It’s important to have a rental agreement in place if you rent an RV for a vacation or road trip. This will help you to understand your rights and responsibilities once you have a vehicle in your possession. It’s essential that you stick to the guidelines that are presented in your rental agreement once you get the keys to a rental RV in your hand. In addition, the RV owner you’re renting a vehicle from will need to hold up their end of the contract.
It’s essential that you stick to the guidelines that are presented in your rental agreement once you get the keys to a rental RV in your hand. In addition, the RV owner you’re renting a vehicle from will need to hold up their end of the contract.
Where can you start if you’re renting an RV from an owner and don’t know what a rental agreement should look like? Using an RV rental agreement template to craft your own contract or to evaluate a contract that has been given to you by an RV owner can be very helpful. This can help you avoid any confusion and ensure that you cover everything.
RV Rental Agreement Sample
A private RV rental agreement may have less writing than one that is created by a national rental agency. It’s still important to make sure that some basic details are covered when you’re renting privately. While every rental agreement will be slightly different, you’ll find that there are some features that are essentially universal across all rental agreements. Are you looking for an RV lease agreement template that you can use? Here are the main points that you should include:
- The names of the RV owners and renters
- The license number, telephone number and home address of the renter
- The exact style and model of the vehicle being rented
- The serial number, color and other important features of the vehicle being rented
- The minimum and maximum rental periods agreed upon
- The deposit amount required
- Spots for signatures
It may also be important to add wording regarding the renter’s responsibility to protect the rental RV from damage at all times. Wording regarding a renter’s responsibility to obtain proper insurance for a vehicle during a rental period and to handle maintenance while on the road may also be necessary.
Other Things to Add to a Contract
Using an RV lease agreement template or following the guidelines of a sample are both great ways to create a document that covers all of the essential subjects. However, it’s also important to check your state laws regarding renting vehicles and RVs to make sure you’re operating within the law when signing your contract.
One example of this would be checking the minimum age requirement for authorized operators of rental RVs in your state. While the required age to rent an RV is 25 universally, states allow drivers between the ages of 21 and 24 to operate them in some cases.
Some owners may want to add additional rules and restrictions regarding the treatment of their vehicle while it is in somebody else’s possession. Details like whether or not the renter is responsible for cleaning an RV or dumping the tank prior to handing the keys back to an owner should be decided at the time the contract is created.
This is also the time to create any restrictions regarding the number of passengers that are allowed inside the RV or the number of miles a renter is allowed to travel. Here is the full list of extra details that may be useful to add to a contract:
- Warranties
- Delivery and pickup times
- Acceptable forms of payment
- Prohibited uses
- Pet policies
- Permitted uses of appliances
- Terms for extending dates
- Refund policies
- Cancellation fees and rescheduling fees
- Additional fees
Ensure Clarity by Adding Key Words
Adding a list of definitions of the key words mentioned within a contract can be helpful for ensuring total legal clarity for all parties involved. It’s important to remember that an RV rental consignment agreement is a legally binding document.
You won’t be able to make requests that extend beyond the contract once you have signed it. In addition, you may be financially or legally responsible if you fail to carry out what the contract specifies, so make sure you read carefully and ask any questions if you are unsure.
Should You Put Payment Information on a Rental Contract?
It is perfectly acceptable to put payment information on a rental contract. This may make it easier for both the renter and the owner of the vehicle to keep their records organized. Be sure to include the renter’s credit card number, expiration date, security code and signature with date on the contract if a credit card is used as the payment method. Putting the total payment in plain writing is also a good idea.
This will require a line that calculates the total price once you’ve factored in the rental price per day, the length of the rental period and the size of the security deposit. A paragraph regarding the cancellation policy is also important because it ensures that everybody knows the timelines and financial repercussions involved with canceling or postponing a rental date. Without this paragraph, there could be a lot of confusion when trying to cancel.
RV Rental Contract
An RV rental agreements form can be as detailed or as sparse as you feel comfortable with. Of course, adding as much information as possible without making the document difficult to understand is always the goal. Creating an RV rental agreement isn’t necessarily the final step.
Some people choose to sign a rental agreement in front of a notary for an extra element of protection. The bottom line is that the size of your specific contract will depend on the type of RV you rent. A contract for a large RV may require specific sections that go into detail regarding refueling fees, generators, and appliances.
A contract for a smaller camper that you’ll be towing will probably be a lot simpler because you won’t actually be behind the wheel of a rental vehicle during your rental period. However, renters and owners shouldn’t assume that a contract isn’t necessary just because a rental vehicle is small and simple. It’s always important to have a contract in place to protect the rights and assets of renters and owners.