What is KeyProof?

01What it does

KeyProof turns a risky car handover into a clean, timestamped record. Before the keys change hands, the operator sends the hirer a single link in the chat they are already using. On their phone, in the browser, the hirer photographs their ID and takes a live selfie so their identity is verified, shares their driving licence via a DVLA check code for the operator to confirm, e-signs the operator's own hire agreement, and photographs the car's condition. At return, the condition is photographed again, so the operator has before and after side by side.

KeyProof captures the evidence. The operator always decides whether to hand over the keys, and whether damage has occurred. KeyProof never makes that judgement, it makes sure the proof is there when the decision matters.

02Who it is for

Independent and small car hire, self-drive, and prestige hire operators in the UK, the ones who take bookings over Instagram and WhatsApp, take a cash or card deposit, and check a licence by eye. That way of working is fast and personal, but it leaves nothing solid to fall back on the day a handover goes wrong. KeyProof fills that gap without changing how the operator works.

03The problem it solves

A hirer crashes the car and stops answering. A returned car has a scratch that "was already there". A licence turns out to be disqualified. In each case the operator is stuck on their word against the hirer's, with a DM thread and a hope. KeyProof replaces that with a verified identity, a checked licence, a signed agreement, and proof of condition at both ends, one record that makes your position provable to an insurer.

04What it captures

• Verified hirer identity: photo ID matched to a live selfie. The check is run by Stripe Identity, live on every hirer link since July 2026. Stripe collects and holds the document and the face image as the regulated provider; KeyProof stores only the result, never the images.
• A DVLA share code and the last 8 characters of the licence number, so the operator can run the free government check themselves on gov.uk. KeyProof never contacts the DVLA and never sees the driving record; it records that the check was done, and when.
• The operator's own hire agreement, e-signed and bound to the booking.
• Timestamped condition photos before and after the hire.
• The deposit, recorded against the booking (KeyProof never holds the money).
• One exportable record and incident pack, ready for an insurer. It opens with a register naming every item as on record, not on record, or not due yet, with the gaps counted, so a thin record cannot pass as a complete one.
• Three SHA-256 fingerprints on every hire: the agreement wording at the moment of signing, the hire itself over its own particulars, and each condition photograph individually. Whoever receives the pack checks them in their own browser, with no account and without contacting KeyProof. That makes the record tamper-evident. It does not make it tamper-proof.

05How it fits the way you already work

KeyProof does not replace your booking channels, your agreement, or your deposit. You keep taking bookings on Instagram and WhatsApp, keep your own wording, and take the deposit your own way. KeyProof slots a link into the conversation and captures the proof underneath, where it would otherwise have been missing. No app and no account for the hirer.

06Data protection

KeyProof handles ID documents, driving licences, and faces, the most sensitive data a hire firm touches. That data is encrypted in transit and at rest, minimised to what the check needs, and deleted when the booking no longer requires it. KeyProof is built to UK GDPR: the operator is the data controller for their hirers' data, and KeyProof acts as their processor under a data-processing agreement. It is built by a founder focused on data protection and AI governance, so the identity match is documented and designed to be governed, not a black box: its impact assessments are written down, and the hire decision always sits with a human at the firm, never with the check. The full security posture, including how to report a vulnerability, is on the security page.

Two mechanisms sit under the record itself. The exact wording of the agreement the hirer signs is snapshotted and hashed with SHA-256 at the moment of signing, so the terms are tamper-evident: any later change to them is detectable. And a single hire can be sent out as a read-only link that needs no account and expires after 7 days, with the DVLA share code and the hirer’s contact details withheld, so an insurer reads the record without anyone getting a login. KeyProof is operated by KeyProof Ltd, company no. 17333773, registered with the ICO under ZC195906, and carries its own professional indemnity and cyber cover with Hiscox. Those are duties met and public records you can check, not anybody’s approval of the product.

07Pricing

Founding access is £49 per month at any fleet size, locked for life, open to a cohort of 5 firms. After the founding cohort, plans are tiered by fleet size at a flat monthly price: Starter £69 for up to 10 cars, Growth £119 for up to 25, and Fleet £179 for up to 60 cars. Every plan starts with 30 days free and there is no setup fee. Everything is included on every tier, the tier only sets fleet capacity; the per-booking hirer verification fee is covered by the hirer, not the operator. There is no contract and you can cancel any time.

08Who is behind it

KeyProof is operated by KeyProof Ltd, registered in England & Wales (company no. 17333773, registered office 66 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NA), and was built in-house by its co-founder Khalid Mohamed, through his studio Bygild (bygild.com). KeyProof is not an insurer and does not pay out claims. It produces the evidence an operator uses to make a claim or charge a deposit. KeyProof is at an early stage, with its founding cohort of firms forming now.