An RV owner's guide to preventing hirer damage before peak season

The biggest threat to your summer earnings isn’t low demand, it’s damage. A damaged RV in the garage means loss of peak season revenue. If a hirer damages your RV, it’s often not done through malice, but a result of misunderstanding or lack of education. Most hirers intend to treat your RV well, but complex systems and lack of communication at handover stage can lead to accidental damage.

When your RV is damaged, upcoming bookings may need to be cancelled to facilitate repairs, which can wipe out your summer income potential. In this guide, we’ll walk you through our top tips to prevent RV damage coming up to peak season and beyond to ensure your RV stays bookable and generates you an income all summer long.

Stay up to date with RV maintenance

It’s your responsibility as the RV owner to ensure your RV is well-maintained. Setting up hirers for success with good maintenance means dramatically reducing the likelihood of on-road breakdowns or damage caused by neglect. Always follow manufacturer guidelines for servicing, maintenance schedules, and upkeep.

Carefully consider ‘high-risk' bookings

When receiving a booking request where the hirer wants to embark on a high-risk trip, such as off-road, or long-distance journeys, you can assess and determine if it aligns with your RV's capabilities and your comfort level.

If you don't feel comfortable or your RV isn't suitable for the requested trip, it is acceptable to decline the booking.

To ensure you’re fully informed and can make an educated choice to accept or decline, we encourage owners to have a well structured welcome message populated in their listing. This appears for the hirer when creating a booking request and prompts them to advise their trip details. Owners who have a detailed welcome message will generally see higher booking conversions.

Example welcome message:

Hi, thanks for your interest in booking with us! In your initial booking request, please be sure to let us know the following things:

1. Your approximate travel itinerary

2. The age of guests

3. Your experience driving/towing applicable to the RV (This helps us prepare the handover)

4. Drivers License - country of issue (this helps us understand if a translation document is needed)

5. Your preferred pick-up and drop-off times

6. If you'd like an Airport pick up, please select this upon request and advise your flight number if known

We will respond to all booking requests as soon as possible.

A deposit of 25% is required within 72hrs of your booking being approved, otherwise it will be auto cancelled by Camplify.

if you have any questions, please let us know. We look forward to getting you on the road.

[Your name]

Complete a thorough handover with the hirer

When a hirer picks up your RV for their adventure, you’ll need to complete a pre-hire checklist with the hirer present via the Camplify Owners app. This checklist is a mandatory, safe and secure condition report of the RV prior to the hirer enjoying their adventure and is essential for assessment in the event of damage or additional charges. It also gives you an opportunity to do a walkthrough with the hirer, advising them of the essential things they need to know to use your RV safely and correctly.

It’s important that you do not allow your RV to depart without submitting the pre-hire checklist first. Once the hirer has retuned your RV, you’ll also need to complete a post-hire checklist within 48 hours to ensure the RV is returned in the same condition

Tip: When completing your handover with hirers, let them know that RV parts are fragile and that repairs are expensive. This transparent discussion helps educate hirers and encourages them to treat your RV with the utmost care and respect throughout their journey.

Tips for completing detailed pre and post-hire checks

Upload plenty of images (interior and exterior)

• You’ll need to upload as many photos as possible of your van (minimum 6, maximum 20). Refrain from taking photos in poor light and in dark as it’s difficult to capture the RV's condition in poor lighting.

• Ensure you capture the RV internally, including flooring, dining tables, bathroom, door entrance, roof vents, windows, bench tops and all high traffic areas.

• For the exterior, capture all 4 angles of your RV - front, back and each side, as well as lutons, front bumpers and rear top corners.

• We also advise that you upload photos of any high-value items both inside and outside of your van eg. solar panels, bike rack, TV etc.

Complete a walk through with the hirer

The next step is to complete a walk through of your RV, and give the hirer all the details they need to know to ensure a great and safe adventure. The Camplify owner app will provide a list of internal and external features to run through with the hirer.

Set expectations with the hirer about refuelling

Is there a certain type of fuel your RV requires to run at its best and prevent engine damage?

Make sure you're clear with the hirer about your refuelling policies. It sounds simple, but clear communication around your RV’s fuel requirements can save a lot of headaches in the long run and help to prevent costly engine damage.

Tip: A simple, clearly visible sticker on the fuel cap detailing the correct fuel type is the easiest way to ensure every hirer fills up your RV correctly.

Flag any common RV issues with the hirer

Every van on Camplify is unique and as a result, some vans have parts that may be hard to understand, fragile or get stuck. This is a good opportunity to flag any common issues with the hirer so that they are aware.

Complete post-hire checks promptly and report any issues

Whenever your RV returns from an adventure, it is important to submit the post-hire checklist via the Camplify Owners app. This involves conducting a thorough inspection, gathering feedback from the hirer, and following the steps on the app within 48 hours.

If there are any damages to your RV, it’s important to address these as soon as possible, to ensure your RV can be repaired promptly and is ready to be hired again.

Create a user guide for hirers

While you provide a thorough handover, a hirer’s excitement for their upcoming adventure can sometimes lead to forgotten details. We strongly recommend creating a user guide to keep in the RV.

This accessible resource allows hirers to quickly look up key instructions (like operating the awning, or setting up power) throughout their trip, ensuring a smoother experience and reducing the likelihood of damage.

What to include in your user guide:

Your user guide should include your top tips for hirers, and be unique to your RV and its features. A good starting point, is explaining how to use the features outlined in the walk through, like how to use the awning for example. Some other useful information to include for hirers includes:

• Your contact information, in case they have any questions.

• Camplify's contact details, in event that roadside assistance is needed (02 4075 2000, option 4).

• To never leave the awning unattended and to ensure it’s put away when there’s high winds or during extreme weather. Always explain to hirers that a small tear in the awning can be a result of a full replacement.

• Always use a spotter when reversing the RV

• Check you are putting the correct fuel into the RV

• Check the roof hatch and windows are closed before driving, or in the case that it’s raining

• Check cupboards are closed/secured before driving to prevent items falling out

• Remove everything off the bench before driving

• What appliances work with power and with a 12v electrical system

• Operations for key functions like the toilet, water and fridge. Not all hirers have experience with RVs, so a detailed manual including how to operate these functions with pictures in each scenario is a great way to ensure hirers use them correctly

• Explain battery management and how long your RV’s battery will last

As a bonus, if you have any recommended local campsites, activities or road trips, you can also include these in your user guide to help your hirers have a great experience.

Let hirers know what’s off limits

To protect your RV, clearly communicate any limitations for your RV. Hirers may be unfamiliar with the size and capabilities of an RV, the types of terrain across Australia, and may accidentally attempt to drive on roads that could cause damage (or put them in a dangerous situation). Defining these boundaries helps first-time or international hirers plan a safer trip.

Off-road capability

Advise hirers not to venture off-road if the RV isn’t suitable for it.

Tip: If your hirer mentions that they will be travelling to a location that you know requires off road access, suggest another way of accessing the location, if you’re familiar with the area.

Make sure you let hirers know any other helpful information that is relevant to your RV and will help hirers understand what’s off limits to prevent damage while out on the road.

Be proactive, prevent damage before peak season and maximise your booking potential

Taking these steps to prevent damage to your RV isn’t just important before peak season, it’s important all year round. We’re here to help you reduce the chances of RV damage and ensure your RV is in perfect condition and ready to be hired all summer long.

For help and advice, reach out to our owner community team or community success team.

Phone: Give us a call at 02 4075 2000 during our operating hours for immediate assistance.