A security deposit is one of the simplest ways to protect a rental fleet, yet it is also one of the easiest things to administer inconsistently. In VEVS Car Rental Software you set a separate refundable deposit for each vehicle category and decide per category whether a deposit is collected at all, giving you a clear and repeatable policy at the counter.
What the security deposit is
The security deposit is a refundable amount collected from the customer when they pick up a vehicle. It protects 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.
Because the deposit is refundable, it is different in character from a rental charge. It is a hold against risk rather than revenue, and that distinction should be reflected in how your staff explain it and how your paperwork describes it.
Where to access deposit settings
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:
Deposit Payment Options
The left card controls how customers pay for the rental itself. It is a separate concern from the refundable deposit.
Security Deposit
The right card controls the refundable deposit collected per vehicle category at pick-up. This is the card described in this article.
Keeping the two cards distinct in your own mind is important. The payment options card is about how the rental is paid for; the security deposit card is about the amount held against damage, fines, or other costs during the rental.
How the Security Deposit card works
For each vehicle category the card shows 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. In that case, create your categories first and then return to the deposit settings.
This per-category structure is the heart of the feature. It acknowledges that a compact city car and a premium SUV carry very different levels of financial exposure, and it lets you set a deposit that matches each one without inventing a separate rule for every individual vehicle.
How to configure deposits step by step
- Open Fees & Taxes and then Deposit and Security.
- In the Security Deposit card, make sure the checkbox is ticked for each category where you want to collect a deposit.
- Enter the deposit amount for each of those categories.
- For categories where you do not want a deposit, clear the checkbox.
- Click Save.
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, so you can be confident the change has been recorded.
Important behaviour 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.
- The card is separate from the Deposit Payment Options card on the same page, which controls how customers pay for the rental booking itself.
- The Save button and editing are only available to users who have permission to update these settings; otherwise the page is shown read-only.
The checkbox behaviour deserves emphasis. Clearing it does not erase the amount you typed; it simply suspends collection for that category. That makes the checkbox a practical switch for temporary changes, such as a promotion, without losing the number you may want to restore later.
Business benefits
Risk matched to value
Higher-value categories can carry a larger deposit, while economy vehicles can stay competitive with a smaller one or none at all.
Consistent counter practice
When the amount comes from the category rather than from individual judgement, every customer receives the same treatment and staff do not have to improvise.
A clear refund story
A refundable amount held at pick-up and returned after the vehicle comes back in good order is easy to explain and easy for customers to accept.
Simple administration
One page, one checkbox and one amount per category keeps deposit policy visible and quick to update when your fleet changes.
Practical use cases
A mixed fleet. An operator with economy hatchbacks, family estates, and a small number of premium convertibles can set a modest deposit for the hatchbacks, a moderate one for the estates, and a higher amount for the convertibles. The grid keeps all three policies in one place.
Competitive entry-level pricing. A business that wants to advertise low-friction rentals can clear the checkbox for its cheapest category, collecting no deposit there while still protecting the rest of the fleet. The amount stays in the field in case the policy changes.
Temporary promotion. During a quiet period, a branch may choose to suspend deposits for a category to remove a barrier for customers. Clearing the checkbox does exactly that without deleting the previously agreed amount.
New category rollout. When a new vehicle category is added, the deposit card lists it alongside the others. A manager can decide the appropriate amount and tick the checkbox in the same visit, keeping policy aligned with the fleet.
Setup and configuration considerations
Begin with your vehicle categories. The security deposit card is built from them, so an incomplete or inconsistent category structure will show up as gaps in your deposit policy. If the card reports that no categories were found, that is a signal to review the fleet setup rather than a fault in the deposit page.
Next, agree on the commercial logic behind each amount. A deposit should be high enough to matter when something goes wrong, but not so high that it discourages bookings in a competitive category. Because the decision is made per category, you can document the reasoning once and apply it consistently to every vehicle in that group.
Consider permissions before you hand the page to the team. Editing and saving require the appropriate permission; other users see a read-only view. That is a useful control, because deposit amounts are a commercial policy rather than a day-to-day operational setting. Decide who owns the policy and who merely needs to see it.
Finally, separate the deposit conversation from the payment conversation. The Deposit Payment Options card governs how customers pay for the rental, while the Security Deposit card governs the refundable amount at pick-up. Explaining them as two different things avoids confusion at the counter and in customer communications.
Best practices
- Set higher deposits for luxury or high-value categories and lower, or no, deposits for economy vehicles to keep prices competitive.
- Use the checkbox to suspend a deposit for a category during a promotion, without losing the amount you had entered.
- Review deposits whenever vehicle values or repair costs change materially, so the amount still reflects the risk.
- Explain clearly that the deposit is refundable and that it is returned once the vehicle comes back in good order.
- Keep the deposit policy consistent across branches by managing it centrally rather than per counter.
- Make sure only the people who own the commercial policy have permission to edit the amounts.
- Check the confirmation message after saving, and revisit the page after adding new categories.
Conclusion
The Security Deposit card gives you a straightforward way to protect your fleet while keeping the customer experience fair and predictable. By setting a refundable amount per vehicle category, deciding where a deposit is collected at all, and keeping the policy separate from rental payment options, you create a rule that staff can apply confidently and customers can understand. It is a small configuration page with a direct effect on risk, consistency, and trust.