RentBridge Docs

Marketplace / Booking Flow

Booking Flow

Every rental on RentBridge moves through a validated state machine. Statuses can only advance along allowed paths, and each transition triggers the right side effects automatically — equipment status flips, settlements are created, and learning feedback is recorded.

The Rental Lifecycle

quote → reserved → active → returned → closed
   \        \
    → cancelled (allowed any time before the rental goes active)
Status Meaning
Quote A priced request — nothing is committed yet
Reserved Booking approved; the equipment is committed for the dates
Active Equipment is picked up and in use
Returned Equipment is back; inspection and settlement happen here
Closed Rental complete — all payments settled
Cancelled Cancelled before pickup (quotes and reservations only)

Invalid moves (e.g., jumping from quote straight to returned, or cancelling an active rental) are rejected by the platform.

What Happens at Each Transition

Quote → Reserved

The renter (or your team) accepts the quote. The equipment is committed for the rental window.

Reserved → Active

Pickup is confirmed. The equipment's status automatically flips to rented so it can't be double-booked.

Active → Returned

The equipment comes back. Three things happen automatically:

  1. Equipment is released — status returns to available (or maintenance, if the return inspection found damage)
  2. A settlement is created — platform commission is calculated and the owner payout is queued (see Payouts & Deposits)
  3. Learning feedback is recorded — the completed rental feeds RentBridge's learning loops, improving future pricing and matching

Returned → Closed

Final paperwork is done and the rental is archived. Deposits are released or applied at this stage.

Cancellation

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

For Renters

From the customer portal, renters can:

  1. Browse the equipment catalog and request a quote (priced by the dynamic pricing engine)
  2. Add optional rental insurance from partner providers
  3. Track the rental from reservation through return
  4. View invoices and payment history

For Equipment Owners

From your dashboard, you can:

  1. Review and approve incoming quotes
  2. Confirm pickup (moves the rental to active)
  3. Confirm return with an inspection (damage automatically creates a maintenance record)
  4. Watch the settlement and payout land in Earnings

Related

Last updated: April 2026