How should a storage yard handle covered RV and boat space inquiries?

Treat a covered-space inquiry as a fit question first and an availability question second. Ask for the unit's overall height, including the roof air conditioner, antenna, tower or T-top, its overall length including the tongue or pin box, and its width. Compare those numbers with the measured clearance at the lowest beam or truss of each open covered space and its usable depth, using your own yard's written clearance rule. Offer a specific space only when the numbers pass, and tell the customer which space and why.

Key points

• Covered, enclosed and uncovered spaces meet different needs. Ask which one the customer wants and explain what each includes at your yard.
• Height decides covered fit. Manufacturer spec sheets can list more than one height and more than one length, so ask for the figure that includes everything on the roof or deck.
• Measure canopy clearance at the lowest point of each space, the beam or truss, not at the peak of the roof.
• Use your yard's own written clearance rule. Do not quote a generic margin.
• Offer availability only after the measured fit check passes, and record the numbers you used.

What to collect first

Item	Why it matters
Space type wanted	Covered (roof, open sides), enclosed (walls and a door) or uncovered. Define each in your rate sheet so callers compare like with like.
Unit type	Boat on trailer, travel trailer, fifth wheel, motorhome or toy hauler. Each is measured differently.
Overall height	To the highest fixed point: roof air conditioner, antenna, satellite dome, tower, T-top or windshield. If a tower folds or an antenna lowers, use the stored position only when the customer confirms it will be stored that way.
Overall length	Rear bumper or outboard to the front of the tongue, coupler or pin box, plus any swim platform, ladder or rack that sticks out.
Width	Body width plus anything that stays out in storage, such as mirrors.
Year, make and model	Lets you check the manufacturer's spec sheet as a cross-check, not as a substitute for a tape measure.
Side profile photo	Shows roof items and towers the customer forgot to mention.

Spec sheets show why the wording of each question matters. Jayco's page for one 2025 Eagle fifth wheel lists an exterior height of 12 feet 10 inches and a separate exterior height with the air conditioner of 13 feet 4 inches, plus two different length figures. Bayliner lists its T22CC center console at 22 feet 7 inches length overall, but 25 feet 7 inches storage length and 11 feet height on trailer. Scarab's sell sheet for the 255 Open SE lists 25 feet length overall and 26 feet 6 inches storage length on trailer. A customer who reads you the wrong line can be off by inches in height or feet in length.

Know your canopy clearances

Before you take covered inquiries, build a space list with measured numbers for each open space:

• Lowest-point clearance. Measure from the ground at the parking position to the underside of the lowest beam, truss, purlin, light fixture or pipe that crosses the space. If the ground slopes, measure where the tallest part of the unit will sit.
• Usable depth. Measure to the post, wall or curb that stops the unit, not to the edge of the roof.
• Usable width between posts or neighboring units.
• Door opening for enclosed spaces. The door can be lower than the ceiling inside.
• Your clearance rule, in writing. This is the minimum gap your yard requires between the unit's highest point and the lowest overhead point, and between the unit and the end of the space. Set it from your own structure, how units are backed in, and what your insurer or structural engineer advises. Re-measure after regrading, resurfacing or repairs.

The workflow

Step	Owner	What	Output
1. Inquiry	Office	Ask space type, unit type, overall height, overall length, width, year, make and model	Inquiry record with numbers
2. Confirm numbers	Office	Ask what each figure includes. Request a side photo or spec sheet if unclear	Confirmed dimensions
3. Fit check	Office	Compare against the measured clearance, depth and width of each open covered space, applying your written rule	Pass or fail per space
4. Offer	Office	Offer a named space that passes, at the rate-sheet price, or an alternative: a taller space, enclosed, uncovered or the waitlist	Written offer with the numbers used
5. Hold or book	Office	Hold the space on your usual terms and send the agreement	Space held
6. Arrival check	Yard staff	Measure the unit before it enters the space and compare with the inquiry numbers	Fit confirmed or space changed

The rest of arrival day, including photos, the condition sheet and placement, is covered in our winter boat and RV storage intake checklist.

Covered-space inquiry checklist

• Every covered space has a measured lowest-point clearance on file (required)
• Usable depth and width measured to the stopping points (required)
• Written clearance rule for height and length (required)
• Covered, enclosed and uncovered defined in your rate sheet (required)
• Inquiry script asks for overall height including roof and deck items (required)
• Inquiry script asks for overall length including tongue, coupler or pin box (required)
• Side photo or spec sheet requested when numbers are unclear (recommended)
• Fit-check numbers written on the offer (recommended)
• Spaces re-measured after site work (recommended)
• Separate waitlist for taller or deeper covered spaces (optional)

Example (hypothetical)

A caller asks for covered storage for a center console on a trailer and says "it's a 23-footer." The yard has two open covered spaces. Its written rule, an example value for this yard only, requires 6 inches between the unit's highest point and the lowest overhead point, and 12 inches between the unit and the end of the space.

• Space C4: lowest beam 11 feet 3 inches, usable depth 30 feet.
• Space C9: lowest truss 12 feet 0 inches, usable depth 26 feet.

The office asks for overall height on the trailer with the T-top, and overall length including the tongue and outboard. The customer measures 11 feet 0 inches high and 26 feet 2 inches long.

Height:

• C4: 11 feet 3 inches minus 11 feet 0 inches leaves 3 inches. The rule needs 6 inches. Fails.
• C9: 12 feet 0 inches minus 11 feet 0 inches leaves 12 inches. Passes.

Length:

• C4: 30 feet minus 26 feet 2 inches leaves 3 feet 10 inches. Passes, but height already failed.
• C9: 26 feet minus 26 feet 2 inches is 2 inches short. Fails.

Neither space passes both checks. Going by "23-footer" alone, the office might have offered C9 and found the problem at the gate. Instead it offers an uncovered space at the rate-sheet price and a waitlist spot for the next covered space with at least 11 feet 6 inches of clearance (11 feet 0 inches plus 6 inches) and 27 feet 2 inches of depth (26 feet 2 inches plus 12 inches). Both minimums go on the waitlist record.

Common problems

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Unit hits or nearly hits a beam	Height given without the roof air conditioner, antenna or T-top	Ask for height to the highest fixed point and request a side photo
Clearance quoted from the roof peak	Space measured at its tallest point, not the lowest beam	Re-measure each space at its lowest overhead point
Tongue sticks into the drive aisle	Length given as hull or model length	Ask for overall length including tongue, coupler or pin box
Customer disputes a refused space	Clearance rule not written or not shared	Put the rule in the rate sheet and on the offer
Clearance changed after site work	Regrading, resurfacing or new fixtures	Re-measure covered rows after any work
Two customers offered the same space	No hold recorded	Record a hold when you make the offer

What to track

Track the number of covered-space arrivals where the unit did not fit the space you offered. The target is zero.

Limitations

This article covers inquiry handling and fit checks. It does not set clearance values. The right gap depends on your structure, ground slope, how units are positioned and advice from your insurer or structural engineer. Spec sheets vary by model year and options, so treat them as a cross-check and measure the unit at arrival. Storage rules for fuel, propane and batteries under a roof or inside an enclosed space are outside this article; follow your agreement and local requirements.

Where Propty fits

Propty's boat and RV storage page describes answering space calls 24/7 with your approved greeting and a recording notice, quoting prices only from your rate sheet, collecting vehicle length and height, recording reservation holds, texting back missed callers, and waitlist holds that keep a space for the next person in line. It also describes a choice of every call, missed calls or scheduled hours, with English and Spanish support. Propty's What you get page describes a warm transfer to your team when a caller needs a person, which fits the moment a customer cannot confirm their measurements.

Want to see how your listing and calls look to a new customer? Get a free Get Found audit.

These descriptions come from Propty's public pages as checked on 2026-10-16. They are not a test of the live product. What is available for a property depends on setup and connected services, so confirm current behavior in a demo before relying on it.

See the boat and RV storage demo.

Sources

• Jayco 2025 Eagle fifth wheel 360DBOK specifications: separate exterior height and exterior height with A/C figures, and two length figures. Checked 2026-10-16.
• Bayliner T22CC specifications: length overall 22 feet 7 inches, storage length 25 feet 7 inches, height on trailer 11 feet. Checked 2026-10-16.
• Scarab 255 Open SE sell sheet: length overall 25 feet, storage length on trailer 26 feet 6 inches, T-top bridge clearance listed separately. Checked 2026-10-16.
• Propty for boat and RV storage: 24/7 answering, rate-sheet quoting, length and height collection, reservation holds, missed-call text back, waitlist holds, coverage options. Checked 2026-10-16.
• Propty, What you get: warm transfer to your team. Checked 2026-10-16.
• No outside statistics are used. All clearances, rules and dimensions in the example are labeled examples.