Rental Workflow

The complete lifecycle of a rental, from quote to payout. RentBridge validates every step and automates the side effects — equipment status, settlements, and learning feedback.

The Rental Lifecycle

Rentals move through a validated state machine: quote → reserved → active → returned → closed, with cancellation allowed before the rental goes active. Invalid transitions are rejected by the platform.

1. Quote

A customer requests pricing — through the portal or your team entering it directly.

• The dynamic pricing engine computes the price for the exact dates: base rate × demand × season, minus duration discounts
• Optional insurance quotes are generated alongside — four partner products, risk-adjusted
• Nothing is committed yet; quotes can be cancelled freely

2. Reserved

You approve the quote (or your rules do). The equipment is committed for the dates. Reservations can still be cancelled before pickup.

3. Active

Pickup is confirmed. Automatically:

• The equipment's status flips to rented — it can't be double-booked
• The rental clock starts

Best practice at pickup: record a checkout inspection (condition, hours, photos if you take them) — it's your baseline for the return.

4. Returned

The equipment comes back. You record the return inspection, and three things happen automatically:

1. Equipment is released — back to available, or to maintenance if the damage assessment found new damage (comparing return vs. checkout inspections)
2. A settlement is created — platform commission is deducted and your owner payout is queued (see Payouts & Deposits)
3. Learning feedback is recorded — the completed rental sharpens pricing, matching, and insurance risk models (see Learning Loops)

5. Closed

Final paperwork done. Release (or forfeit) the escrowed deposit, trigger the Branch instant payout if you haven't already, and the rental is archived.

Cancellation

Quotes and reservations can be cancelled anytime before pickup. If the equipment had already been marked rented, it's released back to available.

Rental Status Reference

Status	Meaning
Quote	Customer requested pricing; nothing committed yet
Reserved	Booking approved; equipment committed for the dates
Active	Equipment picked up and in use (equipment auto-flips to "rented")
Returned	Equipment back; inspection done, settlement created automatically
Closed	Rental complete — payout done, deposit resolved
Cancelled	Cancelled before pickup (quotes and reservations only)

Create a Rental Manually

If a customer calls or visits in person:

1. Rentals > New Rental
2. Enter:
   • Customer: search existing or create new
   • Equipment: select an available unit
   • Dates: start and expected end
   • PO number: optional, for customers who need one on invoices
3. Review the computed quote and create the rental

Then advance it through the lifecycle with the transition action as events happen.

Handling the Money

• Deposit: set on the rental; held in escrow on the settlement until you release or forfeit it after inspection
• Commission: 10–15% of the rental total by your plan tier, deducted at settlement
• Payout: triggered per settlement; Branch instant payouts settle same-day

See Payouts & Deposits for the full picture.

Common Scenarios

Online self-service booking

Renter finds equipment in the portal → requests a quote → you approve (reserved) → pickup (active) → return + inspection (returned, settlement created) → deposit released, payout triggered (closed).

Phone inquiry

Same flow, except your team creates the quote directly during the call.

Extended rental (4+ weeks)

The duration discount (20% off at 28+ days) applies automatically at quote time. If the renter wants to keep the equipment longer, update the expected end date while the rental is active — the settlement uses the final rental total at return.

Damage at return

Record the return inspection honestly. The damage assessment compares it against checkout, creates a maintenance record, routes the unit to maintenance, and you forfeit part or all of the deposit against the repair. The renter's insurance (if purchased) covers per the policy.

Coming Soon

• E-signed rental agreements attached to the rental record
• Automated late-return fees
• Renter card payments at booking

Troubleshooting

Transition rejected?

• Check the current status — states can't be skipped, and active rentals can't be cancelled (mark them returned instead)

Equipment still shows rented after return?

• The rental wasn't transitioned — mark it returned and the equipment is released automatically

Settlement didn't appear?

• Settlements are created at the returned transition; for older rentals, create one manually — it's idempotent and safe to retry

See Common Issues for more scenarios.