Frequently asked questions
Everything people ask us about renting, listing, money and safety. New to the site? Start with how NearbyRents works.
Last updated: 3 October 2026
The one thing worth knowing before anything else: NearbyRents is a notice board that introduces you to someone nearby. We do not own, inspect, insure, clean or deliver any item, we never handle your money, and we are not a party to your rental. Several answers below follow from that.
Money, deposits and fees
Does NearbyRents take a commission on my rental?
No. Listing is free, browsing is free, messaging is free, and we take no cut of what you agree. The only thing we charge for is a subscription sold to a business listing a sports ground or venue.
How do I pay for a rental?
You pay the owner directly — in cash, by UPI, or however the two of you agree. NearbyRents is not a payment processor. No rent and no deposit ever passes through us, and we hold no card details.
Who holds my security deposit?
The owner does. The deposit is agreed and handed over directly between the two of you, and the owner returns it when the item comes back as agreed. We never hold it, which also means we cannot release it, withhold it, or return it on anyone’s behalf.
Can NearbyRents refund me if a rental goes wrong?
No. We cannot refund money we never received. There is no platform booking to cancel and no payment held by us, so there is nothing for us to reverse. Agree cancellation terms with the other person in writing before you pay anything.
Is there any charge for cancelling?
Not from us. We impose no cancellation fee and hold nobody to a booking, because the booking is not with us. Whatever you and the other person agreed between you is what applies.
Hourly, daily and monthly rentals
Can I rent something by the hour?
Yes. Owners choose whether they charge by the hour, by the day or by the month, and machinery, equipment and some vehicles are commonly hired by the hour. Use the "Rented by" filter on the browse page and choose Hour to see only hourly listings.
Is an hourly rate just the daily rate divided by 24?
No, and we never calculate one that way. An hourly rate is the owner’s own figure and is shown only as an hourly rate — we do not convert it into a daily or monthly price, and we do not convert a daily price into an hourly one. A rate you see per hour is a rate someone actually quoted per hour.
Why do some listings show an approximate monthly price?
Where an owner has quoted only a daily rate, we show an estimated monthly figure (30 × the daily rate) marked with a "~" so you can compare listings on one basis. It is clearly labelled as approximate because the owner has not agreed to it — long lets are usually discounted. Ask the owner for their real monthly rate.
Who sets the prices?
The owner, entirely. Every figure on this site is an asking rate typed in by the person renting the item out. We do not set, approve, cap or check prices.
Trust, safety and condition
Does NearbyRents check the items listed on the site?
No. Listings are published immediately and we never see, inspect, test, photograph or handle the goods. Every description and photograph was supplied by the owner. Inspect anything yourself before you pay for it.
What does a verification badge actually mean?
Only that limited signals have been checked — a confirmed email address, account age, rating history, activity on the platform. It is not an identity check, a background check or a government-ID check, and it is not a guarantee that a person or their goods are as described.
Are rentals insured?
No. NearbyRents provides no insurance, no damage cover, no guarantee and no protection plan of any kind. If you want cover for a valuable item, arrange it yourself.
How should I protect myself at handover?
Meet somewhere public and busy, in daylight where you can. Inspect the item properly and test anything mechanical. Photograph it together at handover and again at return — that single habit settles most disagreements in a minute. Keep the conversation in the NearbyRents chat so there is a written record of what was agreed.
Do I need a licence to rent a vehicle here?
Yes, and it is your responsibility, not ours. Whoever drives must hold a valid licence, and the owner is responsible for the vehicle’s registration, permit, fitness and insurance. We check none of these. Any challan, accident or penalty is a matter between the driver and the owner.
When something goes wrong
An item came back damaged. What does NearbyRents do?
Nothing financially — we cannot award compensation or move money we never held. The deposit exists for this, and photographs taken at handover and return are what settle it. Beyond that it is a civil matter between the two of you. You can report the user to us, and persistent bad behaviour costs someone their account.
Someone took my money and never gave me the item. Can you get it back?
No. We have no access to that payment and no power to reverse it. Report the account to us so we can remove it, and for anything involving theft or fraud, file a police complaint. We co-operate with lawful requests for the account information we hold.
Will NearbyRents mediate or arbitrate my dispute?
No. We are not a dispute-resolution service and do not arbitrate, adjudicate or apportion blame between two users. What we can do is enforce our own rules about who may use the platform — take a listing down, suspend an account — which is a different thing from deciding your dispute.
How do I report a listing or a user?
Use the "Report this listing" link at the bottom of any listing page, or write to us from the contact page. We acknowledge reports within 24 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days.
Listing and managing your items
Why is my new listing not showing up?
Almost always because it has no photographs. A listing with no photos is never made public — it is saved as inactive instead. Add at least one image and switch it on from My Listings.
My listing was taken down. Why?
Open My Listings — the reason is shown on the listing itself. Takedowns follow a report and a review against our Community Guidelines. If you think it was wrong, write to us from the contact page using the address on your account and a person will look again.
Can I pause a listing instead of deleting it?
Yes. Switch it off in My Listings. It stops appearing immediately, nothing is deleted, and you can switch it back on when the item is free again.
What does the AI assistant do when I create a listing?
If you type an item name and pick a category, it drafts a description and suggests a subcategory, specifications, tags and indicative rates. It only ever fills boxes you have left blank, it never overwrites anything you typed, and nothing is disabled while it runs. You are responsible for what you publish — check the suggested prices especially, since those are the numbers you get paid on.
Can I upload many listings at once?
Yes — there is a bulk upload that takes a CSV or Excel file, with a template you can download per category. Rows whose images cannot be matched are saved as inactive rather than published without a photo.
Your account
I never set a password. How do I sign in?
There are no passwords on NearbyRents. You enter your email address and we send a six-digit code that is valid for ten minutes. That is the whole sign-in. It also means a breach of our database exposes no password you might have reused elsewhere.
The sign-in code has not arrived.
Check your spam folder first. Codes can take a minute, and pressing resend does not cancel the earlier code — both work until they expire, so use whichever arrives. There is a short cooldown between sends.
How do I delete my account?
From your profile. Deletion needs a fresh code sent to your email, so that nobody else can do it from a session left open. It removes your profile and your listings.
Venues and advertising
I run a sports ground. How does that work?
Venues are listed on a subscription and booked by the hour through a slot calendar you control. Players pay you directly — we take no cut of your bookings. See the list your ground page for the details.
Can I advertise on NearbyRents?
Yes. Placements are sold directly — use the advertise page, or choose "Advertisement" as the subject on the contact page.
Still stuck?
Write to us from the contact page — it reaches us directly and we reply to the address you give.
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