Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Is there £10-20K sitting in your garage?
Reading Time: 3 minutesIf you thought that clunky old caravan inherited from your eccentric, childless uncle was just a burdensome old white elephant, think again!
With the Van Life movement in full swing and a robust sharing economy to leverage, there has never been a better time to own a motorhome.
A new generation of nomads is revitalising the industry and relishing the simple pleasures of life in the slow lane. Don’t believe us? Just take a look at #VanLife on Instagram and the 4.6 million photos that have given this 7-word hashtag cult status.
- Introducing Camplify
- How it works for caravan owners
- What about insurance?
- How much can I make?
- Case study
Introducing Camplify
Camplify is a caravan hire and RV peer-to-peer sharing community, which aims to connect owners with holidaymakers right across the UK.
In less than a year, Camplify has quickly grown to become the UK’s largest peer-to-peer sharing community for leisure vehicles, helping owners earn up to £20,000 a year from their underutilised caravans.
According to a press release sent out by the company, there are roughly 1.1 million leisure accommodation vehicles in the UK, most of which are only used for 2-4 weeks of the year.
Through its innovative platform, Camplify is helping owners free up their driveways and earn extra cash, while giving adventure-lovers the opportunity to have an unforgettable vacation.
Amidst industry predictions that 2019 will be the stand out year for caravan and motorhome holidays, Kay Knight from Camplify explains why this is the perfect time for British owners to embrace the sharing economy:
“We’re constantly seeking new ways to inspire adventures and make outdoor holidays more accessible. In just under a year, we’re thrilled to have been able to send over 1,000 people on British caravanning holidays that they previously wouldn’t have had access to.”
“We’re over-the-moon with the community of 600 caravans, motorhomes, campervans, camper trailers and caravan homes now boosting their income via Camplify.
How it works for caravan owners
Firstly, listing your caravan/motorhome/camper on Camplify is FREE. They do, however, take an 8% commission when your van is hired.
All you have to do is register on the website, answer a few questions and then upload some pretty pictures of your van.
Using this information, Camplify will create a profile for you and send your log-in details, so you can manage bookings yourself.
Only approved hirers can contact you through the system and you can ask any questions of the hirer to decide whether you are comfortable with hiring your RV to them.
If you’re satisfied with them, you’ll agree on a location to meet, arrive with a hiring checklist and hand the van over.
Once the hire is over, you complete the hire checklist with the hirer & receive your payment at the completion of the hire. Payments are made to you weekly by direct deposit.
What about insurance?
Good news! Camplify covers that for the duration of the hire.
But, if you haven’t yet, you might want to think of getting some extra cover in case anything happens to it while parked in your garage or driveway.
How much can I make?
According to the Camplify website, you can make anything between £15 – £500 per night. Of course, this greatly depends on the size, age and condition of your caravan.
A quick scroll through the vans currently on offer, shows that the general price range seems to be between £40 – £100 per van per night.
Case study
Last Spring, Simon and Cheryl of West Sussex decided to list their family caravan on Camplify. Less than a year later, they’ve received £10,000 worth of booking requests and have created a new side hustle, increasing their fleet to include another caravan and motorhome.
Speaking about their experience, Simon said “We’re fairly new to the caravanning scene. We actually only bought our first caravan a couple of years ago for a summer festival and planned to sell it afterwards. As soon as we experienced the comfort and freedom that caravanning offers, we were hooked!”
He says they try to get away as often as they can, with family trips along the coast and an annual drive through France, yet still only end up using their caravan for four to six weeks each year.
“We decided to give Camplify a try and we’ve not looked back. We’re receiving a steady flow of bookings, which are helping fund our caravan maintenance costs, future adventures and have enabled us to upgrade and invest in an extra caravan and motorhome, both of which we’re also hiring out with Camplify.”
Being located in West Sussex is also convenient for them, as it means they’re in a central spot for holidaymakers wanting to explore Dorset and Devon.
“We love meeting and sharing the joys of caravanning with other families.”
It also appears the caravanning bug is contagious, as Simon says that six customers who hired our caravan last year have already made bookings again for this summer.
Worth checking out your garage just in case.