Security deposits are where trust can either break or deepen. Most friction isn’t about the amount — it’s about uncertainty:
- “Is this a charge or a hold?”
- “When does it happen?”
- “How long will my bank show it?”
- “Who decides what gets charged?”
If your staff improvises the explanation, you end up with different stories across email, WhatsApp, and pickup — and that’s where disputes live.
This guide gives you a deposit policy structure that is easy to say out loud, consistent for your team, and clear for clients.
The one-sentence policy (start here)
You want a single line that frames everything:
“For every booking we place a temporary security hold on your card. If the car is returned as agreed, the hold is released and you are not charged.”
That sentence does 90% of the work: it defines hold vs. charge, it signals conditions, and it reduces anxiety.
Define the 5 questions your policy must answer
A deposit policy only needs to answer the same five questions, every time:
- When is the hold placed? (at booking, before pickup, at pickup)
- How much is it? (fixed, by category, or by booking value)
- How long does it stay? (and what banks control vs. what you control)
- When do you charge vs. release? (conditions and process)
- What happens if there’s an incident? (document → explain → charge)
If any of those is missing, clients fill the gap with worst-case assumptions.
A template you can copy/paste
Use this as your base. Replace the bracketed parts with your real values.
Deposit amount
For this booking, we place a security hold of €[AMOUNT] on your card.
This is not a charge.
When the hold is placed
The hold is placed [at booking / X days before pickup / at pickup] once the booking is confirmed.
How long the hold stays
We release the hold [at return / within X hours of return] if the car is returned as agreed.
After we release it, your bank controls when it disappears from your statement (often within [N] business days).
When we charge vs. release
If the car is returned on time and in the agreed condition, we release the hold and you are not charged.
If there are extra charges (for example additional km, fuel, late return, or damage), we explain the reason and amount first, and may use part of the deposit to cover them.
If there is an incident
If there is damage or an incident, we document everything (photos, notes, invoices) and share supporting information.
If we need to use all or part of the deposit, we explain the calculation and provide evidence.
Make the policy match real life (or it will fail)
A policy fails when staff can’t follow it under pressure. Three common mismatches:
1) “We release immediately” (but nobody does)
If your team is busy, “immediate release” turns into “next week.”
Fix it by writing what you can actually do: “within 24 hours of return”.
2) “We’ll charge whatever is necessary” (too vague)
Clients interpret this as “they can take anything.”
Instead, define categories: fuel, extra km, late return, cleaning, documented damage.
3) “The bank will release in 24 hours” (you don’t control that)
You can’t promise bank timing.
Say the truth: you release; banks decide timing.
Where to publish this policy (so it works)
Your deposit policy should appear in three places:
- On the website (short version, plain language)
- In the booking flow (next to deposit/hold line items)
- In confirmation emails (repeat the key parts)
If a client only discovers the rules at pickup, you’ve already lost leverage.
Edge cases you should decide in advance
Don’t wait until the first argument to define these:
- Late return thresholds (e.g. 30 minutes vs. 2 hours)
- Fuel rules (same level vs. full-to-full)
- Cleaning triggers (normal use vs. smoking/pets/heavy dirt)
- Damage workflows (who approves charges and how evidence is stored)
- Disputes (what happens if the client disagrees on-site)
A “good” policy is one your team can execute without asking a manager every time.
How Dromium fits in
In Dromium, your deposit policy becomes enforceable:
- holds/charges are tied to the booking, not a memory
- the client sees deposit rules at checkout
- staff see deposit status and timeline in one view
- evidence (notes, photos) lives next to the booking where it matters
The point isn’t to be harsher — it’s to be predictable, and predictability builds trust.