Taking rental bookings online: how to model stock, rental durations and deposits

You make a rental bookable online by counting your stock per type and size, offering a few fixed rental durations that all draw on the same stock, and collecting the rental fee at booking. Deposits and damage are dealt with in the rental agreement and at handover. This article shows how for kayaks, bikes, SUPs and skis, with the legal basics first for Austria and then for Germany.

How do you model your stock?

Do not lump everything together. A guest does not book a bike but an e-bike in size M. So set up a separate stock per type and size, but no more finely than you actually distinguish at handover.

• Kayak: singles and doubles separately. Paddles and buoyancy aids go with the boat and need no stock of their own as long as you have more of them than boats.
• Bike: e-bike, trekking bike, children's bike, each by frame size if you have several.
• SUP: one stock is usually enough. A second is worthwhile for large boards.
• Skis: this quickly gets fiddly. A proven approach is to ask only for category and age online and to set length, boot size and binding at handover.

Do not list every unit in the shed online. Hold one or two per type back as a reserve, for the puncture, the lost paddle and the late return.

Which rental durations should you offer?

Fewer is better. Three or four fixed durations cover almost everything and keep your day predictable: two hours, half day, full day, and for bikes and skis several days. What matters is that all durations draw on the same stock. A kayak that is out for the whole day must not be bookable again at 2 pm for two hours.

• Fixed start times: for short durations, starts on the hour or half hour help. Then not everyone arrives at once.
• Buffer: after each rental, plan time for return, inspection and cleaning, around 15 to 30 minutes. Without a buffer the next guest is handed a wet board.
• Last return: the full day ends at a fixed time before closing, not 8 hours after pick-up.
• Lead time: how long before the start a booking is still possible. For skis the evening before, for a SUP even ten minutes ahead.

What applies on peak days?

On a hot Sunday the scarce thing is stock, not demand. Short rentals with gaps between them then earn less than a few long ones. Common rules for peak days: half day and full day only, fixed changeover times, prepayment without exception and a clear limit on how long you hold a reserved unit when someone is late.

Worked example with twelve kayaks: two hours cost € 18, a half day € 30, a full day € 45. If on a peak day all twelve boats go out once in the morning and once in the afternoon for a half day, that is 24 rentals at € 30, so € 720. With two-hour rentals three rounds would be possible. If, because of the gaps, they are only two-thirds full on average, that is 24 rentals at € 18, so € 432. The prices are examples. Use your own.

Deposits: what is allowed and what is practical?

Renting out movable items is a Bestandvertrag under the ABGB in Austria and a rental contract under §§ 535 ff. BGB in Germany. We found no specific statutory rule on the amount of a deposit for rental equipment in either country. The familiar limit of three months' rent in § 551 BGB concerns residential property. The deposit is therefore a matter of agreement: state the amount, the purpose and how it is returned in the contract and before booking.

One point is expressly regulated in Germany. Under § 1 (1) of the Identity Card Act, the holder may not be required to deposit their identity card. An ID card as security is therefore not permitted there. We have not checked for a corresponding Austrian provision. Either way, someone else's ID in your drawer is a risk you do not need.

Who is liable for damage?

Austria: if the rented item is damaged or worn through misuse, § 1111 ABGB makes the renter liable for their own fault and that of a sub-renter, but not for accidental damage. The deadline in the same section matters: you must claim compensation in court within one year of the return at the latest, otherwise the right lapses.

Germany: under § 538 BGB the renter is not responsible for changes or deterioration caused by use in accordance with the contract. Scratches on the hull of a kayak after a river trip are normal wear. For anything beyond that, your claims for compensation become time-barred under § 548 BGB six months after you get the item back.

1. Record the condition at handover, most simply with a photo and a line in the contract.
2. Check together with the guest at return, before they leave.
3. Write damage down at once and have the guest confirm it.
4. Display a price list for typical damage, such as paddle, inner tube, fin. It should match your actual cost.
5. Clarify with your insurer what is covered in case of theft and accidents.

This is not legal advice. Clauses on liability and deposits in contracts with consumers are subject to a fairness review in both countries. Have your rental agreement checked once, in Austria through the WKO for example, in Germany through the IHK.

Prepayment and cancellation

Collect the rental fee at booking. A kayak that has been paid for gets picked up, and handover is quicker. Online payment carries the payment provider's fee; with Stripe in Austria that is 1.5 % plus € 0.25 for standard EEA cards. On a € 30 rental that is € 0.70.

Decide until when cancellation is free and what applies in a thunderstorm or when water levels are high. The statutory right of withdrawal for contracts concluded online has an exception for services related to leisure activities on a fixed date and for motor vehicle rental (Austria: § 18 (1) no. 10 FAGG, Germany: § 312g (2) no. 9 BGB). Whether your rental falls under it depends on the offer. Have it checked, and show your cancellation terms before booking in any case.

How this works in EachVisit

In EachVisit you set up your equipment as a shared stock, for example twelve kayaks, and a separate offer per rental duration: two hours, half day, full day. All offers draw on the same stock, and one unit is counted per participant. You set duration, start interval and buffer before and after the rental for each offer. Weekly schedules and individual dates determine when each offer can be booked. That lets you take the two-hour offer off sale at weekends. Guests pay in advance or leave a card as a guarantee. A no-show fee is only charged after you deliberately approve it.

What is missing: guests cannot choose the rental duration freely; there are only the offers you create. EachVisit does not manage deposits or damage. The card guarantee secures attendance, not the equipment. There is no waiting list for fully booked times. The Klein plan costs € 69 a month, the Mittel plan from € 129. Commission is 0 %; Stripe's own fees apply. Closed beta pricing is available on request. Regular plan prices are shown for reference; any later paid use requires your active acceptance.