The hire agreement checklist
A hire agreement only helps if it says what was agreed and you can show who agreed to it. Check yours covers these ten things before the gear leaves your yard, and keep the one-page PDF by the counter.
10 things every hire agreement needs
- The hirer: Full name, phone, email and driver licence (photo of the licence).
- The exact gear: Make, model, asset or serial number, and every attachment.
- Hire period: Start, end, return time and the late-return charge.
- Money: Rates, the bond amount, and when the bond is refunded.
- Condition at handover: Dated photos from every side, hour meter and fuel level.
- Damage and loss: What the hirer pays and how it is worked out.
- Fuel, cleaning and consumables: What “returned clean and full” means.
- Who may operate it and where it can be used: The site address, and no moving it without consent.
- Damage waiver or insurance options: And what they do not cover.
- Proof of signing: Who signed, on which device, the exact time, a copy sent to the hirer, and a signed copy nobody can quietly edit.
The three proofs that win a dispute
- Who signed
- Nothing changed
- Condition photos
How Signd puts this on every hire
- Build the agreement on your phone from saved customers, gear and your own terms. Unlimited hire agreements are free, with no credit card.
- The customer signs on their own phone from an email or a link, with no app or account, or in person on yours.
- Each signing records who signed, on which device and the exact time, with a fingerprint of the signed document, so any later edit stops matching.
- The signed PDF is saved with the hire and emailed to the customer.
- Front and back driver licence photos with the agreement. They are a record of the licence you were shown, not an identity check. (Signd Pro)
- Pre-hire and return inspections with condition photos, hour and fuel readings and a checklist. (Signd Pro)
Common questions
Is this checklist legal advice?
No. It is general information for hire businesses. What your agreement needs depends on your gear, your business and the law where you hire, so have your terms checked by your own adviser.
Does a licence photo prove who the hirer is?
No. A photo of the licence is a record of the licence you were shown. It does not verify identity, so check the licence against the person in front of you.
Is Signd free?
Unlimited hire agreements, customers and assets are free, with one terms set and no credit card. Licence photos, condition photos, card on file, bookings and payments come with Signd Pro, which has a 7-day free trial.
More guides
General information for hire businesses, not legal advice. Check your agreement and charges with your own adviser.