Keeping up with routine maintenance on your RV not only provides a better experience for renters but also prolongs the life of your asset. Use our blog and the checklist below as a guide for the care your RV needs to be rental-ready.

For even more information on maintenance, check out our Owner Meet-up video about easy repairs and common RV maintenance.

Pre-Trip Maintenance

Regularly maintaining your RV helps keep pre-trip maintenance to a few short steps:

  • Clean the RV – Clean the interior and exterior of the RV, remembering to remove debris from the roof as well. Cleaning tips can be found here.
  • Check lights – Test the headlights and brake lights to make sure all are working and none need to be replaced.
  • Check fluids – Inspect the levels of oil and other fluids and change if needed. An RV needs its oil changed every 3,000 miles or every six months.
  • Examine tires – Check the pressure of each tire and for wear and tear, making sure that no places are worn excessively, bubbling, or showing other signs of damage. Add air to tires when needed. More details on tire care can be found here.

Preventative Maintenance

Even if you don’t have an upcoming trip planned, these monthly maintenance items will help to avoid issues with your RV when you do:

  • Drive (or tow) the RV – Take the RV on a short drive to prevent problems from your RV being stationary for too long.
  • Top off batteries – Check the water level in your batteries and refill with distilled water if needed.
  • Clean the air conditioner – Clean the vents, intake and filter for your air conditioner to prevent clogs.
  • Check under the hood – Look for signs of leakage and make sure all clamps and hoses are securely attached.
  • Test safety equipment – Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are working properly. Be sure to change batteries based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. Verify that the fire extinguisher is in working order.
  • Check for cracks – Examine the interior and exterior of your RV for cracks or gaps to avoid rodent or water intrusion.
  • Run the generator – Prevent issues with bad gas or from the generator sitting for too long by running the generator at about 50% load.
  • Lubricate the slide outs – Ensure that your slides continue to pull in and out smoothly by lubricating them.

Semiannual Maintenance

In addition to monthly maintenance, the following items should be completed every six months to keep your RV in good shape:

  • Deep clean your RV – Clean the interior of your RV to avoid attracting pests. Be sure to clean under furniture, inside of cabinets and inside and around all appliances.
  • Clean and wax – Wash and wax the exterior of your RV to protect from the elements and give it a shine.
  • Weigh your RV – Make sure that any new cargo or items that were added fit within the weight guidelines for your RV by weighing it.
  • Treat Metal – Lubricate metal that rubs against other metal such as jacks, hitches, and fold-up stairs to keep them moving freely.
  • Check and change the oil and other fluids – An RV needs its oil changed every 3,000 miles or every six months, but you may need to change oil more frequently depending on the length of your trips.

Annual Maintenance

These maintenance items should be performed annually to ensure that your RV is safe and renter ready:

  • Inspect propane – The whole propane system should be inspected once a year to make sure everything is in working order.
  • Reseal the exterior of your RV – Even if no gaps were noted while performing monthly care, resealing annually is still a good preventative measure to perform yearly.
  • Service the brakes – RV brakes should be inspected by a professional every 12 months to prevent issues on the road.
  • Clean out the water system – Dump a cup of bleach into the fresh tank, fill it with potable water, let it sit for a day, and drain. After this, fill the tank with portable water again and run the faucets until the bleach smell is gone.

More RV maintenance tips can be found by visiting the RVshare blog.