Common questions: business details and general settings

This page answers the questions shop owners ask most about the General settings page. Each answer names the exact label on screen and links to the full article.

Where to find it

Click Settings in the sidebar. The page opens on General: a grid of setting cards at the top, then a General Settings card with the business name, timezone, tax rate, currency, late return alerts, and your business contact details, then the night-before pickup window and the weekly email switch. A separate Renta Help Chat card sits at the bottom.

Questions and answers

How do I save my changes on the General settings page?

Press Save Settings at the bottom of the General Settings card. One press saves everything on that card together: name, timezone, tax, currency, late return alerts, contact details, the night-before window, and the weekly email switch. You see a green "Saved" message, or a red message that says what to fix. The Renta Help Chat checkbox is the one exception: it saves the moment you tick it.

How do I change my business name?

Settings → General, type the new name into Business Name, then press Save Settings. Renta uses this name for your business in places like staff invite emails and, if you leave the sender name blank, as the "From" name on your customer emails (see the From name and reply-to address).

What does Timezone do, and which ones can I pick?

Timezone sets the clock used to show booking times to your customers. The choices are Eastern (ET), Central (CT), Mountain (MT), Mountain — No DST (AZ), Pacific (PT), Alaska (AKT), Hawaii (HT), Atlantic (AST, Puerto Rico), and UTC. If you have never saved one, the page starts on Phoenix time (Mountain — No DST). A single pickup spot can use its own timezone instead (see Locations).

How do I set my sales tax?

Enter your percentage in Tax Rate (%), for example 8.5 for 8.5%, and press Save Settings. It is applied to bookings made on your storefront and in the admin. The starting value is 0, and it must be between 0 and 100 with up to two decimals. If you type something outside that range, Renta refuses to save and shows "Tax rate must be a number between 0 and 100." A location can have its own tax rate that overrides this one (see Locations).

How do I change my currency?

Pick one from Currency and press Save Settings. The choices are US Dollar (USD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), New Zealand Dollar (NZD), Swiss Franc (CHF), Swedish Krona (SEK), Norwegian Krone (NOK), Danish Krone (DKK), and Mexican Peso (MXN). Bookings you already have keep the currency they were sold in, and your price numbers stay the same (an 80 stays an 80).

Why do I still see a dollar sign after changing the currency?

Cards are charged in the new currency, but amounts on screen still show a $ sign for now. Renta's own note on the Currency field says the on-screen display is still to be done, so the sign does not mean the charge is in dollars.

How do I change the phone number, address, or email my customers see?

Scroll to Business Contact on the same page and edit Email, Phone, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State, and ZIP, then press Save Settings. These are used in waiver templates and customer communications. The address and website are also filled in for Stripe when you connect it. See Your business contact details.

Is the business Email the same as the email I log in with?

No. The note under the field says it is shown to your customers and "does not change the address you log in with." Changing it here never changes your login. A team member's login email can only be changed by that person from their own account.

What is the "Business website" field for?

It is optional. If you fill it in, it is shown on your Stripe business profile. Leave it blank if you do not have a public website yet.

What are late return alerts?

When a rental is still out after its return time plus a grace period, Renta notifies your team. Alert my team about late returns is on by default: every active staff member gets a notification in the bell and by email, once per booking. See Getting notified when a rental is overdue.

How long is the grace period before a rental counts as late?

Grace period (minutes) starts at 30. You can set it from 0 (alert the moment the return time passes) up to 10,080 minutes (7 days).

How do I turn late return alerts off?

Untick Alert my team about late returns and press Save Settings. The Grace period (minutes) box and the Also email the customer box are greyed out while the main box is unticked, which is why you cannot edit them.

Can Renta email the customer when they are late?

Yes, but it is off by default. Tick Also email the customer to send a polite "your rental was due back" email, once per booking. It only works while Alert my team about late returns is ticked.

What does "Pending bookings hold inventory" do?

It is ticked by default. While ticked, an unpaid pending booking (such as a quote) keeps the item off the calendar for everyone else until it is paid or expires. If you untick it, unpaid bookings no longer block the item, so another customer can book and pay for it first. A customer who is in the middle of paying still holds the item briefly either way. See Whether unpaid bookings block your calendar.

How do I let customers pick up the evening before their first day?

Two steps. First, on the item (Fleet → open the item → Pricing), tick Night-before pickup isn't charged. Second, set the shop-wide Night-before Pickup Window on this page with Window opens and Window closes. If you never saved a window it is 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and it must open before it closes or Renta shows "Night-before window must open before it closes." See Letting customers pick up equipment the evening before.

How do I get a weekly summary email?

Tick Enabled under Weekly Reports Digest and press Save Settings. It is off by default. Renta sends the digest on Mondays (the job runs at 13:00 UTC). See Getting a Monday morning summary email.

Who receives the weekly email?

The business's active owner, at the owner's login email. It does not go to the customer-facing Business Contact email. If an account somehow has two active owners, only one receives it.

How do I turn off the "Need help?" chat bubble in my dashboard?

Open Settings and untick Show the help chat bubble in the Renta Help Chat card. It saves immediately and stays off on every device. Closing the bubble with its × only hides it until you sign in again. See Turning the Renta Help Chat widget on or off.

Why don't I see the Renta Help Chat card?

It only appears if Renta has rolled the help chat out to your account, or if you turned it off earlier. If you do not see it, there is nothing to switch.

Why can't I see Team, Stripe, Integrations, or other cards on my Settings page?

Settings cards are hidden from roles that cannot use them. The Staff role does not see Team, Stripe, Integrations, Distribution, SEO Move Check, Custom Domain, URL Redirects, Embed Widget, or External App URL. Owners and Managers see all of them. Distribution is also hidden for everyone unless it is switched on for Renta as a whole. Ask an Owner or Manager to make the change, or see Inviting staff and setting their role to change someone's role.

How do I preview what my staff can see?

Owners and Managers get a View as another role card on the Settings page. An Owner can preview as Manager or Staff, and a Manager can preview as Staff. While you preview, the button reads "Viewing as Staff" (or Manager) and the menu has a Back to Owner choice (or Back to Manager).

Where did the cancellation policy setting go?

It moved to the Pricing section. Open Pricing → Payment & policies in the sidebar. The old Settings address redirects there. See Your cancellation and refund policy.

Where do waivers, checkout steps, and my website settings live?

Each has its own card on the Settings page: Waiver Policies, Checkout Flow, Staff Notes, Brand, Custom Domain, Embed Widget, Analytics, and more. See Setting default waiver values, Designing your checkout steps, and Connecting your own domain name.