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Cancelling a booking as a gear owner

Sometimes a confirmed booking has to be cancelled from the owner's side, for example if the equipment is damaged, lost, or otherwise becomes unavailable. Because the renter is usually relying on the gear for a specific shoot day, this should be a last resort, not a way to get out of a booking you'd simply rather not do.

This page covers cancelling a booking you've already accepted. If you haven't accepted it yet, you can simply decline the request instead, which refunds the renter in full automatically. See Understanding cancellation fees for how that works.

Steps to cancel​

  1. Go to My listings and open Bookings.
  2. Select the confirmed booking you need to cancel.
  3. Select Cancel booking and choose a reason.
  4. Confirm the cancellation.
  5. Message the renter directly through the platform to explain what happened, even though they'll also get an automatic notification.

What happens for the renter​

Since the cancellation isn't the renter's choice, they receive a full refund of their rental payment, community fee, and security deposit, regardless of how close to pickup it is. None of it is withheld, and none of the usual cancellation tiers apply. See Cancelling a booking as a renter for how refunds normally work when a renter cancels, for comparison.

What it means for you​

No service fee is charged on a booking you cancel, so you won't be paid out for a rental you don't fulfil. Frequent cancellations can also affect how much renters trust your listings and your standing on the platform, so it's worth treating this as something to avoid rather than a routine option. See Reviews and reputation for how reputation works on GearLend.

If a renter cancels on you instead​

The rules above are only for cancellations you make yourself. If a renter cancels a booking with you, you may still be paid part or all of the rental price, depending on how close to pickup they cancel. See Understanding cancellation fees for the exact tiers.

Avoiding cancellations​

  • Keep your listing's availability calendar up to date so you're never double-booked. See Managing your listing's availability.
  • Keep your listing's condition notes accurate, so a booking isn't accepted for gear that isn't actually ready to rent.
  • If you're unsure whether you can fulfil a booking, message the renter before confirming rather than after.