Any Google search for ‘RV Rental business near me’ is going to return a Peer to Peer RV Rental site. Even though you are looking for a local business, a Peer to Peer, or P2P, site will always show up at the top of your search listings for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that they make money – a lot of it – and invest that money heavily in online advertising which translates to online traffic. The more people that look at a website, the higher that site will show in search results.
So What is a Peer to Peer RV Rental Site?
In a nutshell, a P2P website is just an advertising company. Individual RV owners from across the country sign up with the P2P site to market their personal RV that they would like to rent. The P2P site charges the owners to advertise on their site. Due to the large number of people that sign up to rent their RVs, they are able to spend A LOT of money advertising. This makes it very hard for local businesses to compete online even if their RVs are newer, cleaner, and better maintained.
Is a Peer to Peer RV Rental Right For you?
A local RV Rental business like Suncoast RV Rental owns their RVs just like the owners on the P2P sites. There are some important differences between the two, however.
For example:
- Suncoast buys all of its RVs brand-new directly from the manufacturer and only keeps them for a couple of years so you are always renting a new model year RV.
- Suncoast has strict safety standards and impeccably maintains its RVs so you can drive and sleep knowing that you are safe.
- Suncoast cleans and disinfects every RV to ensure a safe and sterile home on wheels for your family.
- Suncoast has 202 Google Reviews and maintains a close-to 5-star rating due to our amazing customer service and great RVs!
- Suncoast has many different types of RVs for rent and can help you pick the right one for your trip.
- Suncoast provides a thorough system and driving orientation to ensure that you feel comfortable operating the RV.
Unfortunately, a Peer to Peer RV Rental company cannot guarantee the condition of the RVs for rent on their site as they do not own them.
How a Peer to Peer RV Rental Differs from Suncoast
First, there’s no telling as to how well the owner of an RV advertised on a P2P site actually took care of the RV. The RV could look great in the photos but there is no way of knowing how old those photos actually are and the current condition of the RV. There may be subtle damage to it that they didn’t notice or the owner doesn’t feel warrants spending the money to repair. You certainly don’t want to rent an RV that has issues on your trip!
Another disadvantage of P2P RV lending is not knowing how well the vehicle has been disinfected. The COVID-19 pandemic is another major concern at this time and it is best to be extra cautious.
You also don’t know if the RV has any traffic tickets or violations. You could be driving an RV with outstanding fines – certainly not a good way to start your family vacation.
Not every RV owner is good at maintaining the insurance or putting a lease in writing. The big P2P sites both require insurance of some kind, either their own or a private one. However, if you rent directly from an owner, you will need to ask some questions and to get a copy of their insurance registration. You will need that in case you get pulled over or you could get arrested. If your renter doesn’t want you to bring any pets along, he or she also needs to show that in writing. He or she should have the terms for cancellations and refunds laid out as well.
Not every P2P renter knows how to determine the best price for the condition, year, make and model. In fact, another common mistake is pricing the rent too high for the year and condition of the RV. If you are comparing RV rental based solely on price, you may pay less but in the long run, you are actually paying more than you should for an older, and possibly not great condition, RV
RV Renting in Florida
Florida is definitely a good state to be renting an RV. There are tons of amazing campgrounds that cater to RVers and provide experiences ranging from a nature experience to a theme park adventure. If you live in Florida or are traveling here and are interested in renting an RV, please give us a call and we will show you why we think renting from a local business like Suncoast RV Rental is the best way to ensure that you have a great vacation!
