Free operator checklist
The car hire handover checklist.
The thirty seconds at handover decide every dispute you will ever have. Run this list on every hire, and keep what it produces. Print it, stick it in the office, save it as a PDF.
Before the keys move
- Photo ID seen and matched to the person in front of you, not just a licence-shaped card
- DVLA check code run on GOV.UK: licence valid, correct category, points and disqualifications seen
- Your rental agreement signed and dated, with the vehicle, dates, excess and deposit terms filled in, no blanks
- Deposit taken your usual way, and written down: amount, method, date
- Renter's contact details confirmed live in the chat you are already using
At handover, photograph everything
- All four corners of the car, full-height, in daylight or good light
- Roof, bonnet and boot surfaces
- Interior: seats, dash, boot floor
- Dashboard shot: mileage and fuel level visible
- Close-ups of every existing mark, scratch and kerbed wheel, so nobody blames the renter for them later
- Photos are timestamped, or sent into the booking chat immediately so the thread dates them
At return, same again
- The same angles, before the keys leave the renter's hand
- Compare against handover photos while both parties are present
- Any new damage photographed close-up and acknowledged in the chat there and then
- Mileage and fuel shot again
- Deposit released, or the deduction itemised in writing against a repair quote
Afterwards, keep the record
- One folder per hire: ID check result, agreement, deposit note, both photo sets
- Keep it while a claim could still arise, then delete it, holding ID data forever is its own risk
- If something goes wrong: the folder is your insurer pack, send it complete, not in pieces
This is the manual version. KeyProof runs the whole list through one link in the chat you already use: verified ID, DVLA check, e-signed agreement and timestamped photos, filed automatically. See how it works or claim a founding spot.