Initial setup
This guide walks you through the one-time configuration steps to get your RentalTide location fully operational. Complete these before your first day of business.
Business information
Navigate to Admin > Settings to fill in your business details. These values appear on receipts, invoices, and customer-facing pages.
- Business name — your legal or DBA name
- Phone number — shown on booking confirmations and the public site
- Logo — uploaded as a square image, at least 256 x 256 px
- Support email — where customer replies are routed
Location setup
Each location needs three things configured before it can accept bookings.
Timezone
Set the timezone that matches your physical location. All booking times, operating hours, and reports use this timezone. You can change it later, but existing bookings will not shift.
Operating hours
Define when your location is open for each day of the week. The public booking page only shows time slots within these hours. You can override individual dates from the calendar for holidays or weather closures.
Tax rates and fees
Under Location > Taxes & Fees, add each applicable tax rate (state, county, local) as a percentage. You can also define flat fees such as:
- Fuel surcharge
- Cleaning fee
- Environmental fee
- Credit card processing fee pass-through
Taxes and fees are calculated automatically at checkout and reported separately in the ledger.
Stripe Connect onboarding
RentalTide processes payments through Stripe. Each location connects its own Stripe account so funds deposit directly into your bank.
- Go to Admin > Payments.
- Click Connect with Stripe.
- Complete the Stripe onboarding flow — you will need your EIN or SSN, bank account details, and a government-issued ID.
- Once approved, your location can accept credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Stripe may take 1-2 business days to verify your identity and bank account. You can configure everything else in RentalTide while you wait, but payment collection will not work until Stripe approves your account.
If you already have a Stripe account, RentalTide uses Stripe Connect to link it. Your existing Stripe dashboard, payouts, and reporting remain unchanged.
Terminal setup
If you plan to accept in-person payments, register your Stripe terminal hardware under POS > Terminals. RentalTide supports Stripe Reader S700, M2, and BBPOS WisePOS E.
Staff invitations
Invite your team from Admin > Staff Management. Each staff member receives a role:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full access to all settings, reporting, and staff management |
| Manager | Bookings, POS, operations, and reporting. Cannot manage billing or other admins. |
| Staff | Day-to-day operations — check-in, walk-ups, POS register, journey board |
- Click Invite Staff.
- Enter their email address and select a role.
- Assign them to one or more locations.
- They will receive an email with a link to set their password.
After inviting staff, set up their weekly schedule under Staffing > Schedule. Shifts appear on the manifest and control who shows up on the journey board.
Waivers
Most rental operations require customers to sign a liability waiver before departure. Configure your waiver under Fleet > Waivers.
- Paste your waiver text or upload a PDF.
- Choose when the waiver is presented — at checkout, on the next-steps page, or at check-in.
- Enable the signature requirement. Customers sign on their phone or a shared tablet.
Signed waivers are stored and linked to the booking. You can view or download them from the booking detail page.
Next steps
Your location is fully configured. Here are a few things to explore next:
- Embed the booking widget on your website
- Create promo codes for your launch
- Set up the POS register for walk-in retail sales
- Configure the manifest for daily departure tracking