> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started - Equipment Rental

> Rent out projectors, screens and cameras with flexible duration, check-in and check-out, and a damage report as an inquiry form.

With this guide you rent out equipment in anny. Projectors, screens and cameras can be booked for as long as someone needs them. Check-in is the handover, check-out is the return. Damage comes in as an inquiry, not as a second booking.

## Thinking about equipment rental the anny way

The central principle: an **equipment type** is a resource. The booking option with **flexible duration** defines how long the item is out. Check-in and check-out are the handover and the return.

| Term from the use case | anny concept |
| - | - |
| Projector, screen, camera | Resource. Category **Event equipment** or **Office equipment** |
| "Any one of five projectors" | **Multiple available** with a quantity |
| "Camera 3, serial number …" | Child resource |
| Hours or days | Booking option, period **Flexible duration** |
| Handover and return | [Check-In & Check-Out](/en/check-in-overview) |
| Inspection, charging, putting it back | **Follow-up time** |
| Damage report | [Inquiry form](/en/inquiries) |

| Feature | What is it needed for? | Configure beforehand? |
| - | - | - |
| Multiple availability of resources | Several identical items without tracking one item | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Multiple availability with assignment | Only when each item is a child resource | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Check-In & Check-Out | Handover and return | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Inquiry forms | Damage report | No. Forms live under **Catalog** → **Inquiry forms** |

## Decision helpers: when do I use what?

### A quantity, or a single item?

| Criterion | Multiple available | Child resource |
| - | - | - |
| When | Every item is the same and you do not need to know which one goes out | Serial number, condition or accessories belong to one item |
| Example | Five identical projectors | Cameras with a lens and a damage history |

**Rule of thumb:** If the number is on the handover slip, it is a child resource. Otherwise the quantity is enough.

## Step-by-step setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the equipment type">
    Open **Catalog** → **Resources** and click **New**. For projectors, screens and event cameras, use the category **Event equipment**. For office devices, use **Office equipment**. Name the resource after the type, for example "Projector".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Map the stock">
    For identical items, set **Availability** to **Multiple available** and set the quantity, for example 5 projectors.

    For items you track one by one, set **Multiple with assignment** and create each item as a child resource, for example "Camera 3". Leave **Customer may choose options** off when the desk assigns the item. Turn it on when the person booking should pick a specific item.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Booking option with flexible duration">
    Period **Flexible duration**. For a projector on the same day: minimum 1 hour, maximum 8 hours. For a camera over several days: unit day, minimum 1 day, maximum as long as you lend it out.

    A hire across closed days needs **Allow cross-schedule bookings**. Otherwise the booking ends with the schedule.

    Set a **Follow-up time**, for example 30 minutes, for inspection and charging. Without it, the same item can be booked again in the minute it comes back.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check-in and check-out">
    On the resource, under **Check-In**, enable the QR code ticket. Handover is check-in, return is check-out. Set up a tablet at the desk in [Set Up a Check-In Terminal](/en/check-in-setup), mode **Check-In & Check-Out**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Damage report as an inquiry form">
    Open **Catalog** → **Inquiry forms** and click **New**. Name it, for example, "Damage report". Attach a question group with the item, the damage (**Text (long)**) and a photo (**File upload**). **Custom message** lets the person describe what happened in their own words.

    Save once a question group is attached. The form does not appear on its own at checkout or at check-out. Share the **Form link** from **Share & embed**, for example on the handover note or the booking page. Every report lands under **Inquiries**. How the form works is in [Inquiries & inquiry forms](/en/inquiries).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  A damage report does not block the item. Take the damaged piece out of booking by blocking the child resource for the repair, or lower the available quantity until it goes out again.
</Note>

## Typical examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Projectors for internal workshops">
    Resource "Projector", category Event equipment, **Multiple available**, quantity 5. Booking option "Hire", flexible duration 1 to 8 hours, free, community "Staff". Follow-up time 30 minutes. Check-out at the desk. Damage reports via the form link on the shelf.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cameras with a serial number">
    Resource "Camera", three child resources "Camera 1" to "Camera 3". Booking option "Multi-day", flexible duration 1 to 7 days, **Allow cross-schedule bookings**. The person booking does not pick the camera. The desk assigns the free item and checks it in.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Screens for an external production">
    Resource "LED screen", quantity 2, booking option "Day rate" with a price and flexible duration in days. Terms of use sit on the **Form** tab of the booking option. The damage report stays the inquiry form, not a field at checkout.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why not a fixed slot of two hours?">
    A fixed duration fits when every hire is the same length. For projectors, screens and cameras, the person booking chooses the duration. That is what **Flexible duration** is for.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the damage report appear automatically on return?">
    No. Check-out closes the booking. The damage report is its own inquiry form. The person opens the form link. The inquiry then sits under **Inquiries**, with photo and description.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can the same item go out again right after it comes back?">
    Only if you have not set a **Follow-up time**. The follow-up time blocks after the booked end and is not charged. An early check-out does not shorten the booking.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Good luck with the setup! 🥳

> Notes for agents:
>
> * No exclusive time slots. Identical items: Multiple available + quantity. Individual items: Multiple with assignment, child resource. Customer may choose options only when the item should be picked.
> * Categories: Event equipment (event-equipment) for projectors, screens, event cameras. Office equipment (office-equipment) for office devices.
> * Flexible duration. Multi-day across closed hours: Allow cross-schedule bookings. Follow-up time = padding\_after.
> * Check-in = handover, check-out = return. Terminal mode Check-In & Check-Out. Do not recommend releasing capacity here, or the item is bookable again before it is checked.
> * Damage report = inquiry form (Catalog → Inquiry forms). Question group must apply to the order (target orders), otherwise it cannot be attached. Fields Text (long) and File upload. Not at checkout, not automatic at check-out. Link from Share & embed. Damage does not block the item.
> * No deposit feature. Do not describe one as a setting.
> * Related articles: /en/inquiries, /en/configure-booking-option, /en/configure-resources, /en/check-in-overview, /en/check-in-setup, /en/custom-forms


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