Help & FAQ

You browse listings, request a match on a car you like, and the host accepts. You then agree to the terms and book a minimum 4-week rental. Your card is pre-authorised for a refundable bond (2 weeks' rent) and saved for weekly billing. The first weekly charge fires on your pickup date — never before. The host gets paid 95% of each weekly charge automatically; we keep 5% as platform commission.

For hosts: upload a current Certificate of Inspection (COI) and Class 4 CTP Insurance and our admin team reviews. Approved listings carry the "Verified Car" badge; the badge auto-disappears when either document expires. The listing itself stays up either way. For renters: hosts can request Stripe Identity (a hosted licence + selfie check) before accepting your match. Or upload your driver licence + payment method through your account page and admin reviews — once approved you can book any car without per-match identity prompts. Adding your TMR Traffic History earns a standing 2% discount on every weekly charge.

Booking is gated by mutual matching. You see a car you like → click "Match this car" → the host has 24 hours to accept. Once they accept, you click "I Agree" on the agreement page → that's when the booking + Stripe checkout flow fires. Either side can pause the match and request verification first. You can post your own renter requirement at /requirements and hosts can match you instead — same flow, reversed. Limits: max 5 active matches per renter at once, 24-hour cooldown between matches, matches auto-expire after 24 hours if not accepted.

You're charged once at booking (the bond + any onboarding fee) and then once every 7 days starting from your pickup date. Each weekly charge is the listing's weekly rate — no surge pricing, no hidden fees. Charges go through Stripe and you can update your card anytime via the "Update payment method" link on your booking page.

The bond is 2 weeks' rent, held by Rentcaar (not the host) for the duration of your booking. You get the full bond back automatically when you complete the 4-week term and return the car in the agreed condition. If there's damage, fines, or a no-show, the host can file a bond claim and our admin team reviews — bond decisions are never automatic.

Before pickup: click "End booking and get my bond back" on your booking page. We refund the bond in full and stop future weekly charges. Mid-rental: the same button works — we refund the bond and the subscription cancels at period-end (you keep the car for the week you've paid for, no more weekly charges fire). The week already paid for is non-refundable.

Stripe auto-retries failed payments over a few days, and we email you the moment a charge fails. Update your card via the "Update payment method" button on the booking page — the next retry uses the new card. If two consecutive retries fail, the subscription terminates and the host can claim the bond. Don't ignore the failure email; recovery is much easier early.

If you don't collect the car within 24 hours of your scheduled pickup time and the host hasn't marked you collected, the booking is automatically marked as a no-show. The bond is paid to the host as compensation for holding the car off-market, and the subscription is cancelled. To avoid this: contact your host directly if you're running late, or end the booking proactively before the 24h mark.

Hosts receive 95% of each weekly charge automatically (we keep 5% commission). Payouts hit your linked Australian bank account every Monday. Stripe Connect handles the transfer — no manual invoicing. Use the "Manage on Stripe" button on your Payouts page to view payout history, update bank details, or download tax documents.

Sign up (or flip your existing renter account into Host Mode), list your car (year, make, model, weekly rate, location, photos), and complete Stripe Connect onboarding (identity + bank details). Your listing goes live as soon as you publish it — verification documents are optional. Upload your Certificate of Inspection and Class 4 CTP Insurance to earn the Verified Car badge any time after.

We collect only what we need to run the marketplace: contact details for booking confirmations, ID document uploads for verification, and a Stripe customer reference for billing (we never see or store your card number). Your data is held in Australia, never sold, and removed on request. Read the full Privacy Policy for the regulated details.