My old utility trailer is basically paying for my car insurance now
I bought a small utility trailer about two years ago when I was doing a big landscaping project in my backyard. I figured it was cheaper than paying for delivery every time I needed mulch or gravel. After the project was done the trailer just sat on the side of my house for months. I actually forgot about it until my neighbor asked to borrow it to move some old furniture. He offered me twenty bucks and a six pack of beer and thats when the light bulb finally went off in my head.
I decided to list it on one of those peer to peer rental sites specifically for trailers and equipment. I didnt think there would be much demand because its just a basic 5x8 open trailer with no fancy features. To my suprise I got a booking within the first forty eight hours. A guy needed to haul some lumber from the hardware store and didnt have a truck. It was so easy to just meet him in the driveway and hook it up to his suv.
Now I have it listed pretty much all the time. It brings in about two hundred dollars a month on average which is crazy for something that just sits there. Most people rent it for a single day to move large items like couches or appliances that dont fit in their cars. I have a simple lock system so I can even do contactless pickups when I am at work. I just give them the code to the hitch lock and they take it and bring it back when they are done.
There was one time where a guy brought it back covered in mud from a construction site but he was super cool about it. He actually spent an hour washing it in my driveway before he left because he didnt want to leave a mess. I have had to replace the tires once and grease the bearings but that only took me an afternoon and cost maybe sixty bucks. Other than that every thing has been pure profit since the trailer paid for itself in the first four months of renting.
If you have some extra space on your property for a trailer or even just a shed you should definitely look into this. People are always looking for ways to move stuff without having to go to a big rental chain and deal with all the paperwork and hidden fees. It is probably the easiest way I have found to make some extra cash without actually having to do any real work myself.