5 Steps for protecting your motorhome rentals from theft

Motorhomes are more than just vehicles. They’re expensive investments, they’re our refuge away from our busy and stressful lives, and, for many people, they’re as much a home as an apartment or house.

 

But they’re also vehicles, which are much easier for thieves to steal than a 3-bedroom residence. Over $1 billion worth of RVs and motorhomes are stolen annually in the United States, with theft incidents increasing by 15% over the past 5 years.

 

As motorhome rental business owner, you should do whatever you can to protect your assets and your customers’ vehicles from theft, and we’ve got some tips that can help you do just that.

 

1. Have an insurance policy

 

An insurance policy won’t stop thieves from stealing your motorhome inventory or rented units, but it will give you some relief in the event they do. A motorhome insurance policy is like car insurance in that it provides coverage for motorhomes, travel trailers, and other recreational vehicles. But it also carries specific coverages that account for its unique nature as a home.

 

Mandatory liability coverage is required for motorized RVs, with optional coverage for physical damage, theft, and contents.

 

Shop around for an insurance policy that has a balance of affordable premiums with decent payouts. Your motorhome is a big investment, and you want to make sure your business is covered for as much as you can afford.

2. Store your motorhomes in a safe storage facility

Pick your storage facilities wisely. Don’t use facilities that are wide open or easily accessible, like parking lots or open fields.

 

Your ideal storage facility should have:

- Bright lights

- Security gates and fences

- Security cameras

 

Also advise your rental customers to follow the same advice. Make sure they park in well-lit areas with lots of people, and to follow safety best practices like in the next tip.

3. Make it as tough and inconvenient for thieves as possible

Motorhome thieves are looking for easy targets: caravans that they can just drive off with in minutes. The more deterrents and obstacles you can throw into their path, the less likely it is they’ll choose your motorhome to steal.

 

Advise your rental customers to lock up their hitch and coupler, and chain up their vehicle to a tree or post. But they shouldn’t rely on just these measures, as they can be easily defeated by thieves if equipped with a drill or bolt cutter. .

4. Use a GPS tracker

If none of your measures work and the unthinkable happens, you’ll need to find a way to track your motorhome and get it back. GPS trackers are built for that purpose. In fact, data shows that using a GPS tracker reduces motorhome theft recovery time by 60%. GPS trackers come with a number of useful features that help recover your RV.

 

Geofencing is when you draw a digital boundary around a specific location, like your storage facility or a parking lot. When the tracker (and the motorhome it’s attached to) crosses this boundary, you get an instant alert notifying you of this event, so you can know immediately if someone has taken your motorhome.

 

Once you know that someone’s taken your motorhome, you should immediately call the cops for help in getting it back. You can give them a live shareable link to the tracker’s location to make it easier for them to chase after the thieves.

 

Picking the right tracker matters. You don’t want trackers that are easily discoverable, nor do you want trackers with a short battery life (that won’t work for long-term storage). You want one that can attach to the exterior of your vehicle asset in an out-of-the-way spot so thieves won’t find it, with a long-lasting battery that you only have to charge once a year.

5. Remind customers to lock up their rentals

It sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people forget to secure their motorhomes while they’re at a campsite or if they’re traveling. That’s basically inviting thieves to come inside and start rummaging through their belongings–if not attempting to drive off with the entire RV outright.

 

Remind your customers to always, always lock their door before leaving the motorhome, and if possible leave any valuables out of view of the windows where thieves can peek in and see. Motorhome rentals may be insured, but that doesn’t mean the customer isn’t going to get penalized for your property getting stolen.

In summary

Getting your motorhome rentals stolen is an ever-present possibility, but as long as you take a multi-pronged approach to protection, you should be able to deter most threats and recover your vehicle and protect your investment.

 

Make your trailer a difficult and unattractive target by securing your storage area and setting up obvious security measures like locks and chains. Install hidden devices like GPS trackers to help recover your vehicle. You’ll have multiple layers of defense that can help keep your motorhome safe and sound.