The complete list of documents for a small car rental business, with what to put in each form, checklist and tracker.
This kit lists every form, checklist and tracker a small car rental business needs, and what to put in each one. Copy the lists into your own documents. Ask a local lawyer to check your rental agreement, because the law is different in every country.
What you need, and when
A rental has five moments. Each moment has its own document. If you have all of them, nothing important is left to memory.
The documents of one rental
- Booking Booking form, rental agreement.
- Handover Handover checklist, payment record.
- During the rental Availability calendar, contact details.
- Return Return checklist, deposit refund.
- After Expense log, monthly report.
Forms
A form asks the same questions every time, so no detail is missing.
Booking form
- Customer name
- Phone number and email
- Driving license number and expiry date
- Car requested
- Pickup date and time
- Return date and time
- Pickup and return place
- Price agreed and deposit paid
Payment form
- Booking it belongs to
- Date of the payment
- Type: deposit, balance or refund
- Amount
- Method: cash, transfer, card or app
- Who received it
Expense form
- Date
- Car
- Category: fuel, service, repair, insurance, cleaning, other
- Supplier
- Amount
- Photo of the receipt
Rental agreement
The agreement is the one document you should have checked by a lawyer in your country. It normally contains these parts.
- Names and contact details of both sides
- The car: make, model and registration number
- Rental dates and times
- Price, deposit and when each is paid
- Who may drive, and the minimum age
- Where the car may and may not be driven
- Fuel rule and distance limit
- Late return and cancellation charges
- What the customer pays in case of damage, fines or tolls
- What to do after an accident or a breakdown
- Date and signatures
Checklists
Handover checklist
- Driving license and identity document checked
- Agreement signed by both sides
- Balance and security deposit received
- Photos of every side of the car
- Photos of the interior and the dashboard
- Existing marks and scratches written down
- Fuel level written down
- Distance shown written down
- Spare tire, tools and safety kit in the car
- Return time and place explained
- Emergency phone number given
Return checklist
- Returned on time, or late charge noted
- Walk around the car together
- New photos compared with the handover photos
- Fuel level compared with handover
- Distance driven within the limit
- Interior clean, nothing left behind
- Keys and documents returned
- Charges agreed with the customer
- Deposit returned, less agreed charges
- Car cleaned and marked as available
Weekly car check
- Tire pressure and tire condition
- Engine oil and coolant level
- All lights and indicators
- Wipers and washer fluid
- Brakes feel normal
- Warning lights on the dashboard
- Next service date and distance
- Insurance and road tax expiry dates
Trackers
A tracker is a table that you add to every day. Each one answers a question you will ask again and again.
| Tracker | The question it answers | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Booking log | Who has which car, and when? | Customer, car, dates, price, payment status. |
| Deposits and refunds | How much customer money am I holding? | Deposit received, balance paid, refund made, for each booking. |
| Expense log | What does each car cost me? | Date, car, category, supplier, amount. |
| Availability calendar | Which cars are free on a given day? | Each booking shown by day, with a warning for double bookings. |
| Monthly report | Did I make money this month? | Income, expense and profit, in total and for each car. |
| Service schedule | When is each car due for service? | Last service date and distance, next service date and distance. |
Get the trackers and forms ready-made
You can build all of this yourself in a spreadsheet. If you prefer to start today, the Car Rental Tracker already contains the main trackers, and connects the forms to them.
- In the workbook Booking log, deposits and refunds, expense log, availability calendar that warns about possible double bookings, and monthly and annual reports for each car.
- With Car Rental Pro Three online forms, for bookings, payments and expenses. You or your staff fill them in on a phone, and each entry becomes a new row in your Google Sheet.
- Still yours to prepare The rental agreement, the handover, return and weekly checklists, and a service schedule. Copy them from this page.
The tracker comes as an Excel workbook or a Google Sheets copy.
See the Car Rental Tracker
New to car rental? Start with how to start with just one car, or follow the 30-day launch plan.