Hire Dashboard | Quirky Campers

NEW OWNER FAQs

How do you select your campervans / What are the requirements?

We are looking for beautiful, unique, handmade conversions. Naturally this means that each one will be different; but just being different isn't quite enough. To be a Quirky Campervan it needs to be well thought-through, beautiful and finished to a high standard. If you have a conversion and are not sure if it fits the bill, have a look at our blog on Quirkifying your Campervan.

DVLA - Motorcaravan

As a minimum, your campervan will need to meet the DVLA's internal features list for motor caravans. It is recommended but not required to change the body type on the V5 log book with DVLA from panel van to motor caravan.

Since 2019, the DVLA have been refusing many self build conversions. This is not a problem if your conversion meets the list of internal features required by the DVLA. The insurance company we use has stated categorically that they have no issue covering Quirky Campers listed campervans irrespective of the V5 classification (even if the reclassification of body type has been refused).

Features

Here are some special features you may want to consider in your conversion to attract more bookings:

More than 3 belted seats
4 or more adult berths
A baby/child's bed
Heater or Woodburner
Shower (internal or external)
Solar panels

Locations

Unlike other agencies we want to ensure we maintain occupancy for all the vans listed with us so you can be confident it will be worth your while.

We used to advise that certain geographical areas were more popular than others. However since the pandemic and the explosion in the whole vanlife world we are now saying 'everywhere is great!' Proximity to large population centres always helps, as are connections to major transport links (motorways, train stations, international airports).

Most customers want to pick up near home and drive to their destination, so remote locations tend to be less popular. That being said, demand in the summer outstrips supply by more than 100% so customers just find ways to get to wherever you are.

How does insurance work?

This bit is very important to get right and make sure you and the customer are properly covered. There are two options that we can advise:

Annual

We have arranged a group discount on a comprehensive package including:

Hirers Insurance to cover all rental drivers for UK and EU travel. The policy also covers you and 3 named drivers when the vehicle is not on hire
Public Liability insurance
Breakdown cover for all hirers (UK only - EU additional £30)
Legal cover

The package cost around £1500 per year (a bit more for vehicles over £20k or within certain postcodes such as in London). You just need to say you are listing with us get the Quirky Campers package. There is also the option to pay this monthly.

Daily

We also have a deal with a ‘pay as you go’ insurer. This currently costs £19 per day and can be bought on the day. It is less flexible (you'll need to charge for late return etc) and it only covers the hirers, so you will also need your own insurance! It also does not include breakdown cover, public liability or legal.

Almost all campervans listed with us are better off with the annual option but the pay as you go policy is a way to get started with no outlay and no risk. The annual option can still be purchased at any time.

What do you need from me?

You are responsible for the following:

Providing a full shoot of professional quality photographs. We have a photography specification which you and the photographer must read before you head out. Here is a list of photographers our other owners have used before.
Keeping your campervan well maintained, safe and legal.
Sending us a copy of the campervan's Gas Safe certificate. We have a list of Gas Safe Engineers some of our other owners have used.
Sending us a copy of your Weighbridge readout. Find a local Weighbridge here.
Cleaning your camper between bookings and doing handovers with customers. Customers are asked to return it clean, but some cleaning will always still be required.
Adequate insurance and breakdown cover. Further info can be found here.

Can I name the vehicle anything I like?

No. Firstly the name must be unique on our system. This is because it is effectively the vehicle ID and used to identify the vehicle on the website and booking system. If there is already a Susan then it is not possible to list your vehicle as Susan.

To check if your campervan name is already taken click here.

Secondly, we are also a bit picky, so here are a few general rules we ask you try to keep in mind:

The names that work best are single word names of an actual person but one that is less common
The name is part of your brand so choose carefully
Avoid being inspired by the shape, colour or size of your vehicle
Please don't use puns - unless it is legitimately funny!
Avoid adjectives
Do a quick google search of your chosen name to see what comes back.
No numbers or characters

Will you need to see my camper in the flesh?

In an ideal world yes. However, we can okay it based on the photos you send us.

What paperwork do I need?

Before your first customer you will need to send us a copy of your GasSafe certificate from the last 12 months (if applicable) and a copy (or photo) of a valid Weighbridge readout showing the unladen weight of the vehicle. For more information on these two issues please read our blog on Gas Safe and Weight limits.

What happens if my campervan gets damaged whilst on hire?

Vehicles do get bumped from time to time but it is rare - our customers are lovely and generally very careful. However, should such an event occur, the insurance will cover any damage to the vehicle. In addition, the customers pays a £500 security deposit when making a booking, and they are responsible up to a maximum excess of £1,000 (this is higher for certain drivers). This means that the £500 security deposit plus an additional £500 can be claimed to cover your insurance excess in the worst case scenario.

What happens if my campervan is returned late?

If a customer brings the campervan back late they may be asked to pay an hourly fee which we use to refund the subsequent customers if their pick-up is delayed. Where possible we will be flexible to ensure customer satisfaction.

Can I continue to use my own van as much as I want?

Yes. We put no limit on owner use although we have to make it clear that your income will be greatly affected by how much you use it, particularly for peak season weekends. You can advertise your vehicle on your own website or social media but we don't allow you list with other agencies. See 'Can I list with other agencies?' below.

How many bookings will I get?

This is a difficult one and depends on your campervan, quality of your photos, your location and you. We aim to book a minimum of 70 nights for every campervan in the first 12 months, this will increase to 90 or more in subsequent years. Your responsiveness and usage can greatly impact on your overall income but good photos are the top factor!

Is it worth it?

Most owners ‘take home’ between £4,000 and £12,000 per year depending on the camper and your usage (the top end of that would be for a very popular vehicle that wasn’t booked in summer by its owner). Our owners find that this covers all the costs of insurance, MOT, tax, repairs and maintenance, with some left over for the upgrades you’ve always fancied doing or a very special trip or three!

For a better idea of what your campervan might earn download our Income Estimator. Please bare in mind this just a rough estimate and does not constitute financial advice!

See our seasonal pricing structure here.

What extras do I need to provide?

As a minimum we ask you to provide bedding and a child seat (if appropriate) as an optional extra - anything else is up to you. We do not take a cut of the extras (only a 2.5% payment processing fee) so feel free to use your creativity to meet customers’ needs and bring in some additional income.

How can I do the handovers if I work full time?

Many of our owners have ‘trained up’ a family member or friend to do their handovers and paid them a small fee. Alternatively, you could specify the handovers to only be on days you are available for instance Saturdays and Sundays.

What do you charge for this service?

There is no upfront fee and no annual cost. We take a 21% commission on the booking fee, this includes payment process fees and VAT.

There is no commission on any add-ons, mileage, delivery charges or security deposit claims but there is a 2.5% payment processing fee so you get 97.5% of any of these.

Do I need to be be VAT registered or a Limited Company?

No. Unless you are turning over more than the VAT threshold (currently £85k) there is no advantage to being VAT registered

For the LTD it will depend on your situation but in most cases it will make sense to just register as a sole trader (Self Employed)

How and when will I get paid?

We will transfer to you the balance of any completed bookings fortnightly into your account. The balance is credited with your cut plus any extras.

Can I rent out my campervan to friends and family for free?

Yes (well nearly). You can use the Quirky Campers booking system to offer your campervan to family and friends and reduce the booking price to £1. This satisfies a requirement for traceable payment by the insurers, collects all the right information from them and their drivers, send out emails confirming the booking and reminding them what to bring etc and blocks the dates on your calendar. For paying customers which you have sourced yourself, we encourage you to use our booking system, discount to £1 and then arrange payment directly.

Can I have a tracker fitted?

You can have a tracker fitted but must tell the customer before the booking, and you must delete any data associated with the customers trip once the customer returns the campervan.

Can I list my vehicle with other agencies?

No. There are several reasons for this, firstly we tried this with a few owners but quickly found that because we provide excellent customer support, customers from other agencies will contact us with problems they are having. We also had too many occasion where owners made mistakes and double booked and we ended up having to cancel our customers which is damaging to our reputation. Another reason is that when you go live we invest in marketing your van in your location so we want to know we have a chance at getting this back.

Typically campervans on Quirky get double the bookings to any other agency.

I've got more questions - where can I find help and advice?

Buying a campervan
- See the Campervans for Sale page on our website.
- Quirky Campers regularly post recommendations of promising beautiful conversions we have found elsewhere on the web.
- Other members will also give advice on what to buy
Converting a Campervan
- There is a great Facebook group for people looking to buy or convert a campervan to list on Quirky Campers where you can find other people going through the same process as you.
- Current owners of campervans listed on Quirky Campers are regular contributors to the group and can answer questions on converting a van and also on details of renting it out.
- Many professional campervan converters are also group members and give detailed responses to questions

Blogs: We also have some information about buying and converting on our blog (with more to come) which is here: Quirky Campers Blog

Email and phone: If all that doesn't cover it then give us a bell or drop us an email. Most of the team have converted their own campervans and between us we have a wealth of knowledge which we are very happy to share.

Further Reading: Over the next 7 weeks we are going to send you emails about the following:

(Click the headings if you want to read them now)

If you have any queries about any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch.