How renting on Lend Local works.

What Lend Local is

Lend Local is a marketplace that connects neighbors: lenders list items they own, renters book and pay for them, and the two of you meet locally to hand things over. The items belong to the lenders — Lend Local isn’t a party to the rental itself, but we handle the booking, payment, deposit, and messaging that make it work.

Accounts

Use your real name — it appears on your listings, requests, and messages, because neighbors lend to people they can trust. You’re responsible for what happens on your account.

Booking and paying

• Requesting dates is free. You pay only after the lender approves, and an approval holds your dates for 24 hours.
• At checkout you pay three things, shown as separate lines: the rent, Hawaii general excise tax, and a refundable deposit. Lend Local adds no booking fee on top.
• You can cancel any time before pickup for a full refund, deposit included. Refunds usually appear on your card within 5–10 days.

Where your money goes

We believe in showing you exactly who takes what. On a rental, here’s the split:

What the renter pays: the rent, Hawaii GET, and a refundable deposit. Nothing else.

• Hawaii GET — the state general excise tax, shown at the maximum pass-on rate allowed on Oʻahu (4.712%). Lend Local remits this to the State of Hawaii; we keep none of it.
• Your deposit is fully refundable and is never a fee — you get all of it back when the item comes home in good shape.

What comes out of the lender’s side — the way a shop absorbs card fees rather than charging you extra:

• Lend Local’s service fee — 5% of the rent. That’s our only cut, and it never touches the deposit or the tax.
• Card processing — charged by our payment processor, Stripe (currently 2.9% + 30¢ per charge). It isn’t money Lend Local keeps; it goes to Stripe.
• The lender receives the rest of the rent — typically around 91% of it, depending on the deposit size.

Pickup, return, and photos

• At pickup, look the item over together before it changes hands.
• Both of you take timestamped photos of the item at pickup and again at return. Phones timestamp photos automatically.
• Damage claims aren’t valid without those photos. This protects both sides equally.
• Return the item on time, in the condition you received it.

Deposits and damage

When the lender confirms a good return, the deposit refunds automatically. If something came back damaged, the lender should hold off on confirming and report the problem — with the pickup and return photos — so it can be reviewed. Deposits can be withheld up to their full amount to cover documented damage.

What can’t be listed

No weapons, nothing illegal, nothing recalled or unsafe, and no motor vehicles for now. Listings that don’t belong get removed.

The honest fine print

Rentals happen between neighbors, and items are lent as-is — use good judgment with anything you borrow or lend. Lend Local’s responsibility is limited to the fees we’ve collected on the booking in question. We’re a small, growing service: these terms are a community agreement, they may evolve, and we’ll keep them readable when they do.

Questions

Message us through the app, or start with the how it works section.