Rental Overview
PrepStation Rentals keeps equipment availability, pricing, reservations, physical movement, returns, deposits, and customer charges connected to the sales order.
The Rental Workflow
CATALOG → BOOK → CONFIRM → FULFILL → RETURN → RESOLVE
products hold commit handoff inspect deposits
& rates └──► incidents
- Set up the catalog — Create products, rates, stock, and serialized assets.
- Add equipment to a sales order — Choose the rental window, quantity, and rate, or let a menu item add its required returnable equipment.
- Confirm the order — The temporary hold is rechecked and committed.
- Fulfill on Delivery day — Mark Ready, then Out (and Back when collecting). Pickup / scans use reservation detail.
- Process the return — Receive and inspect every unit at the depot.
- Resolve exceptions — Handle missing, lost, damaged, cleaning, or repair items.
- Settle collateral — Release, refund, or apply the security deposit.
Where to Work
| Area | Use It To |
|---|---|
| Delivery → day board | Day-of Ready / Out / Back next to food stops |
| Production → day board | Kitchen sees Equipment to pack (read-only) on packaging cards |
| Rentals → Overview | Glance at what’s out, due back, and overdue |
| Rentals → Products | Manage products, rates, stock, and categories |
| Rentals → Assets | Find individually tagged equipment |
| Rentals → Returns | Depot receive, inspect, and reconcile |
| Rentals → Incidents | Review damage, loss, cleaning, and other exceptions |
| Rentals → Rental Settings | Account policies (deposit gate, overbooking, rental agreement) |
| Sales Orders → Rentals | Lifecycle and security deposit for one order |
Rental categories are available from the actions menu on Rental Products. Security deposits are managed from the Rentals section of the sales order.
Pooled and Serialized Equipment
Choose a tracking method when you create a product:
| Tracking | Best For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Pooled | Chairs, linens, dishes, and other interchangeable items | Staff record quantities as equipment moves |
| Serialized | Heaters, appliances, or high-value equipment | Each unit has an asset tag or barcode and is scanned during movement |
Warning
Once assets are registered for a serialized product, its tracking mode cannot be changed.
Important Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Date out / Date in | The customer-facing rental window |
| Preparation buffer | Time blocked before date out for preparation |
| Turnaround buffer | Time blocked after date in for inspection or cleaning |
| Soft hold | A temporary availability hold created while an order is being prepared |
| Included rental | Returnable equipment required by a menu item; shown at $0 because the menu item drives the customer price |
| Committed | A reservation confirmed with the sales order |
| Movement | A permanent record of an equipment state or custody change |
| Incident | Damage, loss, missing equipment, cleaning, repair, or another exception |
| Collateral | A refundable security deposit tracked separately from order revenue |
Access and Location
Rental records belong to the current account and depot location. Select the location that owns the equipment before setting up products or processing operations.
- Team members with rental access can view reservations and operations.
- Managers and administrators manage the catalog, deposits, and customer charges.
- Available actions may differ by role.
If Rentals is not visible, your subscription or role may not include the feature. Contact an account administrator.
Rules That Protect Inventory
- A rental line must belong to an event day on a sales order.
- Menu-item-required rentals are managed from the source menu line and cannot be edited separately.
- A product needs an active rate before it can be booked.
- Confirming the sales order rechecks availability.
- Equipment cannot leave ready stock until the order is confirmed.
- Required collateral must be secured before customer handoff or dispatch.
- Rental dates, rates, and quantities cannot be changed after equipment begins circulating.
- An order cannot complete while rentals, returns, or incidents remain open.
Tip
Use the sales order's Rentals section as the starting point when you need the complete history for an event.
Next Steps
- Rental Catalog — Set up products, rates, stock, and assets
- Booking & Availability — Add equipment to an order
- Rental Fulfillment — Move equipment through pickup or delivery
Last updated: August 23, 2026