Your garage is working capital.
List the tools you already own. Approve renters one by one. Get paid directly to your bank. Presta takes 0% from your rate.
List once. Earn every weekend.
1. List your tool
Add photos, description, condition, your daily/half-day/weekly rate, and a refundable deposit. Approval gate on your first listing, usually under a few hours.
2. Approve renters
Renters request dates. You have 24 hours to approve or decline. Their card is authorized when they request and charged only when you say yes.
3. Hand off, get paid
Meet the renter, hand them the tool. Their payment hits your Stripe-connected bank account within a few business days. Deposit released to them on clean return.
Real math, not marketing.
A pressure washer sitting in your garage 51 weekends a year is dead capital. Here's what it could earn instead.
Rented 8× during summer at $40 = $320 / month. Pays for itself by July.
Rented 10× across winter at $60 = $600 / season. Sits silent the rest of the year.
Rented 6× / month year-round at $50 = $3,600 / year. Real money.
Rates and utilization vary. These are illustrative ranges based on comparable rental markets in the Chicago / Joliet area.
Every detail of being an owner.
From your first listing to your first payout.
Creating a listing
- Photos sell the listing. 3–6 clear photos in good light. Show wear, brand, accessories. Owners with photos get booked 4× more often than owners with stock images.
- Category + specs. Pick the category, add brand, model, year, power source, and notable specs. Renters filter on these, so being specific surfaces your listing on more searches.
- Pickup neighborhood. Your neighborhood shows publicly (e.g. "Shorewood"). Your exact street address stays hidden until you approve a booking.
- First-listing review. Your first listing goes through a quick moderation review (typically a few hours) to keep the marketplace honest. Subsequent listings go live immediately.
Setting your rate
- Three tiers. Daily rate is required. Half-day and weekly are optional. Adding them gives renters more flexibility and gets you more bookings.
- Presta takes nothing from you. You keep 100% of your posted rate. Presta charges renters a 15% service fee on top. That's our cut.
- Refundable deposit. Set a deposit between $0 and $500 (or up to $2,500 for trailers / heavy equipment). Held on the renter's card during the rental. Released back to them when you confirm clean return.
- Suggested ranges. Typical homeowner tools: $20–60/day. Pro tools (paint sprayers, generators, tile saws): $60–150/day. Trailers, larger equipment: $50–250/day. Price for what someone would actually pay, not retail value.
Getting paid: Stripe Connect
- Verification, once. Before your first payout, you connect a bank account through Stripe (the same provider that processes payments for Shopify, Lyft, and Substack). Stripe verifies your identity (legal name, DOB, last 4 SSN) for federal banking regulations.
- Listings stay paused until you're verified. You can create a listing without finishing Stripe onboarding, but it won't accept bookings until your account is ready. Most owners finish the flow in 5 minutes.
- Payouts. When a renter pays, the funds land in your Stripe balance and transfer to your linked bank account on Stripe's standard rolling schedule (typically 2 business days after the booking starts).
- 1099 at year-end. If you earn over $600 in a calendar year, Stripe issues you a 1099-K for tax purposes. You're responsible for reporting income to the IRS.
Receiving booking requests
- Email + in-app. When a renter requests your tool, you get an email and an in-app alert. The request includes dates, the renter's profile, and any pickup notes they wrote.
- 24-hour window. You have 24 hours to approve or decline. After that, the request expires automatically and the renter's authorization drops off their card.
- Approve. Their card is charged. You can now message them and share your pickup address.
- Decline. No charge to either side. You can include an optional reason. Common ones: bad timing, double-booked, just sold it.
- Stay on top of it. Owners who respond within a few hours get repeat renters. Owners who let requests expire get fewer requests over time.
Pickup & handoff
- You set the time. Coordinate with the renter, usually a 30-minute window at your house or garage.
- Start the handoff. When you meet, tap Start handoff and Presta shows a one-time QR code (and a 6-digit backup). The renter scans it to begin the verified handoff.
- Documented together. The renter photographs the tool's condition (timestamped, tamper-evidenced) and accepts the rental terms. You both confirm, and the rental clock starts. That record is what protects you if there's ever a claim.
Return & damage claims
- You inspect at return. The renter starts the return and shows their code; you scan it, take condition photos, and decide on the spot. There's no separate window, because you're the one holding the tool.
- Accept a clean return. Tap Accept return and the deposit is released back to the renter immediately. Done.
- Or report damage. Instead of accepting, choose Report damage, enter an amount and description (the photos you just took are the evidence), and the deposit is held while it's reviewed. If the renter disputes, Presta reviews the photos and timeline and decides how to split the deposit.
- Damage beyond the deposit. For high-value rentals at the platform's deposit ceiling ($2,500), Presta does not provide additional coverage. Discuss insurance proof or supplemental security with the renter before approving these bookings.
Managing your listings
- Pause anytime. Going on vacation or repairing the tool? Pause the listing. It stays in your account but hides from search until you reactivate.
- Archive. Sold the tool? Archive the listing. It stays in your history (for tax records and review thread) but disappears from public view permanently.
- Edit pricing. Change rates, deposit, description, or photos at any time. Existing approved bookings keep the rate locked in; changes apply to new bookings only.
- Multiple listings. No cap on how many tools you can list. Owners with 5+ listings tend to earn 8–10× more than single-listing owners.
If you need to cancel
- Owner cancellations. If you cancel an approved booking, the renter gets a full refund of everything: rate, fee, and deposit.
- Reputation impact. Frequent owner-side cancellations show up on your profile and hurt how often you appear in search. Renters trust owners who follow through.
- Emergencies happen. Sick? Truck broke down? Tell the renter directly, refund them, and we won't penalize an occasional issue.
What keeps you safe.
You choose who rents
Every renter has a profile with name, phone, and reviews from prior rentals. You see all of it before approving. Bad fit? Decline, no penalty.
Address privacy
Your exact pickup address is hidden from public listings. Only neighborhood-level location is visible until you approve a specific booking.
Deposit held on the renter's card
Stripe authorizes the deposit when the renter books. You don't have to chase anyone for cash. The funds are already locked.
Review trail
Both sides review every transaction. Renters with repeat issues lose access to the platform; renters with good reviews are clearly visible to you before you approve.
Got a tool just sitting there?
List in under 5 minutes. You set the price, you approve the renter, you keep 100% of your rate.