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I live in a tourist destination. I'm planning to use my RV parking as an AirBNB/VRBO rental by purchasing a 18-20' trailer and hooking it to dedicated power, water, and sewer. The parking space is surrounded by 8' privacy fence with security lights/cameras on all entrances. The space is 40'X18' and can fit a 20' trailer with lots of room between the gate and the rear of the trailer for a nice outdoor space.
The parking space is too narrow to extend a side canopy and have a patio area in the traditional location (near the RV side door), but there's plenty of space behind the trailer, which I will develop into a nice patio/outdoor lounge area. Rather than a typical RV with just a rear window facing this area, I'd like to purchase a toy hauler with the ability to leave the tailgate/ramp open, resting on dedicated supports (so it stays level for use as a deck) in the outdoor patio area, making for an "open concept" living space. Guests could close the ramp at night, or leave it open and just pull a curtain across the entrance. The internal parking area of the toy hauler would have a couch or loveseat with a pull-out/fold-down full-sized bed in additon to the toy hauler's built-in "queen".
I'm in a very quiet neighborhood with great weather year-round, so I think many guests will enjoy "glamping" in such a unique space.
Please give me all the reasons this is bad idea or why won't it work. Tips and tricks (especially for rapidly/painlessly clearing/raising a ramp used as a deck, are also welcome.
Some problems I forsee:
-The deck will need stairs and railings if not already built-in.
- Any furniture on the deck will need to be light, so it can quickly be removed. I assume most guests will want to sleep with the trailer closed.
Is it a pull-through lot or are you going to back the trailer in and make the back area the "patio"? Otherwise, you might find it a little challenging to get the trailer in tongue-first.
Is it a pull-through lot or are you going to back the trailer in and make the back area the "patio"? Otherwise, you might find it a little challenging to get the trailer in tongue-first.
I'm either going to borrow/rent/buy a motorized trailer caddy, or rig up a block and tackle and pull it in manually. It's not going to be fun or easy, but backing the trailer in points my hookups in the wrong direction and has the door facing the house (rather than the fence/landscaping/trees).
... I'm in a very quiet neighborhood ... I live in a tourist destination.
I'm planning to use my RV parking as an AirBNB/VRBO rental
and hooking it to dedicated power, water, and sewer.
The space is 40'X18' and can fit a 20' trailer
The parking space is surrounded by 8' privacy fence
Please give me all the reasons this is bad idea or why won't it work.
I really doubt the County level zoning laws or the HOA level rules & covenants are going to cooperate with your dreams.
But even if they somehow did... how many other property owners are nearby in that "very quiet neighborhood" you have?
All it takes is one to get enough of the others to apply for an injunction or cease/desist order.
Oh yeah, how many nights a year do you expect to have paying guests staying over?
And does this "tourist destination" have any government district collecting taxes on the motels and such there?
I really doubt the County level zoning laws or the HOA level rules & covenants are going to cooperate with your dreams.
But even if they somehow did... how many other property owners are nearby in that "very quiet neighborhood" you have?
All it takes is one to get enough of the others to apply for an injunction or cease/desist order.
Oh yeah, how many nights a year do you expect to have paying guests staying over?
And does this "tourist destination" have any government district collecting taxes on the motels and such there?
Since you asked for details:
- Because it is a popular destinaton, the city issues vacation rental licenses. I have already included the city's hotel tax in my financial calculations. Running a bed and breakfast in an R1 neighborhood requires that I issue a standardized nusiance contact form to my neighbors, renew my license yearly, and pay a hotel tax based on my profits.
- My neighbor adjacent to the RV parking is satisfied with my plan, and looking forward to the fence and driveway improvements I'm paying for. The back of the property is unoccupied hillside.
- No HOA.
- My city's R1 zoning laws allow for the use of temporary structures (including RV's) to be occupied both by the homeowner or as vacation rentals, so long as any one party's consecutive stay does not exceed 180 days. They do not allow occupation of vehicles parked on the street. Permits are available for the installation of permanent RV hook-ups.
- I'm looking for less than a 50% occupancy rate during the high season, and I don't care during the low season. Maybe 20%. I intend to black out a lot of dates because I'll either be gone, have relatives/friends visiting, want to use the space myself, or just not feel like cleaning up after paying guests.
Current AirBNB RV's in my area have about a 90% occupancy rate during the high season and 30% during the low season, so I'll need to price mine well above the market rate so it's not constantly occupied all summer. The going rate for private RV AirBNB's is around 100-150 (no ocean view) during the high season. The boutique RV hotels (ocean view) run over 200. Those prices drop by about $50 during the low season.
Hopefully I can find a high enough price point to just get the weekenders. I don't really want to be laundering sheets, cleaning the RV/outdoor space, and scrubbing extra dishes every day of the week, even if it does bring in a lot more money.
It's very likely that I'll recover the costs of the RV and property improvements within a season or two. But the estimates I've gotten (for the property improvements) are not a significant financial burden, neither is the RV itself, based on what I've looked at.
I was going with a standard RV trailer. Using a toy hauler is a new idea. Anybody have one? Experiences with leaving it open all day? I know you can get a kit to convert the ramp to a patio for some. Anyone have experience?
I have seen trailers that actually have a small deck and sliding glass door on the back. Seems like that would be preferable to opening up a toy hauler and making a temporary deck. You could always add more deck space with a step-up or step down from the trailer's deck.
I have seen trailers that actually have a small deck and sliding glass door on the back. Seems like that would be preferable to opening up a toy hauler and making a temporary deck. You could always add more deck space with a step-up or step down from the trailer's deck.
Thanks for the suggestion! That'd be great if I could find them cheap.
I'm getting a used RV trailer to minimize my risk. I'm not willing to lose an extra 5-10K rolling a new trailer off the lot, if the AirBnB doesn't work out and I decide I want to sell it.
In my area there are suitable toy haulers for sale in the 5K range. I haven't seen anything like what you're talking about, but I'd love a reference if you want to post something you know of. I'll google it to see for myself.
Thanks for the suggestion! That'd be great if I could find them cheap.
I'm getting a used RV trailer to minimize my risk. I'm not willing to lose an extra 5-10K rolling a new trailer off the lot, if the AirBnB doesn't work out and I decide I want to sell it.
In my area there are suitable toy haulers for sale in the 5K range. I haven't seen anything like what you're talking about, but I'd love a reference if you want to post something you know of. I'll google it to see for myself.
The fastest and easiest way to lose an extra $5-10k is to buy from Camping World.
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