What to Include in an RV or Trailer Rental Agreement: 12-Point Checklist

Your rental agreement is the most important document in your business. It's what you point to when a trailer comes back with a bent tongue, an RV comes back two days late, or a renter disputes a damage charge with their bank.

A good agreement is clear, specific to what you rent, and signed before the renter drives away. Here's what to put in it.

Want a ready-made one? Start from our free trailer rental agreement template or RV rental agreement template. Fill in your details online and download Word or PDF.

This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Laws on rentals, deposits, fees and insurance vary by state. Have a local attorney review your agreement before you use it.

1. The parties and the rental

Start with the basics, filled in for each booking:

• Your business: legal name, address, phone and email
• The renter: full name, address, phone, email and date of birth
• Additional drivers who are allowed to tow or drive
• Rental period: pickup and return date and time, and where
• Delivery details if you deliver: the campsite or address, and setup and pickup times

Booking software can fill these in automatically from the booking, so there's no retyping and no mistakes.

2. The vehicle

Identify exactly what's being rented:

• Year, make, model and length
• VIN and plate number
• Starting odometer (motorhomes) or generator hours
• Fuel, propane and water levels at pickup
• Included equipment: awning, jack, chocks, sewer hose, power cord, adapters, keys

3. Driver and renter requirements

Spell out who can rent:

• Minimum age (commonly 21 or 25)
• A valid driver's license, its number and expiry date, checked at pickup
• Proof of insurance, if you require the renter's own
• Any experience requirements for large motorhomes or fifth wheels

4. Towing rules (trailers and towables)

This section prevents more damage than any other. Include:

• The tow vehicle the renter will use (year, make, model) and their confirmation that it can safely tow the trailer's loaded weight
• The hitch and ball size, and the wiring (4-pin or 7-pin)
• A brake controller requirement for trailers with electric brakes
• Maximum load and how cargo must be secured
• Safety chains crossed under the tongue, and a breakaway cable connected
• Speed limits for towing, and no passengers in a towed trailer

Better still, check the tow vehicle when the renter books, so a mismatch is caught days before pickup. (BookCollie does this with a tow-compatibility check.)

5. Use restrictions

What the renter may and may not do:

• Permitted area: states or distance limits, and any off-road ban
• Prohibited uses: commercial use, subletting, racing, illegal activity, towing other vehicles
• Smoking and pets policy, and the fees if broken
• Occupancy limit for RVs
• Campground rules if you deliver to state or private parks

6. Payments, deposits and fees

Be specific. Vague money terms cause most disputes.

• The total price, with each fee, add-on and tax itemized
• The payment schedule: down payment at booking, balance due date, and how it's charged
• The security deposit: the amount, when it's held or charged, what it can be used for, and when it's returned (for example, within 3 days after return if there's no damage)
• Additional fees: cleaning, dumping, fuel or propane refill, mileage over the allowance, generator hours, late return per hour or day, lost keys, smoking, pets
• Your authorization to charge the card on file for these, with an itemized receipt

7. Damage, loss and inspections

• Inspections at both ends: check-out and check-in photos and notes, signed by the renter
• What counts as normal wear versus damage
• What the renter pays for damage: full repair cost, or up to a set amount if they buy a damage waiver or protection plan
• Theft and total loss: the renter's responsibility and insurance requirements
• Tires, glass and roof damage, which are commonly excluded from waivers
• Loss of use: whether you charge for days the unit can't be rented while it's repaired

Timestamped photos at pickup and return are your best evidence. A check-in done on a phone with photos attached to the booking leaves no room for "it was already like that."

8. Insurance

State clearly:

• What your insurance covers and doesn't
• Whether the renter's auto policy must apply (common for towables), and what proof you need
• Any protection plan or damage waiver offered, its price and its limits
• Who handles claims and how quickly incidents must be reported

9. Breakdowns, accidents and roadside help

• Who to call, day and night
• What the renter may repair on their own and what they must not
• Reimbursement rules for approved repairs
• What happens to the rental if the unit can't be used: a replacement, a refund for unused days, or neither

10. Cancellations, changes and late returns

• A cancellation schedule, for example a full refund 30+ days out, 50% at 14 to 29 days, nothing within 14 days
• Any non-refundable fee
• Whether refunds are money or credit for a future rental
• Date changes: allowed, and at what cost
• Late returns: the hourly or daily charge, and when a late unit is treated as unreturned

11. Liability and legal terms

These are the clauses to have your attorney write for your state:

• Indemnification: the renter covers claims arising from their use
• Limitation of liability
• Assumption of risk
• Governing law and where disputes are resolved
• Entire agreement and severability

12. Signatures, done right

Collect signatures before pickup, not at the counter while the family waits in the truck. Sending the agreement online with the booking means:

• The renter reads it at home, without pressure
• You know it's signed before the keys change hands
• You have a signed PDF filed with the booking

For electronic signatures to hold up, keep a record of the signer's consent to sign electronically, the date and time, and what they signed. Good e-signature tools add a signature certificate with this to the signed PDF.

Make your agreement do the work

The best agreement is one that's filled in automatically, signed online and filed with every booking, without anyone remembering to send it.

In BookCollie you upload your own agreement as a PDF or Word file, drag in signature, initials and date blocks, and it's sent to every renter when they book, with booking details filled in. Reminders go out until it's signed, and the signed PDF is emailed to you both. It works hand in hand with automatic deposits and payment plans and check-in inspections with photos.

Get the free trailer rental agreement template or RV rental agreement template to start from. Setting up your fleet? Read how to start a trailer rental business and how much to charge for RV rental, or start a free trial of BookCollie.