Staying safe
Renting from a stranger is usually fine and occasionally is not. This page is about the difference — and about being straight with you on what we do not do.
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Start here: what we do not do
We would rather you were disappointed by this list than surprised by it later. NearbyRents does not:
- check anyone’s government ID, address or background;
- inspect, test or see any item before it is listed;
- insure any item, any person or any rental — there is no cover of any kind;
- hold your money, your deposit or anything in escrow;
- guarantee that anyone will turn up, pay, or return what they borrowed;
- mediate or arbitrate when two users fall out;
- staff a 24-hour helpline.
An earlier version of this page claimed several of those. It was wrong, and saying so here matters more than looking good.
What we do is run the notice board, remove listings and accounts that are reported and found to break the rules, and give you the advice below — which, followed, prevents nearly everything that goes wrong.
Before you agree anything
- Read the whole listing and the reviews. An owner with completed rentals and written reviews is a far better signal than any badge.
- Ask questions in the chat, not on a call. A written record of what was promised is the single most useful thing you can have if it goes wrong later. “Does the price include the helmet?” answered in writing is worth more than a reassuring phone call.
- Agree everything explicitly — the rate and whether it is per hour, per day or per month; the deposit and when it comes back; what counts as damage; what happens if it is returned late; who pays for fuel or cleaning.
- Be suspicious of pressure. “Pay now or I will give it to someone else” is how a hurried person gets defrauded.
Paying
Never pay before you have seen the item. A request for an advance from someone you have not met, for goods you have not inspected, is the commonest fraud on any marketplace. Money sent by UPI is gone, and we cannot recover it because it never came near us.
- Pay at handover, not before, and keep the UPI reference or a receipt.
- Never share an OTP, a UPI PIN, a card number or your sign-in code with anyone. We will never ask for any of them.
- Be wary of anyone who wants to move the conversation to another app immediately, or who will not meet in person.
- A “refundable registration fee” or a request to scan a QR code to receive money is always a scam. Scanning a QR code sends money; it does not collect it.
Meeting and handing over
- Meet somewhere public and busy, in daylight where you can. A metro station, a café, a petrol pump.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
- Photograph the item together, at handover and again at return. Timestamps, all sides, any existing marks. This one habit settles almost every disagreement about condition in under a minute.
- Test anything mechanical or electrical before money changes hands.
- If something feels wrong, leave. No rental is worth it.
Vehicles and equipment
These carry real, physical risk and no platform policy changes that.
- Whoever drives must hold a valid licence for that class of vehicle. Check the owner’s registration, insurance and fitness papers, and photograph them.
- Agree in writing who is responsible for a challan, an accident, or damage during the hire. We are not, in any circumstance.
- Wear a helmet. Check brakes, tyres, lights and fuel before you leave.
- For machinery and power equipment, ask for the operating instructions and do not use anything you are not trained to use.
If you are the one renting out
- Take a deposit that genuinely reflects what the item is worth to replace.
- Photograph the item before it leaves and when it comes back.
- Note the renter’s name and phone number, and check it matches the account messaging you.
- Describe the item honestly, including the marks and the age. Almost every dispute starts with a listing that was a little too flattering.
- Do not hand over anything you cannot afford to lose.
Your account
There are no passwords here. You sign in with a six-digit code sent to your email, valid for ten minutes — so your email account is the key to this one. Secure it, and turn on two-factor authentication with your email provider.
Never share a sign-in code. Anyone asking you to read one out is trying to take your account, whoever they say they are.
Your connection to this site is encrypted in transit and sign-in codes are stored hashed. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted — we can read them, and we will where a report or the law requires it. Do not send anything through the chat you would not want read.
Reporting someone
Use the Report this listing link on any listing, or write to us from the contact page. Tell us what happened and keep the chat messages — they are the evidence.
We acknowledge reports within 24 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days. We can remove a listing and suspend an account. To be clear about the limit: we cannot recover your money or your property, and we cannot decide your dispute. For theft or fraud, file a police complaint — we co-operate with lawful requests. You can report cybercrime in India at cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.
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