What: A startup that offers a peer-to-peer rental marketplace for almost anything from your tools or camping equipment and household goods
Commissions & Fees: 15% (paid by both borrower and lender)
Expected pay: NA
Where: Mainly London and New York
Requirements: You must be age 16 or over and have the right to rent out the items you list; you must be truthful in all your Fat Lama postings or be subject to a $100 fine
Review:
PROS:
- No charge to list your items
- 15% commission for both renter and rentee
- The fee pays for commercial liability coverage for your rented items up to $30,000 in value. If you have a commercial policy, your policy pays first. The site’s policy kicks in if you don’t have coverage or if your damages exceed your policy limits. There is no deductible.
- You are paid through Stripe within 24 hours of the rental completion (Payment is your rental fee minus the 15% commission)
CONS:
- If you agree to a rental and cancel at the last minute, you could be subject to 30% of the prospective rental amount
- If you try to make outside deals with the borrowers, you could be subject to a $200 Fat Lama fine
- Very limited geographic reach
- Fairly new, relatively small site
Other sites that allow you to rent out your personal items include Zilok, Loanables, and RentnotBuy.
What Users Say: (From Trust Pilot)
Untrustworthy Company with poor customer support and Fake reviews which Trustpilot has uncovered.
I have not been paid for my last rental although the borrower paid on time – he is unaware that the money did not reach me
Avoid
I’m a lender and have just completed my sixth loan. I appreciate a lot of the negative reviews on this page relate to fake reviews and gumtree poaching but my personal experience has been nothing short of brilliant. It allows me to rent out of camera equipment when it would otherwise just sit in my camera bag. I’ve also really enjoyed meeting the guys that have rented my equipment out. Everyone’s been really friendly and overall it’s been great fun and a great way of making a bit of money on the side.
Great site. Super cheap for renting camera kit when I need it. I’ve been renting my own kit out for a few months now too and making some nice passive income. I once had a renter steal my camera and FatLama’s insurance covered everything and they even paid for me to rent replacemtent kit while it was being sorted.
