Deposits, charges & late fees

Most of a rental's profit — and nearly all of its arguments — sit in the charges added after the booking price.

Deposits

A deposit is taken at check-out as a pre-authorisation rather than a payment: the amount is held on the customer's card without being taken. At check-in it is either released or partly captured against what is owed.

Tell customers a hold is not a charge and roughly how long their bank takes to release it. Most deposit complaints are actually about that delay.

Mileage

Closing minus opening mileage against the included allowance gives the overage, billed at your per-unit rate. Both readings come from the wizards, so the calculation is auditable rather than asserted.

Fuel

Returned below the agreed level, fuel is billed at your rate — which usually includes a service element and should be stated up front. Photograph the gauge at both ends; it settles the question instantly.

Tolls, fines and parking

Charges & Tolls records charges that arrive after the rental has ended. Because they are linked to the rental, a toll notice landing three weeks later still attaches to the right hire and the right customer.

Damage

Damage is charged against the deposit with the inspection photos attached. Where it exceeds the deposit, the balance becomes a receivable and follows your normal collections process.

Late fees

Set the grace period and the rate. A short grace period costs little and avoids charging someone fifteen minutes late, which buys goodwill cheaply.

Handling a dispute

Open the rental and show the evidence: the signed terms with the version accepted, both inspections with photos, and the mileage and fuel readings. Disputes handled with a record end quickly; disputes handled from memory do not.