Forms let you replace one-size-fits-all paperwork with reusable templates. Build a template once, assign it to inventory items (or your whole location) at a journey board stage, and staff complete it on their own device with the customer signing in person. Templates are shared between rentals and tours.
Find it in the sidebar under Fleet → Forms (between Waivers and Memberships). It is part of the advanced navigation set, so it is hidden for users on Simple navigation mode.
- One template library, shared by rentals and tours, tagged and searchable
- Assign per item (with category quick-add) or as a location-wide global fallback, at any journey stage
- Required forms warn at stage transition (single drags, group drags, and the bookings list); only managers/admins can bypass, and every bypass is logged
- Completed on the operator's device with in-person signatures -- never sent to the customer
- Signatures are stamped with timestamp, booking ID, and GPS; completed forms feed the dispute Evidence Pack
- Drafts survive dropped connections; past submissions never change when a template is edited
How it fits together
Templates
A template is a reusable form definition: a name, an optional description shown to staff, tags for sorting and filtering, and a list of fields.
Field types
| Field type | What it captures |
|---|---|
| ✏️ Text | Short free text |
| 📝 Long text | Multi-line notes |
| 🔽 Dropdown | One choice from a list you define |
| ☑️ Checkbox | A yes/no confirmation (e.g., "Safety briefing completed") |
| 🔢 Number | A numeric value (e.g., engine hours, fuel level) |
| 📅 Date | A calendar date |
| ✍️ Signature | A drawn signature captured on the operator's device |
| 📷 Photos | One or more photos taken or uploaded on the spot (mobile camera or desktop webcam) |
| 🎥 Video | A video clip recorded or uploaded on the spot |
A template can contain as many signature fields as you need -- for example one for the customer and one for the staff member. Set the signer hint on each signature field (e.g., "Customer", "Staff") so the right person signs the right pad.
Every captured signature is automatically stamped with the completion timestamp, the booking ID, and (when location access is granted on the device) GPS coordinates. Completed forms, including these stamped signatures and all photos, are included in the booking's Evidence Pack used to fight card disputes.
An empty Forms page offers one-click starter inspection templates (Check-Out and Check-In) with fuel level, engine hours, photos, and signatures already configured -- edit them like any other template.
Form type
Each template has a type: General, Check-Out (start of rental), or Check-In (return). General is right for most forms; the Check-Out and Check-In types exist for templates that play the role of an inspection form.
Editing and versioning
Editing a live template only affects future submissions. Every completed submission stores a snapshot of the fields as they were at completion, so past submissions always render exactly as they were filled out.
Archiving a template removes it from the list and deletes its assignments. Completed submissions are always kept.
Assignments
An assignment binds a template to a place in your operation:
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| 🎯 Scope | Specific items (pick one or more) or Global fallback |
| 🧭 Stage | Any stage on your journey board pipeline |
| ⚠️ Requirement | Required or Optional |
Rules:
- An item can hold multiple assignments across different stages.
- Assigning the same template to the same item and stage twice dedupes to a single instance.
- When picking specific items, quick-add chips let you add every item in an inventory category at once.
- If a stage is later removed from your pipeline, its assignments are flagged with a "Stage no longer in pipeline" warning so you can reassign them.
- A global fallback assignment applies to every item at the location that has no item-level assignment at that same stage. Item-level assignments suppress the global form at their stage only; global forms at other stages still apply.
- Click the Required/Optional chip on any assignment to toggle it.
Which form applies to an item?
Required forms and the journey board
When staff move a booking to a new stage -- dragging a single card or a whole multi-item group on the journey board, or changing the status from the bookings list -- RentalTide checks whether any required forms for that stage are incomplete. If so, a warning dialog lists them -- it is a warning, not a hard block.
Every override is recorded on the booking timeline: who bypassed, which requirements, which stage, and when. Only Owner and Admin roles can override; other staff cannot.
Optional forms never warn; they simply appear on the booking, ready to be filled.
Completing a form
Forms are always completed on an operator's device -- they are never sent to the customer's phone or email. The staff member drives the form and hands the device over for in-person signatures.
You can complete a form from:
- The booking details or order page, where a Forms card lists every form assigned to the booking's items with its completion status. Click Fill next to any open form.
- The same card's Fill a form button, which lets you complete any template ad-hoc -- useful for mid-rental incident reports or anything outside the assigned stages.
While filling a form, progress is saved as a draft on the device automatically. If the connection drops or the dialog is closed, reopening the form restores what was entered. Submitting the finished form requires a connection.
Completed forms appear on the booking with who completed them, the customer who signed, and a timestamp -- and each completion is also recorded on the booking's activity timeline. In kiosk mode, the completion is attributed to the signed-in kiosk staffer, not the shared account. Click any completed form to view a read-only copy, including signatures, photos, and videos.
Automations
A Booking Form Completed trigger is available in Outreach sequences, so you can automatically email or text the customer when their paperwork is done (e.g., a copy-of-your-inspection confirmation).
Who can manage forms
Building templates and managing assignments requires the Access Forms permission (Owner and Admin roles always have it; grant it to staff accounts under staff permissions in Daily Operations).
Tips
- Tag templates by use (e.g.,
jetski,tour,damage) to keep a large library sortable. - Use a Global fallback assignment for your baseline form, then add item-level assignments only where a specific item needs something different.
- Keep required forms to the ones that genuinely gate handing over a unit -- every required form adds a check at stage transition.