Four things that set your number

  • The store’s weekly rate, not just its day rate. The California store lists that 3,000 PSI unit at $408 a week and $1,224 for four weeks. A Maryland shop rents a 4,000 PSI cold-water machine for $80 a day or $160 a week. The shop at $70 a day lists $246 for the week. A renter who can get a whole week for $160 will hold your weekend price up against it.
  • What your machine cost. One retailer sells a 3,200 PSI, 2.5 GPM gas washer at $400 on sale (regular $699). At $20 to $30 a day, a figure we use only to show the math, that machine takes about 13 to 20 rentals to pay for itself, before fuel and pump oil.
  • The platform’s cut. One US peer-to-peer rental platform charges the owner a 10% commission on the rental fee and the renter another 10%. It pays the owner within 48 hours of the rental’s scheduled end.
  • What the guarantee covers. The same platform offers a $2,000 guarantee for each item rented, but only when owner and renter both completed identity verification. Its terms add that there is no insurance for personal liability. Off-platform, a deposit, the renter’s ID and a signed one-page agreement are your cover.

The insurance question to settle first

Maine’s Bureau of Insurance says a homeowners policy was never intended to cover a business and generally excludes liability coverage for most business-related activities. Whether weekend rentals count as a business under your policy is a question for your agent, with the policy in front of you. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice.

Price the wear into your rate, too. A machine that comes back run low on oil can turn up milky, white or gray pump oil, and one rented late in the season should come back ready for cold-weather storage. If the renter is choosing between borrowing and hiring, rent, buy or hire has the house-wash math, and electric or gas covers which machine suits a house. How we check prices: methodology.

Sources

Based on 6 sources · How we price