RV Service Tech as a retirement income?

[znt1186]

You might actually have more work than you want. I knew a gent who lived in the Hendersonville, NC area during summer months and resided in Arizona for the winter. He had a sort of a workshop mounted on the back of a road tractor instead of a sleeper and worked out of it when he wanted to work. He towed his fiver with the tractor and his wife followed in the pickup. She also made jewelry and had the underbed storage full of her wares that she would set up outside when in a business mood. It seemed work great for them. They may still be doing so, but their small campground in Hendersonville was sold a year or two ago. Their names are Phil and Ann. They are great folks.

Back to point, if you want to do rv repairs, you can have all of the work you want.

[glwinger]

Several years ago, my coverage for just myself working part time on boats cost $1500 / yr. Even if you could command a rate of $100/hr, you may work months just to pay for coverage! You may never have an issue, but it's a matter of risk assessment and how much risk you're willing to expose yourself to in order to make a buck. One mishap could wipe you out financially.



As others mentioned, there's also the local government aspect that can be difficult, depending on locale. It boils down to your personal risk tolerance.[/QUOTE]


My father was self-employed and I would cover for him when he went on vacation. He had to add me to his policy, extra cost.
You will definitely need liability insurance.

What happens if something goes wrong after you leave, even if it wasn't anything you did? "They say you caused it"

If you plan on doing electrical, HVAC or plumbing, you may need a license from the county/state you are working in.

Most people will appreciate your help but it only takes one sue happy person to put you into bankruptcy.

[groswald]

Insurance yes - general liability and professional liability. Your tools and any parts/materials you keep on hand need to be insured for damage and loss too.

But the biggie, assuming you are working out of your motorhome, is that it will be considered a commercial vehicle with all that entails. That means business specific loss, damage, and liability on your coach. You may need a CDL, and depending on your rig’s weight you may get to become familiar with weigh stations across the country.

Then, of course, there are the accounting and tax requirements.

So, do you want to deal with all of that now that you’re retired? None of it is hard, but it can be a lot of work on top of the work you get paid for, and no small expense. I have a 1-man tech consulting business that I set up after I retired. That’s a little simpler since my only asset is my brain (a dubious asset to be sure ) and I don’t work when we’re travelling.

A lot of folks do work out of their RVs without worrying about the legal bits. The risks are low that they’ll get caught, but the consequences could be catastrophic if they did.

In any case, go for it if it’s something you really want to do!

Regards,

Randy