Share RV rental between LV-San Francisco

[splatino]

Hi!

I'm planning to rent a RV (sleeps up to 5 ppl), for a trip between San francisco - Las vegas (one-way).
I'm sure that there are plenty of people considering a simmilar or inverse trip.

We are departing from SF: 21th july
Dropping on LV: 31th july.

The idea would be to share the rental, doing the inverse trip. LA to SF. 2 options:
- Depart from LV and drop by SF 21th july, we will continue to LV and return the RV there.
- Depart from LV on 31th july, drop in SF whenever you want.

We will be saving one-way fees, some preparation and other fees... and maybe could apply to some longer-rentals offers.

Answer if you are interested!

[Midwest Michael]

While your idea sounds good on paper, I don't think you've really thought through all of the issues and potential serious problems you could be getting into by going forward with this plan.

The biggest issue is liability. If you were renting the RV in your name and you hand the keys over to someone else - you're still 100% liable if they get into a crash, damage the interior, or simply decide to take off an not return it at all!

Even if you're were talking about a friend that you knew well and trusted (and not a stranger you meet on an internet forum) where taking care of the RV wouldn't be an issue, if they were to get into an accident were someone is hurt, you could (and likely would) be held liable financially for the damage to their property and their medical bills - even if you aren't in the vehicle at the time - because the rental is in your name.

And of course, to do this legally at all, you'd need to make sure that all the drivers involved will be on the rental contract, which typically means a fee for an extra driver. Anyone driving without permission of the rental company (not listed on the contract) is essentially driving a stolen car, and by granting permission for someone to drive without being on the contract could also get you into all sorts of problems.

While I admire your creativity for trying to save a few dollars here, those few extra dollars are a very small price to pay when you compare the major legal and financial risks you'd be taking place by trying to sub-lease your rented RV.

[splatino]

Thanks Michael, I'm afraid that you are 100% right. High risk, but let's give it a try and see if someone is interested, then we'll decide.