Community Forums

wnytaxman · 01-25-2018, 05:35 PM

This is a variation on another thread where the poster asked about whether or not anyone would rent out their RV when it is not in use by the owner. My question is a variation on that. There are a number of companies that rent out very high end RV’s, in the million plus range, and they also offer some units down into the non-stratosphere. My question is has anyone used one of these high end rental companies as either an owner or a renter? If so, what was your experience like? I’m not really asking if you would rent out yours, but have you ever done so in the past and would you do so in the future?

rcrevolution · 01-25-2018, 05:52 PM

I talked to the rental manager at Giant Recreation the other day and he said they always come back damaged...ALWAYS. The most common type of damage is roof damage from going under something lower than the roof, like trying to pull under a gas station overhang. The next is engine damage from putting gas in the diesel tank.

Companies like Florida Coach lease buses to the entertainment industry. Those are million+ dollar rigs. They build the bus to order, then lease it for the duration of the tour. It's like leasing a car. The person leasing provides insurance and is responsible for the bus 100%. Florida Coach is out of the picture until it comes back in off lease...or it comes back for repairs.

With a rental management company, you carry insurance on the rig, but the renter also has to buy insurance. If he runs it under a low bridge, he says, sorry, and walks away leaving you, or the management company, to deal with the insurance.

deaton · 01-25-2018, 06:31 PM

I met and talked to the owner of one of the companies that do Prevost conversions at the Tampa RV Supershow. He said that of the four converters represented at the show, he was the only one to refuse to play in the lease/rental arena for the reasons mentioned by rv revolution - they always come back wrecked.

A few years back, I looked in to doing a vacation rental on a nicer than average coach... not a luxury unit, but a $400k MSRP. I read the rental contract. In a forty plus year career of reviewing legal contracts, I can’t recall any other document that was more one-sided or that favored the owner at the expense of the renter. One would have to be a total idiot to sign the thing. But I believe the language reflected the reality of the damages that can accrue in these situations.

wnytaxman · 01-26-2018, 06:48 AM

We encountered one that was a rental at Oshkosh this past summer. It was a 2017 Entegra Anthem. In the case of this rental, a professional driver drove the rig to the Air Show and had a travel trailer located beside the rental. He was there to drive the rig and handle any issues the renter may have encountered. In this particular situation the unit was one in which the renters would sleep and have their meals and that was it.

The biggest problem that I see with the high end rentals is the chance that the coach will be driven by someone who is clueless. Yes, the rental company and the renter are liable, but who wants to get involved in potential litigation.