VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
The checklist before hitting the road (and the one for the return)
Walkaround, water, gas, electricity, safety: the complete handover checklist for a rental motorhome, point by point, to leave relaxed and get your deposit back.
The forty-five minutes of the handover shape the entire rental: that's where the trip's comfort — and the full return of your deposit — are decided. Here's the list serious rental companies follow, and that you can run through yourself.
Before leaving home
License and ID for every declared driver, a bank card with enough headroom for the deposit (a €2,000 pre-authorization fails on some debit cards), the first night's stop scouted, and the booking confirmation downloaded — mobile coverage at pickup locations is unreliable.
The walkaround: photograph everything
Do the full lap, phone in hand: bodywork and lower panels, roof and upper sections (ask for the stepladder — existing roof scratches must be recorded), windshield, rims, cell interior, upholstery, awning. Flag every mark BEFORE signing — a time-stamped photo beats any argument at the return.
The living cell, station by station
Have it demonstrated, then operate it yourself: fresh water filling and grey water dumping, removing and rinsing the toilet cassette, opening and swapping the gas bottle, switching the fridge between 12 V, gas and 230 V, the heater, the leisure battery control panel and shore power hook-up. Five minutes per station now, zero panic on the first evening.
On the road side
Tire pressures checked, hi-vis vests and warning triangle located, vehicle height written down and stuck to the dashboard, fuel level photographed (full-to-full rule almost everywhere), and a realistic consumption figure asked of the rental company: it's a third of the trip's budget.
At the return
Come back with an hour to spare: grey water dumped, cassette empty and rinsed (the €100-plus "full cassette" fee is the most common deduction), interior swept, tank filled with the receipt kept. Redo the photo lap in the same order, have the condition acknowledged, and insist the deposit release happens in your presence or in writing. A clean, documented return means a deposit refunded within the week — and an owner who'll welcome you back next time.