hirer to confirm they are who they say they are, they may pay you the hire fee but in a few days your van could be anywhere and sold on ! Other people do not always respect other's property and you may not discover damage until much later. Worse, you hire it out later in good faith and the people who are then using it find a fault which may spoil their holiday experience and want compensation On a positive note, the income raised could assist you in purchasing a newer van when you were ready to use it on a more frequent personal level. (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 This has been well covered in the past, try the site "search" function for info There are a few companies offering this self hire service...How good they are who knows? I am sure they are fine and the spin wonderful until something goes wrong *-) The insurance issue is problematic as you are not allowed to hire your van out under a private policy. So what happens if the van is damaged/written of under the hire companies insurance? and how do you explain yourself then to your insurer...I just cant see how this is done honestly. another thing is if it is stolen. You have given them the keys and allowed them to drive away in it! so is it an actual theft? As you have legally given them permission to take the van....... Not for me I'm afraid, but a commercial insurance policy makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido-lass Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Personally I would not entertain even the thought of letting family and friends use my pride and joy let alone total strangers even if they were paying. No one is going to respect and treat your motor'home' the way you do. This is my personal space and I wouldn't want it invaded, but then again we use ours as much of the time we can so there would never be a time when it would be available for anyone else to use. I would seriously think whether it is really worth the cost and agro for a few quid, would they drive it as carefully as you would, not pull things apart. I suppose the real question you have to ask yourself is ' is it my personal space and am I bothered if it gets ruined by someone else' if the answer is no to both then consider it. Also look at second hand vans and see the damage that these have incurred over the years and think this could happen in a weeks holiday by someone else - still satisfied? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 There's not enough money in the universe to make me even think of letting complete strangers drive off in my van! It's bad enough when I have to drop it off at the dealers for servicing. It's like leaving a puppy at the kennels. :-D What if you needed just look at it and it's not there, or, God forbid, they brought it back injured and it was all hurt? No sirree! no way! no how! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The insurance issue is I suspect likely to be a BIG issue. If you are hiring out your MH (not simply lending it to a mate) then it is being used for "hire or reward" by third parties. That requires a business insurance policy, NOT a domestic policy. That's a whole different kettle of fish....normally a hugely more expensive kettle........to a simple "any driver" domestic policy. Then don't forget you'll need commercial public liability insurances too, for all the time any hirers are in/using your MH, and for any time that they are on your property as commercial clients.....this is also totally different to domestic insurance policies. I'd suggest lots of discussion with commercial vehicle insurance brokers to get a feel for how much it's gonna hurt your wallet before you dive in. Murky waters....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyH Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 And there's the tax man. And are you allowed to operate a business from your home? And you may need planning permission as people will be coming and going. Not worth the hassle or worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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