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Vehicle Rentals — Hire, Handover & Return

Run vehicle hires as an operation: the fleet view, booking a vehicle, handover with condition capture, return, and the charges that follow.

Rentals runs vehicle hires as an operation rather than a booking. You create a hire against a guest, hand the vehicle over with its condition and odometer recorded, and take it back on return — where late returns, damage and extras are billed. The fleet view shows what is out, what is back and what is being cleaned.

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A hire is two events, not one

The money is not settled at booking, because you do not yet know what you are charging for. A hire has a handover and a return, and most of what determines the bill — duration, fuel, damage, lateness — is only known at the second one. That is why charges are Billed on return.

A vehicle moves through hired out, RETURNED, CLEANING, and back to available.

Common Tasks

How to Create a Hire (rent a vehicle, new hire, book a car, vehicle rental)

Set up a hire for a guest, whether they are staying with you or walking in.

Required permission: Rental write

  1. Go to Rentals in the left sidebar
  2. Start a new hire
  3. Under Pick the guest taking it, choose an In-house guest or record a Walk-in
  4. Choose the vehicle
  5. Set the Pickup date and the Until date
  6. Set the Rate / day
  7. Record the Deposit if you are taking one
  8. Create the hire

Result: The hire is created and the vehicle is committed for those dates.

Note: For an in-house guest, linking the hire to their reservation means the charges can settle to their folio rather than being collected separately.

How to Hand a Vehicle Over (give the car, handover, start of hire, vehicle pickup)

Record the state of the vehicle as it leaves, which is what protects both sides on return.

Required permission: Rental write

  1. Go to Rentals and open the hire
  2. Record the Hirer details, including Licence / ID
  3. Record the Odometer / fuel reading as it leaves
  4. Add Condition notes for any existing marks or damage
  5. Confirm the Deposit taken
  6. Complete the handover

Result: The vehicle shows as Handed over and the hire is running. A confirmation follows the handover.

Note: Record existing damage before the vehicle leaves. A mark not noted at handover is one you cannot fairly charge for on return.

How to Take a Vehicle Back (return vehicle, end of hire, vehicle back, check in car)

Take the vehicle back, assess it, and bill what is owed.

Required permission: Rental write

  1. Go to Rentals and open the hire
  2. Start the return
  3. Record the returning Odometer / fuel
  4. Assess the condition — Clean, no damage or record Damage
  5. Note a Late return if it is overdue
  6. Add any Extras to bill
  7. Decide the Deposit — return it or Keep it against charges
  8. Complete the return

Result: The hire is RETURNED, charges are calculated and billed, and the vehicle moves to CLEANING before becoming available again.

Note: Compare the returning odometer and fuel against the handover figures. That comparison is the whole reason both are recorded.

How to See What Is Out and What Is Available (fleet view, which cars are out, vehicle availability)

The state of the fleet at a glance.

Required permission: Rental read

  1. Go to Rentals in the left sidebar
  2. Review the fleet — vehicles currently hired, RETURNED, in CLEANING, and available

Result: You know what you can hire out right now and what is coming back.

Note: A vehicle stuck in CLEANING is one nobody marked ready. It is the usual reason the fleet looks smaller than it is.

How to Cancel a Hire (cancel rental, guest cancelled, call off hire)

Cancel a hire that has not been handed over.

Required permission: Rental write

  1. Go to Rentals and open the hire
  2. Choose Cancel hire

Result: The hire is CANCELLED and the vehicle is released for those dates. A confirmation reads Hire cancelled.

Note: Cancel before handover. Once a vehicle has gone out, the way to end the hire is a return, not a cancellation.

Deposits are a decision at return

The deposit is taken at handover but its fate is decided at return — returned in full, or kept against damage, fuel or lateness. Record the reason when you keep it; a retained deposit with no explanation is the most common cause of a rental dispute.

Troubleshooting

A vehicle is not available even though it is back

Cause: It is still in CLEANING.

Fix: Mark the vehicle ready once it has been cleaned. A returned vehicle is not automatically available.

Damage was found but cannot be charged

Cause: No condition was recorded at handover, so there is nothing to compare against.

Fix: Always record Condition notes and the odometer at handover. Without a baseline, damage found at return cannot be attributed to this hire.

The charge is lower than expected for a late return

Cause: The lateness was not recorded on the return.

Fix: Mark Late return during the return so the additional charge is applied. Duration alone does not flag it.

A guest’s hire is not on their hotel bill

Cause: The hire was not linked to their reservation.

Fix: Create hires for in-house guests against the guest rather than as a Walk-in, so charges can settle to their folio. See Folio Management.

A vehicle was double-booked

Cause: A hire was created for overlapping dates, or a previous hire was never returned.

Fix: Check the fleet view for hires still showing as out past their Until date. An unreturned hire keeps the vehicle committed indefinitely.