// Rental transaction workflow

Inspect. Photograph. Confirm. Counter-confirm.

Neither party can unilaterally declare that gear was handed over or returned. Every change of custody is dual-confirmed and carries a photographic condition record taken at that moment.

  1. Available
  2. Booking Requested
  3. Owner Accepted
  4. Payment / Verification
  5. Confirmed
  6. Ready for Pickup
  7. Handover In Progress
  8. Awaiting Owner Confirmation
  9. Active
  10. Return Due
  11. Return In Progress
  12. Awaiting Renter Confirmation
  13. Completed

Step through the rental

State: Booking RequestedBooking

The renter requests the booking

Equipment, dates, pickup arrangement and published price are locked into a structured request — not a message thread.

Renter view

Makita DHR242 Rotary Hammer

  • ·Saturday 8:00 am → Sunday 5:00 pm
  • ·Rental · $80
  • ·RentEase service fee · $9.60
  • ·Security bond (held, not charged) · $150
Request booking

Owner view

New request from Phil M.

  • ·ID verified
  • ·4.9★ across 23 rentals
  • ·No damage claims on record
Awaiting your response
1 / 11

Camera only, never the library

Condition photos are captured in-app at handover and return. Old shots from a previous rental can't be reused.

Timestamped and geotagged

Each frame is bound to this booking, this moment and this location, then locked once both parties confirm.

Guided angles both ways

The same six prompts run at pickup and return, so every comparison is like-for-like rather than argument-for-argument.

// When it doesn't go to plan

Exception states are designed, not improvised.

Declined

Owner turns down the request. Nothing is charged and the dates free up.

No Show

One party never starts the handover. The booking auto-cancels with the record intact.

Overdue

Return time passes with no return check. Daily overdue pricing begins and both parties are prompted.

Returned — Disputed

Owner reports new damage. The bond stays held while the evidence pack is reviewed.

Non-return Dispute

Gear is not returned at all. Escalated with the full booking and handover record.

Payment Issue

Bond or payment fails before pickup. The reservation is released rather than half-confirmed.

// Dispute evidence pack

One record, assembled automatically.

If a claim is opened, both parties and the RentEase team see exactly the same pack — no screenshots, no he-said-she-said.

Booking

  • Parties & verification status
  • Dates, pickup arrangement
  • Price, fee, bond

Handover

  • 6 timestamped photos
  • Accessory checklist
  • Existing damage notes
  • Both confirmations

Rental events

  • Problems reported
  • Extension requests
  • Messages, in-platform

Return

  • 6 return photos
  • Side-by-side comparison
  • Owner claim & renter response

Every rental has a before-and-after condition record agreed by both parties at the moment custody changes.

See trust & safety →