RV Park Lenders: Which Banks Actually Fund These Deals (2026)

Call Wells Fargo, Chase, or Bank of America about financing an RV park and you’ll get the same answer: no, or a polite referral to someone else. National banks almost universally avoid the asset class. They don’t have underwriting templates for it, their risk committees flag it as “hospitality adjacent,” and their loan officers have never done one.

That creates a gap — and an opportunity. RV parks are fully financeable. There are real lenders doing real deals. You just have to know where to look and what to bring when you get there.

This guide covers every lending source that actually funds RV park acquisitions: the SBA-preferred lenders with specific RV park experience, the community banks and credit unions that operate in rural markets where parks are concentrated, USDA’s underused rural development program, and the private money and seller finance options that bypass institutional requirements entirely. For a full overview of the deal structures these lenders support, see our complete RV park financing guide.

Why National Banks Say No

It’s not that RV parks are bad investments — it’s that national banks aren’t built to underwrite them. Three specific problems come up every time:

1. No internal underwriting template. Big bank loan officers work from standardized risk models. Apartment complex? Template exists. Strip mall? Template exists. “Campground / RV resort / recreational vehicle park”? No template. No template means no approval path, which means no deal.

2. Hospitality flag. RV parks get classified as hospitality or recreation businesses in most bank systems. Post-pandemic, hospitality underwriting standards tightened significantly and haven’t fully relaxed. National banks still price hospitality as elevated risk.

3. Seasonal income volatility. Banks want predictable monthly income. Transient RV parks spike in summer, flatten in winter. That pattern creates underwriting headaches for lenders who don’t understand the asset class. Long-term or annual-lease parks with stable monthly income fare better — but most national lenders still won’t touch the category.

The upshot: if a national bank tells you no, they’re not saying the deal is bad. They’re saying they don’t know how to price it. The lenders below have done the work to understand the asset class and will actually close.

SBA Lenders With RV Park Experience

The SBA 7(a) program is the most reliable financing path for individual investors buying RV parks under $5M. The SBA doesn’t lend directly — it guarantees up to 85% of a loan made by an approved lender, which dramatically reduces the lender’s risk and makes them willing to finance what they’d otherwise pass on. SBA guarantees on RV parks are explicitly permitted; the agency classifies them as eligible small businesses.

The key is finding SBA preferred lenders with actual RV park experience. A preferred lender can approve SBA loans in-house without routing through the SBA for review — faster closings, more consistent underwriting. Some SBA lenders have done dozens of RV park deals; others have done zero and will stall your loan in credit committee for months.

Community Banks and Credit Unions

For parks under $2M in markets where national lenders aren’t active, the community bank or credit union is often your best option. These institutions know their local markets, make relationship-based credit decisions, and have been lending to local businesses — including campgrounds — for decades.

How to find them:

• Search the FDIC’s BankFind Suite for banks headquartered in the county where the park is located. Locally-headquartered institutions are far more likely to lend on local assets than branches of regional or national banks.
• Ask the park seller who holds their current mortgage. If a local bank already has a relationship with the property, they understand it — and that’s your best lead.
• Contact the local chamber of commerce and ask which banks are most active in small commercial real estate lending. Takes 10 minutes and regularly surfaces lenders that don’t show up in any search.
• Look for agricultural banks in rural markets. Banks that lend on farms and ranches are comfortable with seasonal income, land-heavy assets, and small business operations — the same profile as an RV park.

What to expect from community bank commercial loans:

• Down payment: 20–30%
• Term: 5–7 year balloon, 20–25 year amortization
• Rate: Prime + 1–3%, or a short fixed period (3–5 years)
• Credit: 700+ preferred, but relationship matters more than score
• Speed: Can close in 30–45 days — faster than SBA

The balloon is the main risk. When your 5-year term expires, you’ll need to refinance. Plan for this from day one: stabilize the park, increase NOI, and position yourself for better terms at refi.

USDA Business & Industry Loans — Underused and Underrated

The USDA Rural Development Business & Industry (B&I) program guarantees up to 80% of commercial loans for businesses in qualifying rural areas. Most RV parks qualify — they’re located outside major metro markets by definition. Yet fewer than 5% of RV park buyers ever check USDA eligibility.

Why it’s worth checking:

• Down payment: As low as 10%
• Term: Up to 30 years for real estate (longer than SBA)
• Guarantee: 80% on loans under $5M; 70% for $5M–$10M
• Rate: Negotiated with the participating lender — often comparable to or better than SBA

Check eligibility at the USDA’s Business Programs eligibility site using the park’s address. If it comes back rural-eligible, find a participating USDA B&I lender — many community banks that do SBA loans also participate in B&I. The application process is longer (expect 90–120 days), but the 30-year amortization eliminates the balloon problem entirely.

Private Money and Hard Money Lenders

Private money bridges the gap when institutional financing isn’t available, timing is critical, or the park needs operational stabilization before qualifying for permanent debt. These are short-term, higher-cost loans — typically 10–15% interest, 6–18 month terms, 25–35% down.

When private money makes sense:

• Distressed acquisitions — park has deferred maintenance or below-market occupancy. Institutional lenders won’t fund it at current performance. You buy with private money, stabilize over 12 months, then refinance into SBA or conventional at improved financials. See our distressed RV park turnaround guide for the full playbook.
• Auction or accelerated close — lender financing can’t close in 10 days. Private money can.
• Bridge to better terms — you need the deal now, you plan to refinance once a value-add project is complete.

Where to find private money for RV parks:

• Local REIA chapters — real estate investor networks have active private lenders who fund unusual asset types
• Online marketplaces — Kiavi, Lima One Capital (check current RV park appetite before approaching)
• High-net-worth individuals — if you have a solid track record and a compelling deal, private investors will fund deals banks won’t at 8–12% returns

Always model the exit before taking hard money. Your cost of capital is 10–15% annually. The plan to refinance into permanent debt needs to be concrete and realistic, not hopeful.

Seller Financing: The Best Option No One Uses Enough

When an RV park owner carries the note, there’s no bank involved. No credit pull, no income documentation requirements, no DSCR minimums, no appraisal contingencies. You negotiate terms directly with the seller. Down payment, rate, amortization, balloon — all of it is on the table.

Why sellers do it:

• Tax advantages: An installment sale spreads capital gains recognition across the payment period — massive tax benefit for long-term owners with a low cost basis. See our RV park tax benefits guide for details.
• Income stream: A retired owner who doesn’t need a lump sum prefers monthly checks at 6–8% over a bank CD at 4%
• Faster, cleaner close: No bank means no appraisal delays, no title commitment hold-ups, no lender conditions
• Higher total price: Sellers who offer terms consistently extract 5–15% more on sale price

The best seller finance candidates: owners who’ve held the park 10+ years, are over 60, have a low or paid-off basis, and aren’t in a financial emergency. Our database has direct owner phone numbers for 90% of the 13,000+ privately-owned RV parks in America. To structure the conversation toward seller finance, read our cold calling scripts guide. For deal structure specifics, see our deep dive on seller financing terms.

What Every RV Park Lender Looks For

Regardless of lender type, these are the six things that determine whether your loan gets approved:

1. Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR). The single most important number. Lenders want NOI to cover debt payments by at least 1.25x — meaning if your annual debt service is $100,000, you need at least $125,000 in NOI. Parks running thin margins or inconsistent occupancy often fail here. Run our valuation calculator to estimate NOI before approaching any lender.

2. Income documentation. Banks want 2–3 years of actual financials: Schedule E from tax returns, bank statements, and a trailing 12-month P&L. Mom-and-pop parks that run cash without clean books create major friction.

3. Occupancy history. Lenders want to see occupancy trends over multiple seasons. A park running 85% average occupancy across three years is fundable. Request 3 years of occupancy records during due diligence. Our due diligence checklist covers every document to request.

4. Borrower credit and net worth. SBA: 680+ FICO minimum. Conventional: 700+. Most lenders want to see personal net worth at or above the loan amount. Plan to show 6–12 months of debt service in liquid reserves after close.

5. Park condition. Lenders order appraisals and often environmental assessments. Deferred maintenance, aging electrical systems, or failing septic will kill a deal at a national lender. If the park has known infrastructure issues, plan to use private or seller financing for acquisition, fix the issues, then refinance.

6. Relevant experience. SBA explicitly asks whether you have relevant management experience. Zero hospitality or real estate background makes SBA deals harder. First-time buyers often do better with seller financing.

Lender Comparison Table

Quick reference across every lending path for RV park acquisitions:

Frequently Asked Questions