How to document damage when a rental vehicle comes back

Start from the pickup baseline

Before looking at the vehicle, open the pickup report. Without it, you cannot tell whether the mark you see is new.

Also check what pickup recorded: mileage, fuel and existing damage. Those are the three points that come up most often in disagreements.

If the pickup report is missing or incomplete, say so in your return notes. It will not settle the question, but it shows you looked for the reference.

Walk around again, in the same order

Use the same views as at pickup, in the same order. The order prevents omissions, and identical angles let you compare two photos by eye.

In Fleedy, the return flow repeats the fourteen views of a car or the eight of a motorcycle, with the on-screen guide.

Photograph a damage two ways

For each difference, take a wide shot that places the damage on the vehicle, then a close-up that shows it. A coin or ruler next to it gives the scale.

If the damage sits under a reflection or in shadow, change angle rather than zooming in. A blurry photo proves nothing.

Check the result on screen before the renter leaves. Retaking a photo takes ten seconds at the vehicle and is impossible a day later.

Annotate so nothing is ambiguous

A photo alone leaves room for interpretation. Circle the damage, name it and describe it.

In Fleedy, the agent circles the damage on the photo, picks its type (scratch, dent, crack, chip, stain or other) and adds a note, for example "10 cm scratch on the front right wing".

Compare with pickup

The comparison answers the only question that matters: was the damage already there? Put the pickup photo and the return photo side by side, on the same view.

The Fleedy report shows both together, so nobody has to dig through photo folders.

Mileage and fuel at return

Damage is not the only subject at return. Record the mileage, photograph the odometer and note the fuel level, then compare with pickup.

In Fleedy, both readings appear in the same report as the photos, so nobody has to match up several documents.

When in doubt: old or new

Some marks are ambiguous: a fine scratch, a scuff on an area that was already worn. When unsure, document it like any other damage, then compare with the pickup view.

If the pickup photo cannot settle it, say so in the note rather than asserting. A careful, honest record is more credible than a certainty that can be challenged.

Get signatures and hand over a copy

A return report counts when both parties have seen it. In Fleedy, the renter and the agent sign on screen, then the PDF is sealed and can be sent to the renter.

If the renter disagrees, let them say so. A recorded disagreement is better than one discovered later.

What to avoid

A few habits undermine a solid file. Each is easy to avoid, and each can be used against you.

• Cleaning or moving the vehicle before the check
• Accusing the renter instead of describing what is visible
• Shooting close-ups only
• Taking return photos from a different angle than the pickup ones
• Putting the check off until later

The case of two-wheelers

On a motorcycle or scooter, the return flow has eight views. Look closely at the levers, mirrors, fairing, handlebars and the edges of the tank, where low-speed drops leave their marks.

Frequently asked questions