Why a rental business outgrows the notebook
Rental management software is for a business where the same item goes out and comes back many times. A notebook works when there are ten items. It stops working when a costume shop has three hundred dresses before the school annual day, or a camera rental has the same lens booked by two people for the same weekend.
The common losses are the same everywhere: an item booked twice, a deposit not returned or not taken, damage noticed only after the customer has left, and an item that simply never came back because nobody was checking.
What Cartix Prime does for rentals
Rentals are part of Cartix Prime from the Silver plan, and grow with each plan:
| Plan | What rentals include |
|---|---|
| Silver | Bookings, pickup, return and the deposit |
| Gold | Adds a calendar, packages, kits, photos, damage, and kilometres for vehicles |
| Platinum | Adds online booking, seasonal prices, agreements and long hires |
Silver: the basics done right
Every hire is a booking. When the customer comes to collect, it becomes a pickup, with the deposit recorded. When they bring it back, it is a return, and the deposit is settled. You always know what is out and with whom.
Gold: for busy rental shops
The calendar shows what is booked on which days, which is what stops double bookings. Packages and kits let you rent a set as one, such as a camera with two lenses and a tripod, or a stage set with lights and speakers. Photos record the condition of the item, and damage can be noted at return. For vehicles, the kilometres are recorded.
Platinum: for larger operations
Online booking lets customers book themselves. Seasonal prices handle the wedding season or the festival rush. Agreements cover the paperwork, and long hires suit items that go out for months, such as furniture or equipment on a site.
How a rental works at the counter
- The customer asks for an item for certain dates. Check what is free (on Gold, on the calendar) and make the booking.
- On the day, the customer collects it. Record the pickup and take the deposit. On Gold, take photos of the item’s condition, or note the kilometres for a vehicle.
- The customer brings it back. Record the return and check for damage.
- Settle the deposit and bill the rent with GST, like any other Cartix Prime bill. Send the bill on WhatsApp as a link.
Payments can be cash, UPI, card, credit or split, as with every bill.
Examples
- A costume rental shop in Thrissur before school and college festivals rents out dance costumes in sets with their jewellery. Kits on Gold keep each set together, and photos show the condition at pickup.
- A camera and lens rental in Bengaluru uses the calendar to stop the same lens going to two customers on the same weekend.
- A self-drive car and bike rental records kilometres at pickup and return on Gold, and on Platinum lets customers book online and charges more in the holiday season.
- A shop that sells and also rents, such as a party supplies store or a tools shop, keeps both in one Cartix Prime account.
Who it suits
Rentals in Cartix Prime suit costume and dress rentals, camera and audio-visual equipment, tools and construction equipment, furniture and event items, party and wedding supplies, and self-drive vehicles. If your business repairs things rather than hiring them out, see job cards for repairs.
Because rentals sit inside full billing software, the same account also handles items you sell, customer credit, GST reports such as GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, and stock. See GST billing software for that side, and customer credit for customers who pay later.
Which plan has it
| Plan | 1 computer + 1 phone | Phone only |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | ₹4,999 | ₹1,099 |
| Gold | ₹8,999 | ₹1,899 |
| Platinum | ₹12,999 | ₹2,599 |
Prices are for a year, before 18% GST. Rentals are not on Starter. Every new shop gets 7 days of Silver free, with no card, which is enough to run a week of real bookings, pickups and returns. Start at the sign-up page. Rentals are also in Cartix Prime Offline; online booking is not, because it needs the internet.
Questions people ask
What is rental management software?
Software that records what is hired out, to whom, for which dates, with the deposit, pickup and return. Cartix Prime has rentals from the Silver plan, with a calendar, kits and damage on Gold, and online booking on Platinum.
Can I stop double bookings of the same item?
Yes. On the Gold plan, Cartix Prime shows rentals on a calendar, so you see what is booked on which days before you take a new booking. Silver has bookings, pickup, return and deposits without the calendar.
Can I record vehicle kilometres for a car or bike rental?
Yes. On Gold and above, Cartix Prime records kilometres for vehicles at pickup and return, with photos of the vehicle and any damage. Platinum adds online booking, seasonal prices and agreements.
Can customers book rentals online?
Yes, on the Platinum plan, ₹12,999 a year for one computer and one phone before GST. Online booking needs the internet, so it is not part of Cartix Prime Offline, though bookings made at the counter are.
Can a shop both sell and rent items in the same software?
Yes. Rentals sit inside Cartix Prime’s normal billing, so one account handles items you sell, items you rent, stock, customer credit and GST reports.