The six photos to take before the keys change hands

Every rent-a-car shop has had the conversation. The car comes back with a dent in the rear door. The renter says it was already there. Your staff say it was not. Nobody has a photo, so the shop eats the repair or loses the customer, and sometimes both.

The six angles

1. Front, straight on, number plate visible.
2. Rear, the same.
3. Driver side, full length.
4. Passenger side, full length.
5. Dashboard with the odometer reading and the fuel gauge in one frame.
6. Interior, rear seats and boot, for cigarette burns and the spare wheel.

Add a close-up of anything already damaged. Point at it with a finger in the frame so the photo cannot be mistaken for a different panel.

Odometer and fuel

Write both numbers down at check out and at return. Extra kilometres and missing fuel are the two charges renters dispute most, and the two that are easiest to prove with a photo of the dashboard.

Why staff skip the photos, and how to fix it

It is 9 in the morning, three families are waiting, and the photos live in someone's personal WhatsApp where nobody can find them next week. The fix is not a lecture. It is making the photos the way the booking opens. In Amanat the check-out screen on the phone has six photo buttons; the booking does not move to "out" until they are filled. The photos sit inside the booking with the time, and the car owner can see them too.

What to say at the counter

"We photograph every car at the keys, yours as well." Most renters are relieved. The ones who object are telling you something.