Security Deposit

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The Security Deposit is a refundable amount collected from the customer when they pick up a vehicle. You set a separate deposit amount for each vehicle category, and decide per category whether a deposit is collected at all.

What it is for

Security deposits protect your vehicles against damage, traffic fines, or other costs during the rental. The amount is held and later refunded to the customer once the vehicle is returned in good order.

Where to access it

In the admin area, open the Fees & Taxes section and choose Deposit and Security. The page is titled DEPOSIT AND SECURITY and is split into two cards:

  • The left card, Deposit Payment Options, controls how customers pay for the rental itself.
  • The right card, Security Deposit, controls the refundable deposit collected per vehicle category at pick-up. This article covers the right card.

How the Security Deposit card works

For each vehicle category you will see the category name, a checkbox, and an amount field.

  • The checkbox turns the deposit on for that category. When it is cleared, the amount field is disabled and no deposit is collected for that category.
  • The amount field is the deposit charged when a customer picks up a vehicle of that category.

If no vehicle categories exist yet, the card shows a message that no categories were found.

How to use it

  1. Open Fees & Taxes → Deposit and Security.
  2. In the Security Deposit card, make sure the checkbox is ticked for each category where you want to collect a deposit.
  3. Enter the deposit amount for each of those categories.
  4. For categories where you do not want a deposit, clear the checkbox.
  5. Click Save.

What happens next

  • After saving, the deposit amount you set for a category is collected at pick-up for vehicles of that category.
  • A confirmation message appears when the settings are saved successfully.

Important behavior and special cases

  • Each category has its own deposit amount, so a premium vehicle can have a higher deposit than a compact car.
  • A category with its checkbox cleared collects no deposit, even if an amount was previously entered for it.
  • Deposit amounts cannot be negative.
  • This card is separate from the Deposit Payment Options card on the same page, which controls how customers pay for the rental booking itself.
Important The Save button and editing are only available to users who have permission to update these settings; otherwise the page is shown read-only.

Tips

Tip Set higher deposits for luxury or high-value categories and lower (or no) deposits for economy vehicles to keep prices competitive.
Tip Use the checkbox to quickly suspend a deposit for a category during a promotion, without losing the amount you had entered.
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