Häufig gestellte Fragen
Is a standard ERP sufficient for rental, or do you need a rental system?
A classic trading or standard ERP is designed for buying and selling and does not natively understand the core of the rental business — utilisation per asset over time. For rental, it typically lacks asset scheduling with an availability timeline, rate tiers for day, week and month, and the period-accurate distribution of rental revenue over the rental term. In practice, rental companies therefore rely either on specialised rental systems or on platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with a rental add-on that supplements this logic. Whether a standard ERP with customising is enough or an industry ERP is needed depends on fleet size, tariff variety and service interdependence, and should be assessed case by case with an industry-experienced consultant.
Which functions must ERP software for rental cover at a minimum?
The functional core is asset scheduling: a plan at equipment level that maps statuses such as rented, reserved, in maintenance, in repair and in stock along a timeline. Added to this are flexible rate tiers with daily, weekly and monthly rates including automatic determination of the most favourable tariff, a maintenance schedule per asset with inspection and service deadlines, and a continuous workflow for handover and return. Also common are mobile handover apps with damage documentation, RFID- or QR-based identification, insurance and deposit handling, and a DATEV interface for accounting. Which of these building blocks are essential depends on the industry, asset value and site structure of the rental company.
How does the ERP support recurring inspections such as DGUV V3 and BetrSichV?
Rented electrical equipment is subject to recurring inspections whose intervals derive from the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV) and DGUV Regulation 3 and must be defined as part of the risk assessment. For portable equipment, an orienting guideline value of around six months applies, and three months on construction sites; if the identified defect rate is below two per cent, the interval may be extended — up to one year in workshops and on construction sites, and up to two years in offices. A rental ERP stores these inspection and maintenance intervals in the asset file, issues reminders on time and can block a device from scheduling if an inspection is overdue, so the inspection history remains traceably documented. Each business must determine the specific intervals itself based on its own risk assessment and equipment category, as the values mentioned are only guideline values.
What should be considered with the pay-per-use tariff model using telematics and IoT?
In the pay-per-use model, it is not the pure rental time but the actual usage that is billed — for example operating hours, kilometres driven or work performed. The prerequisite is telematics or IoT technology in the machine that records meter readings and usage data and transmits them to the ERP, where they are linked with the rental contract for invoicing. A billing logic that brings together telemetry, contract data and, where applicable, minimum rents or base amounts is advisable so that forecasting and invoicing remain reliable. In practical terms, rental companies should plan for the data quality of the telematics, plausibility-checked meter readings and a fallback for devices without sensors, since not every asset in a rental fleet is telemetry-capable.
How are handover, return, damage and deposits handled in the ERP?
Handover and return ideally take place directly at the object via a mobile app on a tablet or smartphone, with checklists, photo documentation of the condition and a digital customer signature. On return, new damage is compared against the documented previous condition, recorded with photo and description and transferred into a complaints workflow that triggers a repair cost estimate and settlement with the renter or insurer. The system tracks the payment and deposit status and can offset identified damage against the deposit held. This creates a complete, evidentially secure document chain from the rental contract through handover to the final invoice, which makes proof easier in disputes over damage.
How is rental revenue recognised period-accurately in the ERP?
Unlike a sale, revenue in the rental business arises over the rental term, which is why the ERP should be able to defer revenue period-accurately and distribute it over the term. For contracts spanning multiple months, prepayments or minimum terms, revenue deferral is necessary so that income is allocated to the period in which use is granted — legally, rent is the granting of use in return for payment under Sections 535 et seq. of the German Civil Code (BGB). Companies preparing financial statements must differentiate between HGB and IFRS 16 depending on their accounting framework, whereby IFRS 16 changed the lessee side above all, while lessors as leasing providers continue to differentiate between finance and operating leases according to contract type. The specific accounting and tax treatment should be coordinated with the accounting department or tax adviser, as it depends on the contract design and the accounting standard.