In most Moroccan rental agencies, money moves in cash: a deposit when booking, the balance at pick-up, a security deposit returned on the way back. While the agency is small, a notebook is enough. As soon as there are two agents and twenty files a week, the question "how much is still to be collected on this file?" becomes hard to answer.
This article describes a simple method for tracking those amounts, and how LocaFlotte actually records them — without promising online payment, which does not exist in the product.
Three different things called "the money on the file"
The first useful reflex is not to mix three notions. The deposit is an advance on the rental: it reduces what the customer will have to pay. The balance is the rest of the rental. The security deposit is a guarantee: it is not agency revenue and it is meant to be returned. An agency that adds all three into a single box believes it is collecting more than it really is.
The practical consequence is simple: the deposit and the balance are tracked on the reservation, the security deposit on the contract. In LocaFlotte, the security deposit amount is carried by the contract, together with the amount actually returned and the reason when the return is partial.
Recording a payment: what the product asks for
Every payment is attached to a reservation and carries an amount, a date and a method. The available methods are cash, bank transfer, a card taken at the agency terminal, cheque, and an "other" category. There is no online payment: no payment provider is integrated, and the product does not claim otherwise.
What to record depending on the method
| Method | Useful information to enter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | Internal receipt number | It is the agency's only trace if the payment is contested. |
| Bank transfer | Transfer reference, bank | Lets you find the operation on the bank statement. |
| Card at the terminal | Ticket reference, last four digits | The full card number is never stored. |
| Cheque | Cheque number, bank | A cheque cashed later is found immediately. |
A free note remains possible on each payment: that is where you write "paid by the customer's brother" or "300 still to be paid on Monday".
The status changes everything: declared, collected, cancelled
A payment can be declared but not yet collected, collected, or cancelled. That distinction is what makes the outstanding balance reliable: only confirmed payments reduce the amount still due. A cheque announced but not yet taken to the bank must not suggest that the file is settled.
A cancelled payment is not erased: it stays in the file history with its cancellation date and reason. That is deliberate. A line that disappears from a cash journal is always more awkward than a line that is cancelled and explained, especially when two agents take turns at the counter.
The security deposit, from pick-up to return
The security deposit is set on the contract. On return, two situations arise. Either the vehicle comes back as expected and the deposit is returned in full. Or fuel is missing, the mileage exceeds the agreed limit, the return is late beyond the tolerance, or damage is found: the contract then provides for charges computed from the agency's parameters, and the return is partial.
A deduction from the deposit is hard to discuss verbally. It is easy to discuss when the pick-up inspection, with its photos, is annexed to the contract signed by the customer: the comparison then rests on a document the customer signed at pick-up.
A ten-minute end-of-day routine
LocaFlotte
Closing the till without spending the evening on it
The goal is not accounting: it is ending the day knowing what came in, what is still owed and what will have to be returned.
- 1
Record at the moment of collection
A payment noted two days later is a payment whose method and reference nobody remembers. Entering it takes thirty seconds at the counter.
- 2
Check the day's files
For each pick-up and each return of the day, check the outstanding balance. That is the moment when the customer can still be reached.
- 3
Confirm or cancel pending payments
A cheque taken to the bank becomes collected; a bounced cheque becomes cancelled with its reason. What stays "pending" should be a real wait.
- 4
List the deposits to return
Returned vehicles whose deposit has not been given back are money that is not yours. Handle them before a customer calls.
To check before closing
- All of the day's collections recorded
- Method and reference filled in
- Pending payments settled
- Outstanding balances known
- Deposits to return identified
What it changes the next day
Any agent can answer a customer about their file without calling the manager, and the manager knows what the agency actually collected without redoing the accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Can a customer pay by card online?
No. LocaFlotte records the payments the agency takes: cash, bank transfer, a card taken at the agency terminal, cheque, or other. There is no online payment module for your customers.
How do I track a deposit taken at booking?
The deposit is recorded as a payment on the reservation, with its date and method. As long as it is confirmed it reduces the outstanding balance, so the remainder appears directly on the file.
Is the security deposit counted as rental revenue?
No, and that matters: the security deposit is carried by the contract, with the amount returned and, where relevant, the reason for a partial return. Confusing it with revenue distorts all your totals.
What do I do with a bounced cheque?
Set the payment to cancelled with its reason. It stays visible in the file history and the outstanding balance goes back up automatically, which is exactly what you need to chase the customer.
Is the customer's card number recorded?
Never in full. Only the last four digits can be noted, so you can find the operation on the terminal ticket.
See payment tracking on your own files
On a demonstration, we show how a deposit, a balance and a security deposit are tracked from pick-up to return.
Request a demonstration