7 Double-Bookings Monthly Costing $5,880? Use Odoo 18 Rental Module
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 20, 2025
Your rental business tracks equipment in Excel. Last month: Customer rented camera A. Your warehouse shipped camera B (wrong serial number). Customer complained. You checked spreadsheet. Camera A was already rented to someone else but nobody updated the sheet. Cost: $840 in expedited shipping to get correct camera + $200 discount for inconvenience.
Double-bookings happen 7 times per month. Equipment goes out, doesn't get marked as unavailable. Someone else books it. You scramble to find replacement. Customer satisfaction score: 3.2/5. Main complaint: "Booked equipment online, told it's unavailable when I arrived."
Your operations manager spends 11 hours weekly manually checking: What's rented? What's due back? What's overdue? Who owes late fees? All in different spreadsheets. Time wasted: 572 hours annually = $15,900 in labor just managing rental logistics.
Odoo 18 Rental module tracks everything automatically. Real-time availability, pickup schedules, return tracking, late fees calculated. No double-bookings. No Excel. Here's how to set it up for rental operations that don't rely on hoping your team remembered to update the spreadsheet.
You're Losing Money If:
What Odoo 18 Rental Module Does
Complete rental management system. Create rental orders, schedule pickups/returns, track availability by serial number, auto-calculate rental fees and late charges. Integrates with inventory, accounting, and eCommerce.
| Feature | Excel Tracking | Odoo Rental |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time availability | Manual update (outdated) | Auto-updated instantly |
| Double-booking prevention | None (7/month) | System blocks conflicts |
| Late fee calculation | Manual (often forgotten) | Auto-calculated daily |
| Serial number tracking | Separate spreadsheet | Integrated per item |
Step 1: Install Rental Module
- Go to Apps menu
- Search: "Rental"
- Click Install
- Module appears in main menu
Dashboard Overview
When you open Rental module, you see the dashboard with key sections:
Orders
- • Rental Orders (all)
- • Customers
- • Pickup schedule
- • Return tracking
Schedule
- • Calendar view
- • Pickup dates
- • Return dates
- • Availability conflicts
Products
- • Rental items catalog
- • Pricing tiers
- • Serial numbers
- • Quantity on hand
Reports
- • Revenue by period
- • Utilization rates
- • Late returns
- • Customer analytics
Step 2: Configure Rental Products
Mark products as rentable and set pricing.
Create/Edit Product
- Go to Rental → Products
- Click Create (or open existing product)
- Enter product details:
- Name: "Professional Camera Kit"
- Internal Reference: CAM-001
- Product Type: Storable Product
- Enable "Can be Rented" checkbox
- Set rental pricing (see next section)
- Configure tracking: By Unique Serial Number
- Save
Set Rental Pricing
Define pricing for different rental periods.
Example Pricing Structure:
- Hourly: $25/hour (minimum 4 hours)
- Daily: $150/day (24 hours)
- Weekly: $700/week (7 days, ~33% discount)
- Monthly: $2,400/month (~47% discount)
Longer rentals = bigger discounts = higher utilization
Add Serial Numbers
- In product form, go to Inventory tab
- Click Serial Numbers
- Add each unit:
- CAM-001-SN001
- CAM-001-SN002
- CAM-001-SN003
Now Odoo tracks each camera individually. Customer rents SN001, system knows SN002 and SN003 are still available.
Step 3: Create Rental Order
New Rental
- Go to Rental → Orders → Rental Orders
- Click Create
- Select Customer
- Add product:
- Product: Professional Camera Kit
- Quantity: 1
- Pickup Date: Dec 22, 2025 10:00 AM
- Return Date: Dec 27, 2025 10:00 AM
- System auto-calculates:
- Duration: 5 days
- Price: $750 (5 × $150/day)
- Add deposit if needed: $500
- Click Confirm
Payment
Customer pays rental fee + deposit upfront. Payment methods: Credit card, bank transfer, cash, or invoice (Net 7).
Step 4: Schedule Pickup
Track when customer collects equipment.
- Go to Rental → Orders → Pickup
- Find order scheduled for pickup
- Click order to open
- Assign specific serial number: CAM-001-SN001
- Customer arrives → Click Validate Pickup
- System marks item as "Out on Rental"
- Inventory updates: Available quantity -1
Step 5: Track Returns
On-Time Return
- Customer returns equipment on Dec 27
- Go to Rental → Orders → Return
- Find order due for return
- Inspect equipment for damage
- If OK: Click Validate Return
- System:
- Marks rental as "Returned"
- Returns deposit to customer
- Makes item available again
Late Return
- Customer returns 2 days late (Dec 29)
- System auto-calculates late fee: 2 days × $150 = $300
- Charge late fee to customer
- Option: Deduct from deposit or invoice separately
Damaged Return
- Equipment returned with damage
- Document damage with photos
- Calculate repair cost: $200
- Deduct from $500 deposit
- Return remaining $300 to customer
Rental Schedule (Calendar View)
See all rentals on a calendar to prevent double-bookings.
- Go to Rental → Schedule
- Switch to Calendar view
- See:
- 🟢 Available periods
- 🔴 Rented periods
- 🟡 Pickups scheduled
- 🔵 Returns due
- Click date to see all rentals that day
Configure Rental Periods
Define standard rental durations for your business.
- Go to Rental → Configuration → Rental Periods
- Create periods:
- 4 Hours: 0.17 days
- Daily: 1 day
- Weekend: 2 days (Fri-Sun)
- Weekly: 7 days
- Monthly: 30 days
- Set pricing for each period on product
Reports & Analytics
Track rental business performance.
Key Metrics
| Metric | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Revenue by Period | Daily/weekly/monthly income from rentals |
| Utilization Rate | % of time equipment is rented vs idle |
| Late Returns | How many customers return late (% and count) |
| Top Products | Most rented items (buy more of these) |
Real-World Example: Camera Rental Business
Scenario: 30 Cameras, 200 Rentals/Month
Before Odoo (Excel Tracking):
- Double-bookings: 7/month × $840 recovery cost = $5,880/month
- Manual tracking: 11 hours/week × $28/hour = $1,232/month
- Late fee losses: 23 late returns/month, forgot to charge 18 = $2,700/month
- Wrong equipment shipped: 4 times/month × $200 = $800/month
- Total losses: $10,612/month
After Odoo Rental:
- Double-bookings: 0 (system prevents)
- Tracking time: 2 hours/week × $28/hour = $224/month
- Late fees: Auto-calculated, collected 22 of 23 = $150 lost
- Wrong equipment: 0 (serial numbers tracked)
- Total losses: $374/month
Savings: $10,238/month = $122,856/year
Plus customer satisfaction improved from 3.2 to 4.7/5
Common Mistakes That Cost Money
1. Not Using Serial Number Tracking
Track by quantity only. Can't tell which specific camera is with which customer. Wrong unit shipped.
Fix: Enable "Track by Unique Serial Number" on all rental products.
2. Forgetting to Validate Pickup/Return
Customer picks up equipment but staff forgets to click "Validate." System still shows as available. Gets double-booked.
Fix: Train staff: Physical handoff = Immediate validation in Odoo.
3. No Late Fee Policy
Customer returns 5 days late. No late fee configured. You lose $750 in potential rental income.
Fix: Set late fees in rental pricing (e.g., same as daily rate).
4. Not Requiring Deposits
Equipment returned damaged. No deposit held. Customer disputes charge. You eat $800 repair cost.
Fix: Always collect deposit = replacement value or 50% of item cost.
Integration with Other Modules
| Module | Integration |
|---|---|
| Inventory | Real-time stock levels, serial number tracking |
| Accounting | Auto-create invoices, deposit accounting, revenue recognition |
| Website/eCommerce | Customers book online, see availability calendar |
| CRM | Track rental history per customer, repeat rental campaigns |
Quick Implementation Checklist
- Install Rental module from Apps
- Configure rental products: Enable "Can be Rented," add pricing
- Add serial numbers for each physical unit
- Set rental periods: Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly
- Define deposit policy: 50% of replacement value
- Configure late fees: Same as daily rate
- Create first rental order to test workflow
- Train staff: Pickup validation, return inspection, late fee charging
- Integrate with website for online bookings (optional)
Pro Tip: Start with 10-20 most-rented items. Get workflow smooth. Then migrate remaining inventory. Don't try to move 200 products in one day or you'll overwhelm your team.
Still Tracking Rentals in Excel? Losing $10K Monthly to Double-Bookings?
We implement Odoo Rental module with serial number tracking, automated late fees, deposit management, and website integration. Stop losing money to manual rental logistics.
