Guidance for keeping the van safe during each booking
Keep your trip incident free
At Camplify, we are committed to supporting our van owners and hirers throughout each booking. With thousands of completed bookings across four countries and over six years of experience, we know how to keep our customers and their vans safe. Unfortunately, accidents can happen, but over two-thirds of our damage claims come from incidents that can be avoided by owners and hirers taking time to share and learn more about the specifics of their holiday van.
We have put together the following guide for our community, offering advice and easy steps to avoid some of the most common mistakes. We also detail the process for safely managing any damage or accidents that may occur to help holidaymakers get back on the road again.
Advice for hirers
If you haven’t been on holiday in a caravan, camper or motorhome before, you may not be familiar with some of the things that could go wrong, and ways to avoid them.
Fortunately, you’re in good hands with our local owners ready to give you a full handover before you set off, and our customer support team on hand every step of the way on 0800 779 779
The first part of our guide addresses the three most common and avoidable types of damage that happen during a booking including:
Awnings
Damage/collisions when parking and moving the RV
Incorrect fuel type
Awnings
There are three primary types of awning that you will find on vans on Camplify:
Roll-out awnings
Wind-out awnings or
Bag awnings.
Each of these is set up in a slightly different way, so it's very important that you listen to the owner during the handover and make sure you fully understand how to set up, correctly position and then pack away the awning. We also have several videos on our YouTube channel that show you how to set up each type of awning.
Unfortunately over a third of damage claims are awnings and this can be easily avoided. The vast majority of the damage to awnings are caused by being left up during adverse weather conditions; strong winds and/or rain can damage the arms of the awning, tear the canvas or even damage the body of the van.
Before setting off, and throughout your holiday, we recommend keeping a close eye on the weather via the Met Service Weather App or another trusted source. We strongly advise that you put the awning away if you see the wind is increasing or you plan on leaving the van for more than a few minutes. The weather can change very quickly and leaving it up when you go to the beach can be a costly mistake.
(Top tip: If you are going to a location with poor phone signal, be sure to take a video of the owner demonstrating how to set up, correctly position and then pack away the awning. This was you can refer back to it later)
Damage/collisions when you're parking or moving the RV
Whether you are towing a caravan / camper trailer or driving a motorhome / campervan, parking and manoeuvring in a small area can always be a challenge. Damage, scratches and dents caused when moving the van around a park / campsite account for over a third of avoidable damage claims.
We understand that reversing into your site, with an audience of other campers can be a little daunting, but it’s really important to take your time. Before attempting the big reverse, carefully study your site / pitch and consider where the power & water connections are, proximity to your neighbours and the direction your door & awning will be facing.
The importance of a ‘Spotter’
When reversing or manoeuvring any type of van, we strongly recommend that someone from your group gets out of the vehicle and guides you in. This 'spotter' will help to provide you with much better visibility over each corner of your van and prevent frustrating scratches and dents from posts and rees etc.
(Top tip: When reversing a longer van like a motorhome or caravan, hearing the instructions from your 'spotter' can be difficult. Using your vehicle’s bluetooth connection, make sure you call your spotter on their phone so that you can hear their instructions clearly.)
For those inexperienced in towing, Camplify strongly recommends against towing any of our caravans. Many owners offer drop-off solutions, where they can tow and set up their van for you at a campsite of your choice. It makes life simple and easy for you.
Incorrect fuel type
Although this is rare, this is an expensive mistake. When doing your handover be sure to confirm the fuel type with the owner and write it down. If you forget during the booking, either contact the owner to ask or check their Camplify listing.
Handover is crucial
We understand that once you’re all packed, you may be in a little bit of a hurry to get on your way to enjoy your holiday. However, it’s really important to ensure you dedicate time to a full handover with the van owner - Camplify recommends at least one hour.
Study everything in detail from how to hitch up, open windows, put up awnings and pop-tops, pack everything away etc. Don’t be afraid to ask the owner to demonstrate things more than once if you’re unsure. We often recommend attempting some of these tasks in front of the owner so you can ask questions along the way.
When hiring a caravan, many of our holidaymakers often opt to pick up the day before so they’re able to pack it at home and then set-off in their own time the following day.
That extra peace of mind
At Camplify, all of our vans are comprehensively insured against accidents and damage whilst they are on hire. If you run into any issues, our Australia-based support team is always on hand to walk you through the process, we also recommend that you call the owner. Not only that but every hire comes with 24/7 nationwide breakdown cover from the NRMA.
If you’re looking for extra peace of mind during your holiday, Camplify also offers additional liability packages - find more info here.
Advice For Owners
We want you to feel confident that your van is protected and in good hands whenever you share it via Camplify. Unfortunately, we all know that accidents can happen, but there are steps that you can take to minimise the risk of this damage happening, and avoid your van being off the road for repairs. We want to ensure that you can complete all the bookings you have in this busy Christmas & New Year period.
The first part of our guide addresses the four most common and avoidable types of damage that happen during a booking including:
Awnings
Damage/collisions when the hirer is parking or moving the RV
Incorrect fuel type
Stone chips
Awnings
As you know, awnings can be very fragile, especially in high winds, in a large downpour and when set up incorrectly.
It is very important that during your handover, you spend plenty of time showing your hirer how to use the awning and when they should take it down. Also, be sure to make them aware that this is the most common item to be broken during a booking and that there is a significant cost to replacing one. This is also important when doing a drop off.
The vast majority of the damage to awnings are caused by being left up during adverse weather conditions; strong winds and/or rain can damage the arms of the awning, tear the canvas or even damage the body of the van. So we recommend reminding your hirers of the importance of keeping an eye on the weather throughout their holiday via the Met Service Weather App or another trusted source
In advance of each booking, feel free to send them a link to our YouTube channel, where we have a playlist dedicated to how to set up and put away each type of awning. You can find our awning-related YouTube videos here. Alternatively, if your holidaymakers may be heading to an area with poor phone signal, you could consider getting them to film you demonstrating putting the awning up during the handover.
Damage/collisions when the hirer is manoeuvring the RV
Damage, scratches and dents caused when moving the van around a park/campsite account for over a third of avoidable damage claims. Panel damage can be very expensive to repair and getting into a repairer to do the work could take several months. We want to avoid you having your RV out of action.
The importance of a ‘Spotter’
The BEST way to avoid damage like this, is to make sure that your hirer is using a 'spotter' - someone from their group who can be outside the vehicle to guide them when moving or reversing the van. This significantly reduces the risk of reversing into something or incurring small scratches/dents from posts/poles/branches etc.
Be sure to go through this with your hirers during the handover, and recommend that they use the vehicle’s bluetooth connection to maintain clear, phone communication between the driver & spotter throughout the manoeuvre.
Camplify is for everyone, even first time caravan users. Camplify highly recommends however that owners screen their hirers before approving a booking. Before you approve a booking inquire about towing experience, towing capacity of the vehicle and the braking systems. In addition all hirers should be asked where they are intending to go on their trip and their itinerary. Remember you’re in complete control of who you hire to and where they can and can’t go. There are other solutions to hirers who haven't hired before, we recommend offering drop-off solutions for inexperienced towers, where you can suggest a fee to tow and set up your van at a local campsite of their choice.
Incorrect fuel type
In reality, this is not that common, however, the impact is significant both in terms of cost and the time your van will be off the road for repairs.
To eliminate the risk of this happening, make sure there is a sticker on your fuel cap that specifies the type of fuel that the hirer must use, and point this out during your handover.
Stone chips
In reality, stone chip damage can occur over the entire booking even when hirers are only on sealed roads. This can occur from when hirers need to move over for road trains or vehicles in front flick up stones.
This type of damage can be avoided if you simply put a stone shield on the front of your Van. Further measures can be made to protect your Van, we suggest using pool noodles cut in half to protect the undercarriage and including instructions to the hirer to seal the Van for red dust.
Handover is crucial
Over the busy summer period, it’s more important than ever before to ensure a thorough pre and post hire process to keep you and your van protected. Please ensure you use the Camplify app to do your pre hire and post hire checklists.
To avoid hirers rushing to get on their holidays, be sure to manage their expectations in advance that both pre and post hire checks will take up to an hour. Be certain to demonstrate all the key elements of your van, especially fiddly elements such as awnings, pop-tops, window locks and the hitching up process. Consider asking hirers to have a go of some of these fiddly processes or ask that they film you to make sure they feel comfortable when out on the road.
For extra peace of mind, many of our community provide hirers with a printed manual including some of the specifics of their van, such as fuel type, yours and Camplify’s contact information, and the processes to follow in the event of any damage or accidents.
This is just as important when doing a Deliver booking. Always meet hirers and give them the same run through.
Where possible, try to avoid back-to-back bookings on the same day to ensure there’s enough time for thorough vehicle checks, cleaning and preparing for the next hirer.
Remember our team is here to support you throughout your hiring journey, so for any questions or concerns give us a call on 0800 779 779.