Getting started with photo damage inspection
Photo damage inspection helps record a vehicle's condition at pickup and return. An employee photographs the zones in a template using a phone or tablet camera. AI checks whether a photo is suitable and may warn about possible damage. An employee always draws the finding — a box around the damage.
The results are saved in an inspection report and the vehicle's damage passport, which carries over from one rental to the next.
What an inspection consists of
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Template | A set of zones, whether they are required, hints and example photos |
| Inspection | Photographing and reviewing a vehicle's condition at pickup or return |
| Photo | An image of one zone; a zone has a current accepted photo |
| Warning | An AI suggestion about possible damage, with highlighted areas in the photo |
| Finding | Damage that an employee has outlined and classified as new or known |
| “Zone checked” | An employee's confirmation after reviewing a return zone; the outcome is determined from the findings |
| Report | Pickup and return photos by zone, findings and review outcomes; a PDF is available |
| Damage passport | Active damage and historical records for a particular vehicle |
Who can access the module
The module is available according to your plan.
Once the module is enabled for the branch, inspections, reports and the damage passport are available to the “Main Administrator”, “Branch manager”, “Manager” and “Employee” roles. Users with the “Agent”, “Partner” and “Guest” roles do not see the module. See employee roles for details.
Module settings, templates, assigning a template to a vehicle, retaking an entire inspection, closing an incomplete inspection and revoking a passport record are available only to the “Main Administrator”, “Branch manager” and “Manager” roles. These are referred to as manager roles throughout this section. An employee who can edit the vehicle can mark damage as repaired.
How to enable the module for a branch
- Open the company settings and the “Rental” tab.
- Find the “Photo damage inspection” block at the bottom. If the “Rent-to-own” block is present, the module is below it.
- Turn on “Enable this module for this branch”. The setting is saved immediately, without the “Save” button.
- Turn on “Strict mode” if needed.
- Click “Inspection templates” and check the zones. The button appears when the module is enabled.
If the tab has unsaved changes, the switches are disabled and “Save the changes on this tab first.” is displayed. Saving the changes makes the switches available again. The module is enabled separately for each branch.
What strict mode changes
The setting's description is “Pickup and return require a completed inspection.” When “Strict mode” is off, an inspection can be skipped.
When it is on, “Check out the item” and “Check in the item” are unavailable without a completed inspection of the corresponding side for the vehicle currently selected in the booking. If the vehicle has changed, it needs its own inspection: “Inspection of the current vehicle is required” appears.
The reason is shown below the inspection block: the inspection has not been performed or completed, a required zone has no accepted photo, “Zone checked” has not been set, the warning for that zone has not been resolved, or a linked passport record is outdated. Completion requirements and exceptions are described in performing an inspection and reviewing a photo.
If the inspection status cannot be checked because there is no connection, strict mode also blocks pickup and return. “Could not check the inspection” and the “Check again” button appear. Without strict mode, pickup and return remain available.
Trial period and payment
During the plan's trial period, the company has 250 trial AI photos, provided the service is included in the plan. The remaining allowance is shown in the module settings and on the inspection screen. Once it is exhausted, inspections continue without AI and damage is marked manually — see photos without an AI check.
An accepted zone photo is billable — one per zone per inspection. Zone retakes, unsuccessful retakes and photos marked “Accepted without AI check” are not charged. “Retake inspection” creates a new inspection, so its photos are charged again.
The plan includes a monthly photo allowance based on the number of vehicles in the company. Photos beyond the allowance are charged at the plan's rate once a day: they are debited from the company balance — the transaction history shows a “Damage control” line with the number of photos and the date — or, if you pay for a subscription by invoice, added to the invoice. Check your plan or ask your account manager for the allowance and rate.
What an AI agent can do
A connected AI agent accesses the module through the fleet and bookings area. It can read a booking's report, a vehicle's damage passport and inspection status, start or resume an inspection, upload zone photos and complete an inspection. Users with manager roles can retake an entire inspection or close it as incomplete through the agent. A photo submitted by an agent is marked “Uploaded by an agent” in the report and PDF.
Damage decisions always require your approval in RentProg:
- drawing, rejecting or reclassifying a finding, linking it to a known record, or resolving an outdated record;
- dismissing a warning or setting “Zone checked”;
- marking a repair, revoking a passport record or assigning a template to a vehicle.
Approval is required at every key access level
Even “Write immediately” does not remove the approval requirement for these decisions. You can review the prepared action under “Awaiting approval” — see AI agents for the procedure.