What: RVshare allows RV owners to list and rent out their vehicles

Expected pay: you set it

Husl$core: $$$

Commissions & fees: 25% on “anything charged for profit” 

Where: Nationwide

Requirements: An RV to rent

Review: 

RVshare is one of the biggest national rental firms for recreational vehicles. It encourages owners to list their RV for rent, setting their own rates, terms and cancellation policies. When a consumer books your RV, the site collects payment, a deposit (that you set), and remits the rental proceeds — minus site fees — to you on the day after the customer takes possession of your vehicle. 

The site maintains that the typical RV owner can generate $30,000 to $40,000 in annual revenue by making their camper available through the site, which boasts millions of visitors each month. 

For owners of recreational vehicles and trailers, there is definitely money to be made here. RVshare has roughly twice the web traffic of it’s nearest competitor, Outdoorsy.

But the site is also the subject of extensive complaints filed with Better Business Bureau. Complaints from RV owners fall into three categories. Namely, the fees are high and levied on almost everything; the site’s insurance has some major holes; and customer support leaves much to be desired.

Fees

Let’s start with the fees. RVshare charges owners 25% of the rental rate, plus 25% of any other charges “made for profit.” What does that mean? If you charge a cleaning fee, but don’t submit a cleaner’s invoice for the same amount, RV Share will assume you’ve done the work yourself. In that case, your cleaning fee is subject to the site’s 25% fee. If you charge a penalty for renters who bring the home back without refilling the propane tank and gas, that penalty is also subject to RVshare fees. 

Reimbursed costs are not subject to the 25% fee levied on owners. But they are subject to a 10% fee levied against renters. 

In addition, the site charges renters’ a site fee, plus a daily premium for the site’s insurance policy and roadside assistance. On a recent test, these charges added about 30% to the consumer’s cost of the rental. If renters cancel within the window for free cancellations, RV Share still charges a cancellation fee.

Insurance

Technically, the insurance charge is not a fee. It’s much like a car rental coverage — a costly form of daily insurance coverage. The insurance should make both renters and owners feel a bit more secure knowing that they’re covered. But dozens of complaints lodged with the Better Business Bureau tell another story.

There is a $1,500 deductible with the standard policy. Several owners said that the insurer attempted to impose that deductible multiple times for the same loss, claiming that the damage that happened during one rental was actually several separate incidents. Or that the damage to the front of the vehicle was one claim; the damage to the back, another.

In other instances, RV owners say the insurer denied claims based on the notion that they were caused by “normal wear and tear” on a nearly-new RV.

Customer service

Owners also complain that when there is a problem with a renter or claim, customer service is AWOL. 

Recommendations

If you rent an RV through this platform, consider buying your own commercial insurance coverage. You should be able to add this to your standard RV policy. This ensures that if significant damage is done to your RV, your insurer will deal with RVshare’s insurer and ultimately get your motor home back in proper shape. You can also list your RV through Outdoorsy, which is a younger platform but has far fewer complaints.

You may also want to try listing with RVnGo, which doesn’t currently charge owners a platform fee. The site also doesn’t have a significant complaint history, but it’s just two years old and also doesn’t appear to have much web traffic. 

If you have camping equipment, you can also rent that out through other sites, such as Fat Lama and Rentnotbuy.

What their owners say (from the Better Business Bureau):

“Definitely do not recommend RV Share.. They do not support the people/companies that list their units with them. We closed our account and are staying with Outdoorsy.”

“I have been renting through RVshare since summer 2017. For the first year, RVshare worked great. But time passed and their customer service started failing. I had renters complaining that roadside assistance was unresponsive. As an owner, i feel that their commission fees should be based on the rental rate only and whatever fees we have to charge renters (cleaning, mileage, etc) should be out of any commission. They also did an upgrade in their system that blocked a lot of communication methods owners were using to contact renters. Their fees are too high for such a poor service.”

“RVshare does pretty much nothing for the 25% they keep and now have added on a service fee of $30 or higher per rental and you can’t even get a hold of anyone when you need help. As far as the customers, I do love renting and seeing other families and couples having great memories instead of it sitting in my driveway.”

Insurance woes

“Their insurance doesn’t pay for anything. We rented our RV this past summer and did have a small incident. Very small. We are now paying over $3,500.00 for repairs. RV share has said that this is “multiple incidents” and therefore multiple deductibles. So everything is paid by us.” 

“They are not out to help the RV owners with anything. I had a renter use my camper, admit to opening up fuse panels, and then the furnace quit working. RVshare is claiming “normal wear and tear.” It’s a 2 year old camper with the furnace being used maybe 5 times.”

“The idea is great, and it works when nothing happens. However, you have absolutely zero protection from RV Share or National General Insurance Company if it does. The insurer couldn’t get a statement of what caused all the damage, so instead of being subject to one deductible…the insurer speculates that they will file 5 claims, one for the front, one for the back, one for the right, one for the left, and one for the inside. And 4 of the 5 claims fall under the deductible. So the insurance company only paid me $3600 of the $30,000 worth of damage.”

“RV owners beware! I was assured my trailer was fully insured. After it was damaged by a renter, the insurance company valued the cost of repair at $600 less than the actual cost to repair. Despite providing a copy of the estimate and bill to the insurance company, they refused to adjust the claim amount. And RV Share refused to advocate on my behalf or make up the difference. So, as the result of renting through RV share, I am out of pocket $600 for damages.”