The complete playbook for hosting on Wheelhouse

Spend an hour with the trailer before you photograph it. Wash the exterior, run all three water tanks, check propane, fire up the AC and heater, test every interior light, and confirm the awning, slide-outs, and stabilizers cycle without grinding. Note everything that doesn't work — guests will discover it anyway, and a listing that's honest about a stuck slide outperforms a listing that hides one.

Shoot mid-morning or late afternoon when sun is soft. Open every shade, turn on every light, kill clutter, fluff every pillow. Wide shots from corners read better than centered shots. Vertical phone photos work fine if the lens is clean and you hold steady with both hands.

Required shots (you can't publish without these)

• Hero exterior — quartered, full unit visible, in a clean spot
• Interior wide from the front looking back
• Interior wide from the back looking forward
• Bathroom — full, including the shower
• Kitchen — fridge, range, sink in one frame
• Each sleeping area — bed made, pillows on

Photos that earn extra bookings

• The hitch / tongue (gives guests confidence about towing)
• Slide-out fully extended
• Awning out
• Outdoor kitchen, grill, or campfire setup
• One detail shot — a feature you're proud of

Survey three comparable listings within 100 miles for the same dates and price attheir median, not above it. Guests compare quickly; they don't go back to the listing they dismissed for being $40 over. Sliding into the same band as your comps and winning on photos and reviews beats undercutting.

The four numbers every listing needs

• Nightly price.Don't round up cents into the next dollar — “$129” outperforms “$130” psychologically more than the difference suggests.
• Cleaning fee. Real cost of turnover (1–2 hours of labor + supplies). Most hosts land between $60 and $120.
• Security deposit. Stripe authorizes this and only captures it if a damage claim is filed. $300–$500 is the norm; deposits over $1,000 reduce conversion sharply.
• Minimum nights. Two-night minimums protect margins on weekends; three-night minimums work in summer at national parks.

Discount rules that actually move bookings

• Weekly discount of 10% at 7 nights — most-used rule on the platform.
• Monthly discount of 20% at 28 nights for slow shoulder seasons.
• Last-minute fill discount within 7 days of empty dates — keeps your weekly average up.

On the host edit page → Delivery & pickup section, you set:

• Drop-off fee.Charged when you tow and set up the unit at the guest's site. Account for round-trip drive time, fuel, and your hourly rate.
• Pick-up fee. Charged when you collect and tear down. Often equal to the drop-off.
• Per-mile fee. Optional — a flat per-mile rate for any distance beyond a free radius.
• Delivery radius.The maximum distance you'll travel. Be realistic about what you can do in a Saturday afternoon.
• Setup / teardown included.Toggles let guests know whether you handle leveling, hookups, and stabilization or whether they're on their own.

What to confirm before accepting a delivery

• Site length must accommodate full unit + tongue + slides extended.
• Hookups available (30A vs 50A; sewer on-site vs portable).
• Access road is paved or maintained gravel (no soft sand or clay).
• Arrival window with the campground office.
• Whether you can leave the unit unattended.

Block dates the moment you know you can't host — maintenance days, your own trips, family weddings. Acceptance rate is one of the strongest factors in search ranking, and declining a request because “the calendar isn't accurate” is treated the same as any other decline.

• Use Instant Book only when your calendar is bulletproof. Otherwise default to request mode while you build a routine.
• Block at least one buffer day after each booking for cleaning and inspection.
• If you store the unit at a private lot, confirm the lot's hours and access rules before activating delivery.

Hosts who respond in under an hour see a measurably higher accept-to-confirm rate. Don't over-explain — guests want a clear answer to a specific question. Stock messages save real time on the eight or nine recurring questions every host gets:

• What's included with the trailer (linens, kitchenware, propane)?
• Will it fit my campsite / will my truck tow it?
• How does delivery and setup work?
• What time can I check in / out?
• Pet policy and cleaning expectations.
• Generator / hookup capabilities.
• What happens if I damage something?

Stricter policies look like they protect revenue but often translate to lower booking volume; flexible policies attract risk-averse first-time renters. Most successful Wheelhouse hosts use Moderate:

• Flexible. Full refund up to 24 hours before check-in.
• Moderate. Full refund up to 5 days before check-in; 50% after.
• Strict. 50% refund up to 7 days before; no refund after.
• Super strict. 50% refund up to 14 days before; no refund after. Use only if your unit serves long planned-vacation bookings.

Full text and edge cases live on the cancellation policy page.

Carry a real RV / short-term-rental policy. Most personal auto policies and home policies do not cover paying passengers in your trailer, and almost none cover damage caused by a renter. Speak to a licensed agent in your state about a policy specifically rated for short-term rental of an RV or travel trailer.

Host Protection covers eligible accidental damage caused by guests during a stay, after the security deposit and any applicable insurance has been exhausted. Full coverage, exclusions, and the claims process live on the insurance page.

On your host dashboard, click Connect payouts. You'll be redirected to Stripe to verify identity and link a bank account. The flow takes about 5 minutes; in test mode you can use Stripe's dummy data to complete it.

• Until Connect is fully approved, your bookings can be requested but you won't be paid for them.
• Payments are authorized when the guest submits a booking and captured when you accept.
• Wheelhouse's 3% host fee comes off your payout automatically; you keep 97% of nightly + cleaning + delivery fees.
• Payouts default to weekly. You can adjust the schedule in your Stripe Express dashboard.

The night the guest leaves, walk the unit with the same checklist you used to prepare it. If you find damage:

• Photograph it immediately, with timestamps and from multiple angles.
• Get a written repair estimate within 72 hours. Receipts after the work is done are also acceptable.
• Open the booking on Host bookings and click Report damage. Attach photos and the estimate.
• We respond within three business days. Approved payouts come via Stripe to your connected account.

Guests rate on five dimensions: overall, cleanliness, accuracy, communication, and value. Sustained 4.8+ across all five for the trailing year, plus an acceptance rate north of 90% and a cancellation rate near zero, qualifies you for Superhost. Superhost listings get a badge in search and book at higher rates.

Three things that move review scores

• Pre-arrival message.A two-paragraph note the day before with directions, gate codes, and what they'll find.
• One unexpected nice thing. A jar of local honey, a state park map with your favorites circled, a handwritten welcome card.
• A clean, deodorized bathroom. The single biggest cleanliness lever.

• Local short-term-rental rules. Some jurisdictions require a license or charge an occupancy tax. Most national-forest campgrounds prohibit commercial rentals on-site.
• Sales tax. Wheelhouse collects nothing on your behalf. You may need to register, collect, and remit state lodging tax.
• 1099-K thresholds. Stripe issues a 1099-K when you exceed federal or state reporting thresholds. Track your gross.
• HOA / park rules. If your trailer lives at a private lot or HOA-controlled park, confirm short-term rental is allowed before publishing.