Deck Rental vs. Purchase. Who Should Choose Which (And Why)

The Right Choice Depends on Your Business Model

Rental and purchase can both be smart, depending on your timeline, cash flow, operational bandwidth, and how often your layout changes.

Rental Is Often Best If You…

Operate seasonally and want costs aligned with revenue
Prefer predictable monthly expenses (easy forecasting)
Want maintenance handled without pulling staff from guest services
Need flexibility to move/expand units over time
Run pilot concepts (new glamping loops, new RV pads, event weekends)
Don’t want off-season responsibilities (dismantle/removal, no storage worries, off-season maintenance)

Typical hospitality matches:

• campgrounds with strong summer peaks
• glamping sites scaling in phases
• RV resorts planning upgrades without big capital outlays
• event-driven properties and pop-up activations 

Purchase Is Often Best If You…

Operate year-round with stable demand
Have a fixed master plan and don’t anticipate moving layouts
Have in-house maintenance capacity you trust
Want long-term asset ownership and prefer capex over opex
Plan to standardize permanently across one site for many years

Typical hospitality matches:

• mature RV resorts with stable pads and long-term tenants
• year-round destinations with consistent operations teams
• owners who want permanent infrastructure and long depreciation timelines

A Practical Decision Checklist

Ask yourself:
1. Is my revenue seasonal or steady year-round?
2. Do I want capex (purchase) or opex (rental) budgeting?
3. Do I have reliable maintenance labor capacity?
4. Will I want to change layouts in the next 1–3 seasons?
5. Do I want off-season responsibilities—or none? 

If flexibility, predictable spending, and reduced operational burden matter most, rental can be a strong fit. If you want long-term permanence and you’re confident your layout won’t change, purchase often wins.