On a boat you price here yourself, the guest's security deposit is a hold on their card, placed for you about a week before check-in. If something is damaged, the company owner files a boat charter damage claim from the booking within 48 hours of the end of the charter, for no more than the deposit.

On boats sold through MMK or Nausys, the charter company collects the deposit at the base, under its own terms. There is nothing to set up here for those boats, and claims for them are not filed here.

Where the deposit amount comes from

The amount is the boat's Security Deposit. You set it in the boat editor, in the charter rules. How guests see the deposit is explained in Security Deposits & Damage Claims.

How to check the deposit hold

  1. In your dashboard, open Bookings and click the booking.
  2. Find the Security Deposit section.
  3. Read the line under it.

Before the hold is placed, it reads that the amount is a refundable hold on the guest's card — placed automatically about a week before check-in. Once it is in place it reads hold is active on the guest's card. After the charter it reads hold was released after the charter. If a claim took money from it, it reads Repair quote taken for the damage claim.

If the guest cannot complete the hold

Sometimes the guest cannot complete the hold on their booking page. Then send them a payment link.

  1. On the booking, in Security Deposit, click Create payment link for the hold.
  2. A link and a QR code appear. Click Copy to copy the link.
  3. Send the link to the guest, or let them scan the QR code.

The link opens a Stripe page that places the refundable hold. No login is needed, so anyone in the party can complete it. The link is valid for 24 hours. Click regenerate to make a new one at any time.

Who can file a claim

Only the company owner can file a damage claim. If you are a team member, ask the owner of your company account to file it. See How do I add a team member, and what can a member do?.

When you can file

The File a claim button appears on the booking while three things are true: the deposit hold is active, the booking is confirmed or completed, and no more than 48 hours have passed since the end of the charter. After that the claim page reads Claim Window Closed. You can file one claim per booking.

How to file a damage claim

  1. Open the booking in Bookings.
  2. In Security Deposit, click File a claim.
  3. The File a Damage Claim page opens. It shows the boat, the guest, the dates, the deposit, and Claim deadline with the exact date and time.
  4. Under How is it settled?, pick Amicable (nothing is taken and the hold is released) or Deposit taken.
  5. Under Type of Damage, pick one: Scratch or Scuff, Dent or Impact, Mechanical Damage, Interior Damage, Missing Item or Other.
  6. Under Describe the Damage, write what happened and when you found it. Use at least 50 characters. A counter shows how many you have.
  7. For Deposit taken, type the Repair quote amount, at most the deposit.
  8. Under Photos of Damage, click Click to upload photos. Add at least one. Photos from several angles help.
  9. Under Damage report, upload the report signed by you and the guest. For Deposit taken, also upload the Repair quote. Each can be a PDF, JPG or PNG.
  10. Click Submit Claim.

You and the guest are emailed. We check that the documents are complete and consistent. When they are, the quoted amount is taken from the deposit.

How to follow your claim

Open the booking in Bookings and open the claim from it. The claim page shows its status: Checking documents, Documents needed, Deposit taken, Declined or Resolved.

If we ask for a missing document, we leave a Note from Charter Boats. Answer under Communication and click Send, and the claim goes back into the document check.

What happens to the money

Once the deposit is taken, upload the final or pro-forma invoice under Repair invoice and click Upload invoice. You are paid its amount in full, up to the quote, with no commission. The rest goes back to the guest minus the card fee on the amount taken. If the documents are not accepted, the hold is released and the claim closes. There is no appeal: a party who disagrees can ask for an independent expert, paid by whoever asks, or go to the courts. If no claim is filed, the hold is released after the charter.

A tip that saves arguments

Photograph or film the boat at check-in and again at check-out. Photos taken before the charter make the damage report easier to agree with the guest.

For the money from the charter itself, see When and how do I get paid?. For the other screens in your dashboard, see the Owner Dashboard guide. A claim is filed only from its booking, with File a claim under Security Deposit; you follow and answer it on the claim page, opened from Damage claim on this booking at the top of the same booking.