# Motorhome Hire Insurance



## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

We had a post on MHF recently made by one of our members who allegedly runs a motorhome hire business.

They posted on MHF with some fairly serious allegations concerning how the whole Self hire industry works, i.e. whereby you offer up your own motorhome to a company that rent it out on your behalf.

I have spent considerable time this morning and afternoon, speaking to various members of the self hire industry and also insurance brokers trying to ascertain the facts. (A few remain to get back to me and go on record so any queries could be directed to them in future)

I personally think this is how the system operates.

you have a standard SDP policy on a van, you then offer your van to a company for self hire, THEY (Not you) enter into a contract to hire out the van under their own business traders insurance policy (Which does allow Hire for gain) during the period of hire, your own policy is not being used on the vehicle so there are no dual insurance issues.

A business insurance policy has named drivers so you can hire out the motorhome and also drive it yourself without needed dual insurance policies for the same mh.

If anyone can provide compelling hard facts to prove otherwise please let me know as MHF will not condone members posting information that is scaremongering nor inconclusive.


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## 97993 (Mar 5, 2006)

With the best will in the world Dave I would not trust a verbal statement from anyone on this subject, including a broker, or indeed an Insurance company, the financial risks are far too great, written statements of fact are always preferred, I think any Insurance company would give them if you fully explain your intensions, and just because one company says yes ,this would not apply to all,the proof as they say is in the pudding
Geo


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Fair comment, Geo, but I trust Nuke to have done the homework in a professional manner, and I'm sure he could provide names and company details if anyone was having difficulty in this matter.

But, like you, I would normally not rely on anything verbal, especially a post on a forum about a verbal communication.

Gerald


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

> I would normally not rely on anything verbal, especially a post on a forum about a verbal communication


exactly the reason the scaremongering post was moderated, unless someone has hard facts then no use getting everyone worked up about it


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## 96583 (Oct 28, 2005)

I am trying to sell my C Class RV and have considered rental as an option to selling. 

My insurance policy is for a limited mileage each year 3,500, when I asked about the issue regarding rental on someone elses policy with a possibility of exceeding the agreed mileage, and if I could prove the mileage covered elsewhere would they honor the existing policy - the answer was ...
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NO - that dual insurance sir... :?


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

Well i have spoken to a couple of firms today, and they are going to get back to me.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has hired their van out via a third party business and especially if any claims were forthcoming whilst the vehicle was being hired.


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

After seeing the thread this morning and the spat between the two alleged motorhome hire companies I personally wouldn't trust any of them.

If that is how they behave in the murky world of motorhome hire then my advice would be to keep well clear.

I was approached at the Newark show last weekend by one of these companies and asked if I would like to earn £8k a year by hiring out my motorhome.

If they can afford to rent a stand at a show and then use quite aggressive sales techniques there must be some serious money to be made,most of it by the hire companies.

Has anyone ever used these motorhome hire companies and if so were they satisfied with the service they received?It would be helpful if someone could give us a company report.

Steve


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

> If they can afford to rent a stand at a show and then use quite aggressive sales techniques there must be some serious money to be made,most of it by the hire companies.


well tbh as the Newark show was a new event, the organisers were offering extremely cheap stall prices, i think they were as low as £150ish so by them having a stand at a show doesn't mean they are making too much money  lol MHF is having a stand at the Peterborough show so lol does that mean I am making too much money as well.


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

nukeadmin said:
 

> > MHF is having a stand at the Peterborough show so lol does that mean I am making too much money as well.
> 
> 
> Not at all nuke,I am not against free enterprise and profit in a fair and honest way,if it wasn't for MHF we wouldn't be able to discuss these issues openly and bring them to everyones attention,and long may it continue.
> ...


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## apache (May 22, 2006)

*Motorhome Hire Insurance - my experience with SDP cover.*

Can I please add to this discussion?

I purchased a motorhome in 2006, a brand spanking new Auto-Trail Apache 700, and to make some extra money from it, decided to hire it out occasionally.

I looked around the companies who offer owners the chance to make some extra cash and picked one of them. I received a few hires from this company and they supplied me with the insurance for hirers. I had no problems with any of this and actually found it to be well worth it, if you are prepared for the hassle of not having your van all the time, and others using it etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I had reason to contact my SDP insurance broker, Motor Caravan Insurance Agency (MCIA) and as soon as I informed them that I occasionally hired out my vehicle, they immediately cancelled my policy with them. I was told at this time that it was due to Dual Insurance on the vehicle.

I contacted them again the next day, after simmering for a bit and thinking things over, and asked to speak to one of their managers. I spoke at length to Mr Ben Williams and fully explained the situation to him that I hire out via other companies etc, along the lines of the previous posts. He listened carefully and I supplied him with the name of the main company who I contracted hires from. He promised to investigate and call me back.

He called back three days later and told me that he was fully aware of the circumstances of owners hiring out via other companies. He had tried to contact the owner of the company that I use to discuss with him the provisions of the hire insurance, but did not receive any calls back from him. Funny, as this owner had the time to telephone me and ask why insurance companies were telephoning him. I asked him to simply explain the facts so that I could sort out my personal insurance on the vehicle, but to date he has not done so.

Mr Williams informed me that he had made his own enquiries, contacted other companies in the field and spoken to various underwriters, but could not offer me SDP cover for my van if I hired it out. The reasons he explained were two-fold; dual-insurance where there was a conflict between insurance companies where two companies have a policy that covers one vehicle (even after a long discussion that if it was out on hire, I could not possibly drive nor claim on the other policy), and secondly, the problem of all SDP policies having a standard paragraph excluding the owner from hire or reward - the exact wording will vary from policy to policy, but all roughly mean the same thing.

I was therefore left with no personal insurance on my van, although I could hire it out to others and they would be fully covered.

In order to obtain insurance cover for me to drive my van, I then contacted about 20 other motorhome insurers - all of the main ones and then others who I was referred to. I explained the full facts to the operators when I was providing information, and on every occasion I was declined insurance cover. On one occasion, I heard the insurance clerk discussing the circumstances with an underwriter and I asked to speak to the underwriter. Again, a decent chap, who listened to the way that I obtained hires from other "agent" companies, but he went down the "dual insurance" route and told me that I would be extremely lucky to find an insurance company who would provide this particular type of cover. I cannot recall the name of that underwriter's company, but it was early in my calls and one of the main ones.

I am lucky in all of this, as I had found that I could make some money from hiring out a motorhome so have decided to purchase another one (picking it up in Germany next month). I am now moving from being an owner/occasional hirer to a trader with two vehicles for hire. I have now found a suitable broker who has supplied me with an excellent deal for a motor trader's policy. This deal would have even been the answer to my problems as an owner/hirer as the rates are excellent. (If you are interested, please PM me for details).

My new broker, lets call him Del, is well aware of the motorhome hire business and operates in it. He is of the opinion that owners may not be properly insured under their SDP policies unless their own SDP policy and their Hire policy is provided by the same provider, therefore ensuring no conflict of interest between insurance companies.

I am not here to cause any problems with the companies who provide hires to owners - as agents - but have merely put down the facts as they happened to me and all within the last 14 days. During all of the phone calls and discussions with hire company owners, insurance companies and brokers, I discovered/uncovered a lot of information that I had not previously been aware of. Maybe I had not asked, maybe I was not provided. That is not the issue here, this is only to do with owners personal comprehensive insurance policies governing their use of their vehicle.

I will continue to accept hires from middleman companies, without the need for their hire insurance cover, as I now have my own.

I had provided both Mr Williams of MCIA and "Del" the link to this discussion and asked them to view it, and if possible contribute to it. I am aware that both are watching the ongoing discussion with "interest" and if they post, then we will all be better informed.

My only purpose in posting this rather lengthy post is to make other owner/hirers aware, as already stated in an earlier post - to check your own insurance policy and make sure it is suitable for your particular needs, especially if you hire out your vehicle. Scaremongering. I think not.

I have a feeling that this is not the end of this post


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## apache (May 22, 2006)

*More Replies Required*

Guys

I have been contacted and discussed this situation with quite a few people, and passed on to all of of you the information that I have obtained to date.

Can any of you guys post here to give your experience?

This is of value to all persons who hire out their motorhomes via middleman companies.

I provided my experience - can you provide yours?

Many others will benefit from your experience and what you have found out.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I have also considered hiring my motorhome out, tried contacting a couple of hire companies , but they never came back to me.even tried the dealer that sold me this one, but they only hire their own. Have also filled in a couple of insurance proposal forms, am still awaiting response from them as well.by the time anything does happen the season will be over.

cabby.


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## maddie (Jan 4, 2006)

Hi interesting would not dream of hiring out BUT SEE BELOW ADVICE FROM AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
TERRY


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## apache (May 22, 2006)

Maddie

Your American Experience did not show up on this thread. Can you post the link again.


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## b16duv (Feb 14, 2006)

Just read this thread and felt compelled to reply:-

I have recently signed on with a hire broker and already had my first hire. 

The relationship between the parties is fully documented and contractually binding. This includes the issue of insurance cover.

My first customers were very nice people from Australia, and looked after the van as if it were their own.

From a financial perspective, I received the payment I had agreed to, therefore can't complain about that. The hire broker could not have been more helpful and made sure I was comfortable with the entire process.

In the end of the day, if you don't like the look of the hirer, don't give them your van keys (though this may end your relationship with the broker).

Perhaps there are a number of posts in this thread from people who have strong opinions against this type of enterprise, and how much money the companies make. If you have no direct involvement and do not wish to use their services, why post here?

I'd hire my £60k motorhome out before I'd deal with Brownhills again......


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Our friends hired a motorhome from a well advertised company in Cheshire and unfortunately the rear bumper was damaged . . . the hire company said it wasn't covered by the [fully inclusive] insurance, whether this is a 'get-out' by the company or is general across motorhome insurance I don't know


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## HarleyDave (Jul 1, 2007)

Could this have been because there was a high excess/deposit applied?

If the rear bumper repair was going to cost less than the deposit given then the [email protected] would not be invoked - just like if you dinged your car but the cost of the repair was less than your excess.

I do seem to detect a generally negative feeling on this forum to people who choose to release/recover some of the value in their MH.

I wonder why that is?

Cheers

Dave


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## 111835 (May 1, 2008)

[align=right]
hi just joined this site and was very interested in your frum regarding motorhome hire. i have just purchaed a motorhome and was intending to hire it out to help fund it. Has anyone any reccommendations as to who would consider taking my policy on?
cheers


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

fra said:


> [align=right]
> hi just joined this site and was very interested in your frum regarding motorhome hire. i have just purchaed a motorhome and was intending to hire it out to help fund it. Has anyone any reccommendations as to who would consider taking my policy on?
> cheers


This is a recent thread which you may find of interest.
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-44639-motorhome.html+hire


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## joeirish (Feb 5, 2008)

nukeadmin said:


> We had a post on MHF recently made by one of our members who allegedly runs a motorhome hire business.
> 
> They posted on MHF with some fairly serious allegations concerning how the whole Self hire industry works, i.e. whereby you offer up your own motorhome to a company that rent it out on your behalf.
> 
> ...


Hi

it seems that others posted contrary information to this. Is there any up to date information as I am thinking of allowing my MH to be hired by one of these companies. I'm not sure what to do after reading other posts in this thread.

Thanks


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## paulmitchell1971 (Sep 2, 2010)

*Motorhome insurance*

Thanks very much for the information on cross hire insurance Apache, I am in the same situation, a new 2010 Dethleffs 6 berth which I bought to hire out, I am really struggling to find a decent insurance provider. Maybe you could forward details of who you use? If they are as good as you say, they will be just the ticket.

When I have a moment to spare I will elaborate a bit on our experiences from the first six months in this business.

Many thanks
Paul


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## apache (May 22, 2006)

Hi,

I use a broker called Alan Boswells Insurance, who use Highway Insurance, now changed to LV. There is another company who I recommend my customers to use If they get a hire for their own motorhomes not through myself - dayinsure. I have 5 of my own motorhomes and am a booking agent for nearly 100 motorhomes so there have been occasions that I have had to call on the insurers.
I hope this helps you.

Apache.


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## apache (May 22, 2006)

Nukeadmin, must have a problem with me.
Please can you call
01555 892557
Anne


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## Sussexmotorhome (Sep 28, 2011)

this is what we are thinking of doing! best check my normal policy ,insurance through a company looks like its going to cost us £25-£27 per day out of what we are going to charge this is a pay as you go to see how busy we get

jamie


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## robertobaggio (Feb 7, 2012)

*Re: Motorhome Hire Insurance - my experience with SDP cover.*

Hi Could you please advise who you use for insurance on your private hire. as we have recently purchased a motor home and we are looking for a insurance company we can use when we hire it out.

Thanks

I purchased a motorhome in 2006, a brand spanking new Auto-Trail Apache 700, and to make some extra money from it, decided to hire it out occasionally.

I looked around the companies who offer owners the chance to make some extra cash and picked one of them. I received a few hires from this company and they supplied me with the insurance for hirers. I had no problems with any of this and actually found it to be well worth it, if you are prepared for the hassle of not having your van all the time, and others using it etc.

A couple of weeks ago, I had reason to contact my SDP insurance broker, Motor Caravan Insurance Agency (MCIA) and as soon as I informed them that I occasionally hired out my vehicle, they immediately cancelled my policy with them. I was told at this time that it was due to Dual Insurance on the vehicle.

I contacted them again the next day, after simmering for a bit and thinking things over, and asked to speak to one of their managers. I spoke at length to Mr Ben Williams and fully explained the situation to him that I hire out via other companies etc, along the lines of the previous posts. He listened carefully and I supplied him with the name of the main company who I contracted hires from. He promised to investigate and call me back.

He called back three days later and told me that he was fully aware of the circumstances of owners hiring out via other companies. He had tried to contact the owner of the company that I use to discuss with him the provisions of the hire insurance, but did not receive any calls back from him. Funny, as this owner had the time to telephone me and ask why insurance companies were telephoning him. I asked him to simply explain the facts so that I could sort out my personal insurance on the vehicle, but to date he has not done so.

Mr Williams informed me that he had made his own enquiries, contacted other companies in the field and spoken to various underwriters, but could not offer me SDP cover for my van if I hired it out. The reasons he explained were two-fold; dual-insurance where there was a conflict between insurance companies where two companies have a policy that covers one vehicle (even after a long discussion that if it was out on hire, I could not possibly drive nor claim on the other policy), and secondly, the problem of all SDP policies having a standard paragraph excluding the owner from hire or reward - the exact wording will vary from policy to policy, but all roughly mean the same thing.

I was therefore left with no personal insurance on my van, although I could hire it out to others and they would be fully covered.

In order to obtain insurance cover for me to drive my van, I then contacted about 20 other motorhome insurers - all of the main ones and then others who I was referred to. I explained the full facts to the operators when I was providing information, and on every occasion I was declined insurance cover. On one occasion, I heard the insurance clerk discussing the circumstances with an underwriter and I asked to speak to the underwriter. Again, a decent chap, who listened to the way that I obtained hires from other "agent" companies, but he went down the "dual insurance" route and told me that I would be extremely lucky to find an insurance company who would provide this particular type of cover. I cannot recall the name of that underwriter's company, but it was early in my calls and one of the main ones.

I am lucky in all of this, as I had found that I could make some money from hiring out a motorhome so have decided to purchase another one (picking it up in Germany next month). I am now moving from being an owner/occasional hirer to a trader with two vehicles for hire. I have now found a suitable broker who has supplied me with an excellent deal for a motor trader's policy. This deal would have even been the answer to my problems as an owner/hirer as the rates are excellent. (If you are interested, please PM me for details).

My new broker, lets call him Del, is well aware of the motorhome hire business and operates in it. He is of the opinion that owners may not be properly insured under their SDP policies unless their own SDP policy and their Hire policy is provided by the same provider, therefore ensuring no conflict of interest between insurance companies.

I am not here to cause any problems with the companies who provide hires to owners - as agents - but have merely put down the facts as they happened to me and all within the last 14 days. During all of the phone calls and discussions with hire company owners, insurance companies and brokers, I discovered/uncovered a lot of information that I had not previously been aware of. Maybe I had not asked, maybe I was not provided. That is not the issue here, this is only to do with owners personal comprehensive insurance policies governing their use of their vehicle.

I will continue to accept hires from middleman companies, without the need for their hire insurance cover, as I now have my own.

I had provided both Mr Williams of MCIA and "Del" the link to this discussion and asked them to view it, and if possible contribute to it. I am aware that both are watching the ongoing discussion with "interest" and if they post, then we will all be better informed.

My only purpose in posting this rather lengthy post is to make other owner/hirers aware, as already stated in an earlier post - to check your own insurance policy and make sure it is suitable for your particular needs, especially if you hire out your vehicle. Scaremongering. I think not.

I have a feeling that this is not the end of this post[/quote]


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## babyrhino (Oct 19, 2006)

Saw this and thought it might be interesting but started looking at the dates - it's Groundhog Day!


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## hireme (Sep 10, 2010)

Hi
Without confusing this thread, I would like to offer a few thoughts.....
Long before Insurance rears it's ugly head some long and hard thinking should take place.
If you are looking at hire as a one van business please be aware you will be dealing with peoples emotions, they have trusted you implicitly, to have available the exact spec of Motorhome on the date and time specified and in a fully legal and servicable condition. This is one of the most important things your customer will book, it is their holiday and if the van does not meet any of the above criteria, there holiday will be ruined. It is a big responsibility. There is a high probability your van will be damaged at some time, this will generally be bodywork damage and I would suggest you contact your agent and ask the lead time for side skirts, wheel arch moldings and molded light assemblies I would think a minimum of 6 weeks, so may I ask what will happen to your bookings for that 6 weeks. 
If you are letting an agent hire your Motorhome you MUST agree on " Wear and Tear " It is all very well getting your check for £8000 for hire but you must be aware this is bound to include wear and tear, the sort of things your agent will not be able to charge for eg windows become scratched we use a simple rule of thumb that if the scratch can not be detected with your finger nail, it is wear and tear, but at the end of a busy season all these things ad up.
Letting an agent hire your Motorhome is, in these hard times, is a growth industry but as can be seen, not without it's pitfalls. Your agent may, and I think they should, insist the Motorhome is stored with them, unless you are close enough to deliver at short notice. The reason is that there reputation is at stake whenever a customer hires from them, and they should be in complete control of cleanliness, mechanical condition, pre hire checks, post hire checks, full and detailed handover, and the evaluation as to the suitability of the customer. If the vehicle is not with them, this can be a problem and MHF have many threads explaining this.
As to insurance most hire insurance is ONLY for the hire period and the agreed people. The hire company must insist on you insuring the vehicle as it will not be insured whilst not on hire, using logic it would be difficult to see how this could be seen as duplicate insurance.
Please do not think I am trying to put anyone off hiring out there vehicle or starting there own business, there is certainly enough for everyone, BUT, you must bear in mind the above AND your free time is no longer your own, as your customers will expect to be able to contact you 24/7 and you must be able to react instantly. You may be expected to visit them to carry out simple repairs and/or arrange for same, and half way through a bottle of red this can sometimes grate. 
I hope this is of some help.
Regards
Tel


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## conhari (Feb 28, 2012)

*Re: Motorhome Hire Insurance - my experience with SDP cover.*

Hi robertobaggio, please can you let me know who "Del" is? I am in a similar position and need to be able to arrange cross hire insurance. I am sure they would like the referal. Many thanks.



robertobaggio said:


> Hi Could you please advise who you use for insurance on your private hire. as we have recently purchased a motor home and we are looking for a insurance company we can use when we hire it out.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> ...


[/quote]


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## larrymc (Aug 7, 2012)

*motor trader policy*

Hi
first time using this forum , can i ask about the traders policy as it could be the answer to my problem , i am doing a swap with a chap from australia and i cannot get him on to any policy as he is not a uk resident , would the trader policy cover him and what are the costs.


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## Lindachpink (Sep 24, 2012)

*Motorhome Insurance*

Hi Apache,
I'm getting mottorhome on Wednesday and wonder if you could let me know of a insurance company that will cover for hiring it out occasionally :?:


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