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Renting out a vehicle

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stewamax
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Renting out a vehicle

#19367

Postby stewamax » January 2nd, 2017, 9:59 am

My son is thinking of buying a new(ish) camper van to rent out.
Apart from the usual things pertaining to a private car, what else – legal or otherwise – must he be aware of?
I assume the insurance provisions would be different (i.e. no longer ‘social, domestic and pleasure) and that he would have to register with HMRC as a sole trader. But are there, for example, more stringent mandatory vehicle tests?

Mike88
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Re: Renting out a vehicle

#19416

Postby Mike88 » January 2nd, 2017, 12:26 pm

One issue I have come across on a motorhome forum (possibly Out and about live) is what would happen if say someone from Australia/USA/New Zealnd etc arrived for a re arranged booking only to find the motorhome was not delivered back by the previous renter if for example the vehicle had broken down somewhere abroad or there was an accident rendering the motorhome unavailable All kinds of legal issues arise from that. I recall several threads on this subject and the advice given that hiring out motorhomes with only a single vehicle available was an unworkable business .

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Re: Renting out a vehicle

#19601

Postby Clitheroekid » January 2nd, 2017, 9:54 pm

There's a reasonable summary of the rules - or lack of them - here - http://www.bvrla.co.uk/advice/guidance/ ... al-company

There seem to be very few specific rules, but as Mike88 has rightly pointed out the hazards are more to do with the day to day running of the business. What happens if the van breaks down 200 miles away? What deposit should you take, and what can you reasonably make deductions for?

Insurance is a key point, as ordinary motor insurance wouldn't cover you if one of the hirers injured themselves on defective equipment in the van or gassed themselves because the heating and ventilation system was faulty. You should therefore go to a specialist broker.

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Re: Renting out a vehicle

#19634

Postby bionichamster » January 3rd, 2017, 8:48 am

Mike88 wrote:One issue I have come across on a motorhome forum (possibly Out and about live) is what would happen if say someone from Australia/USA/New Zealnd etc arrived for a re arranged booking only to find the motorhome was not delivered back by the previous renter if for example the vehicle had broken down somewhere abroad or there was an accident rendering the motorhome unavailable All kinds of legal issues arise from that. I recall several threads on this subject and the advice given that hiring out motorhomes with only a single vehicle available was an unworkable business .


That's a good point but there is an even more basic version, what happens if someone books the van for two weeks and it breaks down on a motorway 300 miles away 2 days into their journey? With a professional business I would expect a pretty snappy reaction to get the van towed to a safe place to wait while they brought a replacement there within a few hours or by the following morning at the latest lest my holiday is ruined. I can't see how one could run a meaningful business renting out a single campervan unless it is done via some sort of 'air b&b' style group who take responsibility for bookings and guaranteeing provision so if your vehicle lets them down they can quickly turn to someone else on their books to provide the replacement, If such a thing exists then go for it, if it doesn't then perhaps that is the business opportunity your son should be exploring (I'll be happy with a 1% idea fee on the income and say 5% when he finally sells the vast online business for a few billion).

BH


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