I am Providing a Electric Car for My Guests

[Jim554]

I just recently bought the cheapest electric car in Missisippi as a toy to play with and provide for my guests to use with a three night minimum stay. 

**[Link removed  - Community Center Guidelines

[Lawrene0]

Good grief, @Jim554 , is that wise? I won't let my guests use even my canoe. Even my snowshoes. There is liability, and the fact that people tend not to be careful with other people's things. 

I haven't gone to your link. I worry about links in forums. So perhaps I am too over-the-top careful to comment, but surely the cheapest electric car in Mississippi is not that cheap, and what if they drive it into a river? Or a school bus? 

Airbnb is accommodation, not transportation.

I shall worry for you. 

[Ute42]

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@Lawrene0 

Jim bought a Nissan Leaf for 5000 USD. The car is old and so are the batteries. Fully charged, the driving range is 43 mls. So that cuts down the liability problem. @Jim554  is in Missisippi. In Summertime, with the AC on, I assume the driving range will go down to 20 mls. That cuts the risk in half. And then: No risk - no fun.

[Jim554]

Thanks for you good answer. I have found that using the heater during our cold snap takes the same amount of range away. As you saw in the video, I was surprised that the car maintained it's interior temprature while charging and waiting on our return. Also the truth be known, I traded a Fiat 500 Sport and very little cash. The Fiat was just an experiment to see if Turo car could make a profit in my town. I have a video about that as well on my Youtube channel.

[Ute42]

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@Jim554 

I like Your video. You come across very positive and You are talkative. I think You're a great communicator.

[Katrina79]

@Ute42 I just had to giggle, “no risk-no fun”! Isn’t that the truth! 

[Emily487]

@Jim554 Neat idea. I have friends who took advantage of the tax breaks and rebates for the newer Leafs (Leaves...?) and they love them. 

Do you have a procedure in place when you let it out? Copy of the DL, copy of their auto insurance, signed waiver of liability? 

[Jim554]

I will require proof of insurance to drive any vehicle in my state and will personally call their insurance provider. Also I will require them to sign a waiver freeing me of any liability too. Thanks for your comment!

[Robin4]

@Jim554 

Jim please be careful. I can't tell you how many posts we have seen of guests who have used hosts property beyond the perimeter of the property and have come to grief.

I would not think that any insurer would accept your risk where you are allowing STR's to use you equipment on public property unless you run a licensed vehicle rental business.

And remember, a guests insurance policy covers them for their car, not yours!

The other thing to consider Jim, damage waivers do not automatically stand up in a court of law, in fact, most are open to challenge. Unless the equipment is certified, it can be argued that the equipment was not maintained in a fit state for public use!

I would not for a second consider doing something like this, even in Australia where we are a far less litigious society than you are in the United States.

Absolutely too big a risk, what happens if you let an Australian or British guest use the car where we drive on the other side of the road?

Do yourself a favour, don't mention the car Jim, if you do you are opening a can of worms, believe me!

Cheers.......Rob

[Ute42]

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@Robin4  

• what happens if you let an Australian or British guest use the car
  where we drive on the other side of the road?

We have already discussed the left side driving problem at lenght. As You can see, this issue is causing trouble again and again in all kind of circumstances.

[Andrew1872]

Jim what is your YouTube channel

[Sam397]

@Jim554 did you by chance talk to an attorney about this? I know I was going to provide bikes for my guest and was strongly advised not to do that. We knew we wouldn't be able to park a bike outside and tell them to take it when they wanted, but didnt realize there were as many things as there were that needed to be done. We had to come up with a system to check them out, then there was the safety equipment that has to be provided, then there has to be someone that has to physcally be there to check the bike out, hand out the safety equipment after it was inspected for damages, then you have inspect the bike and make sure its safe, then there is waivers, safety sheets that will need to be signed and do's and dont's that has to e explained ,and all this has to be done before they take the bike out. Then there is the inspections that will need to be done on a regular basis and maintenance performed. It didn't take long to realize that it wouldn't be worth the hassle. And I imagine there will be a lot more things for a car than a bike. A signed waiver wont matter if you give them a car that wasnt safe to operate, so you would have to keep it well maintained by a certified mechanic. Then your going to have people get stranded because the battery died sooner than they thought so you will have to go get them, plus there will be dings and dents that will happen that if you are told about it you probably wont be able to charge them to repair it for fears they will giver you a bad review.. To me the cons outweigh the pros big time.