Contracts, Deposits & Damage

How RentBridge protects both sides of a rental: deposits held in escrow, documented inspections, AI damage assessment, and optional per-rental insurance.

Security Deposits & Escrow

Every rental can carry a security deposit. RentBridge tracks it end-to-end:

1. At booking: the deposit amount is set on the rental
2. While the equipment is out: the deposit is held in escrow on the rental's settlement
3. At return: you inspect the equipment
4. After inspection, you decide:
   • Release — clean return; the full deposit goes back to the renter
   • Forfeit — damage or unpaid balance; the deposit is applied against it

Every release/forfeit decision is recorded in your audit log with who decided and when. See Payouts & Deposits for the full settlement picture.

Inspections

Document equipment condition at every handoff:

• Checkout inspection — condition when the renter picks up
• Return inspection — condition when it comes back
• Periodic / damage inspections — anytime in between

Each inspection records the inspector, structured findings, and status. Inspections live on the equipment record and are your evidence in any damage conversation.

AI Damage Assessment

When a return inspection is recorded, RentBridge's damage assessment compares it against the checkout inspection:

• Detects new damage — what changed between checkout and return
• Auto-creates a maintenance record — damaged equipment is routed to maintenance instead of going back into the available pool
• Feeds the insurance risk model — damage history by category adjusts future insurance premiums (see Learning Loops)

Per-Rental Insurance

Instead of managing damage waivers yourself, RentBridge's embedded insurance marketplace offers renters coverage at booking: damage waiver, liability, theft protection, or a full bundle from partner providers. Premiums are risk-adjusted per equipment category.

You should still maintain your own commercial policies (equipment, umbrella liability, loss/theft) with your provider — per-rental coverage complements them, it doesn't replace them.

Purchase Orders & Terms

• PO numbers: rentals carry an optional PO number for customers who need one on their invoices
• Platform terms: renters transact under the terms at rentbridge.ai/terms and privacy policy at rentbridge.ai/privacy

Coming Soon

• Customizable rental agreement templates with your company header and clauses
• E-signatures — digitally signed agreements stored on the rental record
• Late-fee automation — configurable per-day late return penalties

Until then, operators who need signed paper agreements typically print their own agreement at pickup and attach the rental's RentBridge record number.

Troubleshooting

Renter disputes a damage charge?

• Your checkout and return inspections are the evidence — that's why both matter
• The AI damage assessment shows exactly what changed between them
• Offer a partial deposit release if the charge is genuinely borderline; forfeit decisions are yours to make

Deposit stuck as "held"?

• Deposits stay in escrow until you explicitly release or forfeit them from the rental's settlement
• Closed rentals with held deposits appear on your Earnings dashboard

See Common Issues for more scenarios.