By listing your caravan with VCH, you’re helping more people discover the simple joy of getting outdoors and spending time together. Our role is to make the experience easy – we connect Owners like you with Hirers and manage the entire rental process from start to finish.
You can relax knowing we’re here to support both you and your Hirers every step of the way, with clear communication, professional management, and genuine care. And of course, you’ll always have the freedom to use your caravan whenever it’s not booked.
At VCH, we refer to our Owners as Partners – not in the legal sense, but because we work alongside you, sharing the same goal: great experiences and great outcomes for everyone involved.
What sets us apart is our commitment to making every customer experience exceptional. We’ve developed streamlined procedures to ensure all caravans are prepared to a consistently high standard. This consistency and attention to detail is what keeps hirers coming back and drives our success.
As a Partner, we’re here to support you every step of the way. In return, you are required to maintain the same high standards that make Victorian Caravan Hire a trusted name. Together, we’ll continue to create unforgettable holidays and grow this incredible community.
1. Preparing Your Caravan
As a Partner, it’s essential to ensure your caravan is stocked with the required inclusions and clean, functional, and ready for each hire. The Partner Supplied Inclusions pages list of items you are required to put in your caravan. It’s important that all other personal items are removed.
See the section on Pre-Hire Cleaning & Checking Steps to see how these are checked and cleaned before each hire.
2. Insurance Requirements
All caravans must have hire-specific insurance. We recommend CIL, but feel free to use another provider that offers comparable coverage. If you need help setting up insurance, we’re happy to guide you. We will require a copy of your current insurance certificate.
3. Maintenance and Servicing
To keep your caravan in top shape, regular maintenance is a must:
- Servicing: Service your caravan at least every 12 months or after every 10,000 km, whichever comes first. We work with a number of caravan servicing companies who will provide discounted servicing to our partners. Contact us for details.
- Repairs: Address any issues promptly to ensure your caravan remains safe and appealing to Hirers. Our support team may be able to travel to your caravan to help rectify minor issues. We can discuss the costs of this at the time.
4. Communication
Stay in touch with us! It’s important to:
- Block Out Dates: Manage in the Partner Dashboard (coming soon) or send us an email and we’ll set the dates when your caravan is unavailable.
- Respond Promptly: Answer any questions from our team within 24 hours to ensure smooth operations.
5. Support from Victorian Caravan Hire
We’re here to make your experience as a Partner seamless. Here’s what we provide:
- Bookings and Payments: We handle everything from advertising to securing payments.
- 24/7 Customer Support: hirers contact us directly for any questions or issues.
- Marketing: Your caravan will be featured on our platform, paid ads, and social media.
- Resources: You’ll have access to online checklists, preparation guides, and automated instructional videos.
- On the ground support: If emergencies come up, our support team may be able assist you with preparing your caravan for hire and carrying out handovers to customers. (*subject to availability, location and a fee)
6. Roadside Assistance
Your annual membership with VCH includes national roadside assistance, provided by NRMA. This gives you peace of mind knowing help is always just a phone call away. You will receive your membership confirmation and roadside contact details before your first booking.
The most common and helpful roadside services include tyre changes, lockout assistance and towing. Each of these services has set financial limits, and you’ll only need to cover any costs that exceed those limits. See section 17 Roadside Cover for details on the costs.
7. Damage vs Wear and Tear
All “damage” is measured against an industry standard “wear and tear vs damage guide” (standard in the car rental industry). We have adapted this to be relevant to the caravan hire industry. If a change in condition is classified as damage, then the cost to rectify will be covered by the Renter’s bond and, if necessary, the Partner’s insurance. If the change in condition is classified as wear and tear, then no claim can be made against the hirer.
Note – if the total bond claim is less than $25 then the rectification will be covered by the Partner.
8. Bond Claim Process
All bond payments are collected and held by VCH. Bond deductions may apply for:
- Damage that meets the definitions within the VCH wear and tear guide (see above)
- Excessive cleaning if the caravan is returned in an unreasonably dirty condition (it is expected that the Partner will always complete a final clean after each hire)
- Missing or Broken Items: Any lost or damaged equipment supplied with the caravan.
- Late Return Fees: If the caravan is returned past the agreed time without approval.
- Unauthorised Use or Breach of Terms: Includes smoking inside, pet violations, or off-road use where not permitted.
Note – if the total bond claim is less than $25 then the rectification will be covered by the Partner.
Upon return, the Partner must inspect the caravan and notify VCH within 24 hours if any deductions are required. Bond claims must be lodged through the online Preparation and Condition Tool and supported by a completed and signed condition report from the start of the hire, confirming that the damage was not pre-existing.
VCH will assess the claim within 2 business days and, if accepted, notify the Hirer. The Hirer then has 3 business days to dispute the claim. If no dispute is raised, the bond deductions will be released to the Partner, and any remaining balance refunded to the hirer.
Panel and Paint Damage
When damage occurs to the paint or panels of your caravan, VCH processes bond claims on a “contributory basis”. This means the Hirer contributes towards the cost of repairing the entire side of the caravan, based on the size of the damage they caused. The full breakdown of this sliding scale is outlined in the VCH Wear and Tear Guide.
This approach offers several key benefits:
- Less downtime: Your caravan stays on the road longer while repairs are planned and grouped together.
- Fewer insurance claims: You avoid multiple claims for the same panel over time.
- Lower costs for Hirers: Encourages fairness and reduces claim amounts, which helps attract repeat customers.
9. Cancellation Policy
Partners may withdraw their caravan from future availability by providing 14 days’ written notice to VCH. This will prevent new bookings, but the partner remains responsible for fulfilling all existing confirmed bookings.
If a partner wishes to remove their caravan while future bookings exist, VCH will attempt to reassign affected bookings to other caravans in its fleet. If a suitable replacement is found, the partner will be charged a delisting fee equal to 10% of the value of all future bookings, plus any shortfall if the substitute caravan’s hire fee is higher.
If no suitable replacement is available, the partner must either honour their existing bookings or compensate affected hirers for any additional costs incurred, such as higher rental fees or cancellation expenses.
VCH reserves the right to terminate the Service Agreement immediately if a caravan fails to meet safety standards, lacks appropriate insurance, or if the Partner’s Satisfaction Rating falls below the required level and they do not follow VCH’s outlined steps for improvement.
When a Hirer cancels a booking, a cancellation fee applies to the Hirer. The fee starts at 10% of the Total Hire Fee for cancellations made more than 30 days before the hire starts and increases as the start date approaches. The Booking Fee paid by the Hirer to VCH at the time of booking is retained by VCH. The remaining portion of the cancellation fee is paid to the Partner, less the Platform Fee.
10. Pre-Hire Cleaning & Checking Steps
The Pre-Hire Cleaning and Checking steps ensure that every caravan is safe, clean and fully equipped before collection by the Hirer. The Partner must use the online Preparation and Condition Tool to complete all required checks and record any damage or maintenance items. The Pre-Hire Checklist contains approximately 100 items to be checked or cleaned, covering the following areas:
- Safety Checks: Inspect tyres for correct pressure and tread condition, check suspension for broken springs or damage, test stabiliser legs and awning operation, and verify all other critical safety components.
- Cleaning & Presentation: Thoroughly clean the interior and exterior, including the fridge, microwave, air conditioning filters, and all surfaces.
- Inclusions Check: Verify that all items listed on the VCH Inclusions List are present and in working order.
The checklists are found on your Partner Dashboard (coming soon) and in the pre-return link we will send you prior to each caravan returning from hire.
Once all checks are completed, the caravan is ready for its next hire. Failure to complete these checks may impact future bookings or bond claims.
11. Handover and Return
The handover process is essential for ensuring the hirer understands how to correctly and safely use the caravan during their hire. Partners must follow the process provided by VCH to deliver consistent operational instructions and guidance. It is a balance between providing enough information so the Hirer can confidently operate the caravan, while not providing too much information and confusing the Hirer. These cover:
- Operational Instructions: Provide a detailed walk through by following the Handover Steps, ensuring the hirer understands how to:
- Setup, use and pack away the caravan,
- Hitch and tow the caravan safely,
- Operate appliances, gas, water, and electrical systems,
- Use corner stabilisers, the awning, and other key features.
- Identification Check: Upload a copy of the driver’s licence using the secure link in the online Condition Report
- Condition Report: Complete the Online Condition Report, including the hirer’s signature. A copy will automatically be emailed to the you and the Hirer
- Answer any questions, provide the necessary documentation, and confirm the hirer understands their responsibilities.
- Exterior and interior photos of the caravan,
- Notes on any existing damage, and
- The hirer’s signature acknowledging the caravan’s condition at pickup
12. Partner Satisfaction Guarantee
We are committed to maintaining exceptional service standards for our hirers. The Partner Satisfaction Guarantee helps recognise areas where Caravan Partners excel and identifies where additional support may be needed to meet expectations.
How It Works
Hirers are asked to provide feedback by rating their experience with the Partner across several key areas. These ratings are private and shared only with VCH. Partners receive a summary of their feedback, without identifying details of the hirer.
Hirers rate their satisfaction in each of the following categories on a scale of 0 to 5:
- Cleanliness
- State of Repair
- Condition and Completeness of Inclusions
- Accuracy of the Condition Report
- Ease of Accessing the Pickup and Return Location
- Quality of Handover Explanation
- Overall Experience with the Caravan Partner
If a Partner’s overall satisfaction score falls below 90%, or the rating in any individual category drops below 80%, VCH will work closely with the Partner to identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations and support to meet the required service standards.
If the necessary improvements are not achieved during subsequent hirers, the Partner’s listing may be removed from the platform, and any future bookings may be transferred to other Partners.
13. Payments to Partners
The Hire Fee and Bond are collected by VCH prior to the handover.
Partners are paid out within 3 business days of VCH receiving the fully completed handover documentation.
The Bond is held by VCH and released according to the steps outlined in the Bond Claim Process.
14. Urgent Repairs & Replacements
Our priority is to keep your caravan, and your Hirer’s holiday, running smoothly. To help avoid unnecessary delays, VCH is authorised to arrange urgent repairs or replacements on your behalf for amounts up to $500.
We’ll always try to contact you first to discuss the issue and the best solution. If we’re unable to reach you and a repair or replacement can’t reasonably be delayed, we’ll go ahead and approve the work to keep things moving. You’ll provide VCH with your nominated credit or debit card details, which may be charged for urgent expenses when you can’t be contacted. This may include covering towing costs beyond the limits of your roadside assistance policy.
15. Partner Dashboard
The Partner Dashboard is in its final stages of development and is coming soon.
In the meantime, we’ll keep things simple and make sure you have everything you need by email, including:
- A link to guide you through uploading the details we need to create your online listing
- Confirmation of each new booking
- A link to the online Preparation and Condition Tool for each upcoming hire
- Your payout statement
16. Fees
17. Roadside Cover
The roadside cover, currently provided by NRMA, provides limits for certain types of call outs. When the limits are exceeded there may be extra costs. Below is information regarding the towing allowances included in the cover, and the charges when this is exceeded.
If the call-out is required because the hirer has breached the terms of hire (for example, driving on unsealed roads without permission or causing a tyre blowout) then the hirer covers the cost. In all other situations, the owner is responsible.
