Renting Out an Inherited Roadtrek in Virginia

[DebbieNadine]

I recently inherited a 2006 Chevrolet Express Roadtrek with 80k miles on it from my parents and although I would LOVE to travel, right now is not a good time, so I'm looking for a Company that rents the RV out and takes care of all the maintenance while I'm not using it. I'm in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Anybody know of anything like this or any other suggestions?

 

[youngnretired]

There's a company called Outdoorsy that I believe is nationwide. I have not looked into this much or if they maintain the vehicle or how the rental process works (if they hold the vehicle or if you do and the customer comes to your location), but you can start a review process by searching for details on this.

A couple other thoughts:

You're going to need to look into insurance requirements for this. Having personal RV insurance coverage is different if you own/use the RV v's a commercial rental type of arrangement where someone rents and uses your RV thru a commercial company. You'll probably need coverage for the actual rental period, and coverage for times between rental periods just to think of a few.

There may be age restrictions on how old the RV can be to be part of the rental fleet. 2006 is now 20 years old.

You may have lots of wear and tear on the interior with going the rental route. Someone who uses it for a week is likely going to care less about how delicate they treat things inside compared to an owner. I can think of broken or weakened hinges, someone running the macerator pump for too long (running it dry), taking the vehicle places it shouldn't go (off road and damage underneath that's not necessarily visible), etc.

There is a fair amount of complexity to the class B Roadtrek that goes beyond that of a typical travel trailer or RV. Things like two fresh water tanks and all sorts of valves to control the water distribution system that a lot of travel trailers another RV's don't have.

The return on investment (although inheritance cost of ownership is $0) compared to repairs after you don't want to rent the vehicle anymore may not be great.

 

[DebbieNadine]

I appreciate your response. I just don't like the thought of having it sit, paying insurance, taxes, fees, personal property tax (Virginia is stupid when it comes to taxes, especially now with our new Governor), and was hoping there was a way to use it to my advantage instead of just pumping money out until I get around to using it - besides selling it. Well, that might become an option, too!
Thank you for your input.

 

[peteco]

Alternate idea: sell your current vehicle and drive the Roadtrek in its place. That's what I did 2 years before I retired. I drove the Roadtrek to work, in place of the truck I had. This way you get used to driving the Roadtrek. My wife did have a Camry though so that's what we usually took when driving together. We did take our 1-2 week vacations in the Roadtrek, which prepared us for longer trips after I retired.

What model Roadtrek is it: 170, 190, 210, or RS? I have a 210 and it is a bit "portly" but not a big deal for me coming from a crewcab truck. The 170 is easiest to drive, followed by the 190 and then the RS.

I'm in VA too and the personal property tax is a bit much especially on an older RV. It is still less than on a higher value newer car or SUV.

 

[youngnretired]

I did a little more checking online and Outdoorsy offers rental insurance for vehicles that are 20 years or older, but it's on a case by case basis and you have to send the VIN number for them to investigate if they'll insure it. While looking, I did find a post that said outdoorsy has a 13 year old max for renting vehicles, but I didn't verify this on their website.

The other question is why would someone rent your 2006 if they could rent a 2014 (same model/chassis) for maybe just a bit more $? You may want to do some research if a 20 year old Roadtrek can rent for the same as a 12 year old Roadtrek and for the same $.

Selling your 20 year old RT may not be a bad idea, and in 6-8 years or so when you want to retire and travel, you can purchase a 20 year old RT and probably end up saving/spending the same amount of money. I'm not trying to tell you one way or the other, just thoughts for you to consider and make a decision.

 

[DebbieNadine]

Alternate idea: sell your current vehicle and drive the Roadtrek in its place. That's what I did 2 years before I retired. I drove the Roadtrek to work, in place of the truck I had. This way you get used to driving the Roadtrek. My wife did have a Camry though so that's what we usually took when driving together. We did take our 1-2 week vacations in the Roadtrek, which prepared us for longer trips after I retired.

What model Roadtrek is it: 170, 190, 210, or RS? I have a 210 and it is a bit "portly" but not a big deal for me coming from a crewcab truck. The 170 is easiest to drive, followed by the 190 and then the RS.

I'm in VA too and the personal property tax is a bit much especially on an older RV. It is still less than on a higher value newer car or SUV.

It is a 210, so a bit big for me to drive on a daily basis, especially in a congested area for where I live.

Ooooh, I don't even want to think about personal property tax on this thing come next year.

 

[DebbieNadine]

I did a little more checking online and Outdoorsy offers rental insurance for vehicles that are 20 years or older, but it's on a case by case basis and you have to send the VIN number for them to investigate if they'll insure it. While looking, I did find a post that said outdoorsy has a 13 year old max for renting vehicles, but I didn't verify this on their website.

The other question is why would someone rent your 2006 if they could rent a 2014 (same model/chassis) for maybe just a bit more $? You may want to do some research if a 20 year old Roadtrek can rent for the same as a 12 year old Roadtrek and for the same $.

Selling your 20 year old RT may not be a bad idea, and in 6-8 years or so when you want to retire and travel, you can purchase a 20 year old RT and probably end up saving/spending the same amount of money. I'm not trying to tell you one way or the other, just thoughts for you to consider and make a decision.

I appreciate your thoughts. I just like the idea that my parents bought this brand new so I know where it's been and what's been done to it - of course they gave me all the paperwork. And I totally agree with your thought process; why would someone rent a 20 year old RV when they could rent a 10 year old for a bit more? I would ask myself the same question if I were to rent an RV.

Thank you. You are helping me out with the process. Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing.

 

[peteco]

It is a 210, so a bit big for me to drive on a daily basis, especially in a congested area for where I live.

Ooooh, I don't even want to think about personal property tax on this thing come next year.

Hampton has our 2006 210 valued at $21,200 which is much less than market value (don't tell them that). 1.5% tax = $318 for the year. Yes that stinks. Would you be able to use the Roadtrek for vacationing now at all?

 

[youngnretired]

If you dont keep current on the registration will they charge you the tax? If youre not going to drive it for a couple years, you could let the registration lapse for a bit

 

[peteco]

Unfortunately they still tax you if the vehicle is kept in Virginia, even if not registered or licensed. What's bad is that Hampton did not tax RVs until 2018. So it is the locality that decides whether to tax or not. And they set the rate. I see Chesapeake, where Debbie apparently lives, taxes RVs at 1.58%.
This is one reason I would like to move my residence to Florida where there is no PP tax. Also no income tax. Insurance is higher there though, among other things.

 

[youngnretired]

If you dont register the vehicle for a certain year, how does the municipality know to tax you?

 

[DebbieNadine]

Unfortunately they still tax you if the vehicle is kept in Virginia, even if not registered or licensed. What's bad is that Hampton did not tax RVs until 2018. So it is the locality that decides whether to tax or not. And they set the rate. I see Chesapeake, where Debbie apparently lives, taxes RVs at 1.58%.
This is one reason I would like to move my residence to Florida where there is no PP tax. Also no income tax. Insurance is higher there though, among other things.

Well, I've already registered the van because I would like to use it every now and then. I guess I will have to see if it will be worth it to keep it with the Insurance, personal property tax and the upkeep on it. I know I should use it every so often anyways so that it just doesn't sit it one place and rot. But I don't want it to be a hassle for me either. That's no fun.

 

[peteco]

Well, I've already registered the van because I would like to use it every now and then. I guess I will have to see if it will be worth it to keep it with the Insurance, personal property tax and the upkeep on it. I know I should use it every so often anyways so that it just doesn't sit it one place and rot. But I don't want it to be a hassle for me either. That's no fun.

Just remember that this forum is here to help. There will be times that seem like a hassle, but just look at it as a learning curve that will lead to great times out on the road.

 

[GroupB]

I would investigate RV dealers that rent RVs. I know they exist, don't know how common. Ideally an individual business rather than a corporate chain. They would hold and rent the unit including all of the aspects involved like maintenance and repair. The owner would be hands off. The arrangement would continue until one of the parties decides to terminate. I would examine the details of the written contract to make sure there are no inequitable aspects to either party.

 

[ThomasBurt]

You could check out companies like Outdoorsy or RVshare, some people there offer full management/consignment services too. Might be easier than letting it sit unused.

 

[otr]

Our 2000 RT 190V always needed something, I am very handy, I wonder if your parents were handy and took care of the usual day to day issues which are no problem for me, but are a trip to the rv dealer for other people. This is the reason I hesitate when a friend wants to borrow ours.