An RV bill of sale is the signed record of a recreational vehicle changing hands: the parties, the VIN, the price, and what condition the rig was in. RVs are part vehicle and part house, so a good one records the house side too: generator hours, slide-outs, appliances and any sign of water getting in. This free RV bill of sale template covers motorhomes and towable campers in one document, in Word and PDF.

Motorhome or towable: why does the difference matter?

The paperwork changes depending on whether the RV drives itself. A motorhome has an engine; a travel trailer, fifth wheel, toy hauler or pop-up is towed. That one fact changes the mileage rules, how the state may title it, and what the buyer should inspect.

Federal vehicle safety rules define a motor home as a multipurpose passenger vehicle with its own motive power, designed for temporary living, with at least four of these: cooking facilities, refrigeration, a self-contained toilet, heating or air conditioning, a potable water system with a faucet and sink, and a separate 110 to 125 volt or propane supply. The same rules define a trailer as a vehicle designed to be drawn by another motor vehicle. Your camper is one or the other, and our template has a box for each.

Odometer disclosure

Towable RVs don’t need one. The federal odometer regulation exempts vehicles that aren’t self-propelled.

Motorhomes might. The same regulation exempts vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds, so a heavy Class A may be exempt, while a Class C on a lighter chassis may not be. Age matters too: model year 2010 and older vehicles are exempt now, and model year 2011 and newer ones become exempt 20 years after January 1 of their model year. NHTSA says that when disclosure is required, it goes on the title. Look up the current rule text when you sell, since it’s been written with model-year tiers that shift each year.

Titling a towable

Many states title travel trailers the way they title other trailers, sometimes only above a weight threshold. In Texas, for example, a manufactured trailer with a gross weight over 4,000 pounds must be titled, and TxDMV counts gross weight as the trailer plus what it can carry. Compare that with the GVWR on your camper’s label. Your state’s rule may be different, so check your state’s motor vehicle agency via USA.gov, and use its form if it has one.

When should you use an RV bill of sale instead of a vehicle one?

Use it any time someone can sleep in the thing you’re selling. Consider a hypothetical retired couple in Lakeland selling a 2019 30-foot travel trailer with one slide-out for $24,500. The buyer’s real worries are the roof, the slide mechanism, a soft floor near the door, and whether the fridge runs on propane. A vehicle bill of sale has nowhere to put any of that.

For a flatbed, cargo or utility trailer, use the trailer bill of sale. If the buyer is paying you over time, pair this with a promissory note.

What RV details does the template ask for?

Chassis and coach. For motorhomes, the chassis make and the coach maker are often different companies, and each has its own model year and paperwork. The template has lines for both, plus the VIN.

Mileage and GVWR. The odometer reading for a motorhome, and the GVWR from the label for any RV, since weight drives both odometer and titling rules.

Generator. Make, serial number and hour-meter reading, plus the date of last service if known.

Slide-outs, awning, leveling jacks. How many, and whether they work.

Appliances and systems. Fridge (electric, propane or both), furnace, air conditioner, water heater, water pump, black and gray tanks, and the batteries. A quick tick-box grid, filled in during the walk-through.

Water damage and roof. A specific disclosure line. A hidden leak can mean rotted framing behind perfectly nice paneling, so the template asks the seller to state what they know about leaks, soft spots and roof repairs.

Included contents. Hoses, sewer kit, wheel chocks, hitch and sway bars, furniture, dishes. If the weight-distribution hitch isn’t included, say so.

As-is terms, liens and title transfer. The usual, with a payoff section for RVs that still carry a loan.

How do you close an RV sale?

  1. Confirm who holds the title. If there’s a loan, contact the lender for the payoff amount and its process.
  2. Do the walk-through together with the template open: run the generator, extend every slide, fire each appliance, and check the roof.
  3. Fill in the bill of sale, including the water damage line.
  4. Settle payment. For RV-sized amounts, a bank transfer or cashier’s check verified with the issuing bank is sensible.
  5. Sign the bill of sale and sign over the title, including any odometer statement the state requires.
  6. The buyer titles and registers it within the state’s deadline.

The bill of sale can generally be signed electronically under the federal ESIGN Act. The title is a separate state document, so follow your state’s instructions for it. If you’re signing at different times and places, our piece on getting a document signed by multiple people may help.

Download it, fill in the blanks, and send it for e-signature with any tool you like. (We’re building SignWren for exactly this; join the waitlist.)

This page is general information, not legal advice. For a specific sale or dispute, talk to a lawyer licensed where you are.