Beta: shortlease contracts are new in RentVisie and are released as a beta.
Introduction
A shortlease contract runs until its last billed day. You set or change that day with Change end date on the contract. It opens the pop-up headed End date. For a contract without an end date (open-ended), a blue note at the top says that setting an end date gives notice, and which end date is the earliest the notice period allows. Below are the tick box Open-ended (no end date), the date Last day billed and, for an open-ended contract, Notice given on.
You would be here because:
- a customer phones to say they will hand the van back next month
- a customer who gave notice wants to keep the car after all
- a fixed-term customer returns the vehicle three weeks early
- a customer asks to extend their lease by two months
Every way to end or change the end
| Route | What happens | Covered here |
|---|---|---|
| Change end date on the contract | Sets, moves or removes the last billed day | Yes |
| Dragging the booking on the Scheduler | Refused; the booking is put back | Under Key details |
| Change contract period on the booking | Not shown on a shortlease booking | Under Key details |
| Remove contract, before anything is invoiced | The contract goes and the booking is billed the regular way | No, see Turn a booking into a shortlease contract |
How to use
Configuration
The notice period and the re-rating switch come from the Shortlease settings (see Switch on shortlease contracts for your company). A contract's own notice period is under Edit terms. Change a running contract's end date only here, with Change end date: Edit terms changes the end date on a draft only.
Before you start: only a company administrator sees Change end date. It is gone once the contract has Ended.
Using Change end date
Open the contract: on the booking click Shortlease contract, or open it from the Shortlease overview (see Read a shortlease contract and its billing schedule).
-
Click Change end date. The pop-up End date opens.
-
Choose what you need:
You want to Do this Give notice on an open-ended contract Leave Notice given on at the day the customer told you (it starts at today), and pick Last day billed. It starts at the earliest end date the notice allows Withdraw notice, or make a fixed contract open-ended Tick Open-ended (no end date) Shorten or extend a fixed end date Pick the new Last day billed -
Click Save end date. The schedule is planned again. After notice, the status becomes Notice given; withdrawing notice sets it back to Active. The Terms card then reads From the start date to the last day, or open-ended with the months of notice.
Key details
How the earliest end date is worked out. The notice date plus the notice period, minus one day. Notice on 10 April with one month's notice: the earliest last day is 9 May. Picking 8 May gives With a notice period of 1 month(s), the earliest end date is 9 May 2027. With a notice period of 0, any day from the notice date on is allowed. While the notice stands (status Notice given), every later change of the end date is checked against the same notice date: moving the end later is fine, moving it earlier than the earliest end is refused with the same message. To count from a new notice date, tick Open-ended (no end date) first, then give notice again. A contract that had a fixed end date from the start is not checked against the notice period.
Unused days come back as a credit. When the new end falls inside a period that was already invoiced, the days after the end are credited on the last invoice, as a line of kind Adjustment. Example: €1,200 per month, May invoiced in advance; the contract now ends on 9 May. The 22 days from 10 to 31 May come back: €1,200 × 22 ÷ 31 = €851.61, on an invoice dated 10 May.
The settlement: a higher rate for a shorter stay. The rate was fixed for the length agreed at the start. If the contract now ends sooner, and that shorter stay has a higher daily rate, the difference is charged on one line of kind Settlement, invoiced the day after the end. Example: a three-month contract at the three-month rate of €38 a day ends after 46 days; the one-month rate is €42 a day. The settlement is (€42 − €38) × 46 = €184. Your company can switch this off with Re-rate when a contract ends early into a more expensive duration.
Once the settlement is invoiced, the end date is final. Change end date then says The settlement of this contract is already invoiced, so its end date can no longer change. To change it anyway, credit the settlement first (see Correct a shortlease invoice).
When the contract ends. After the last day, once nothing is left to invoice, the nightly run sets the contract to Ended. If the booking has odometer readings, it also waits for a reading on or after the last day, so the extra kilometres can be settled first. It waits at most 60 days after the end date. After that the contract ends without settling the kilometres. The contract's last-run note says so, for example Ended without a return odometer reading (none on or after 30 Apr 2027 within 60 days): the kilometres over the allowance were not settled. Settle them by hand if needed. When the contract ends, a planned vehicle swap is cancelled, and Change end date, Change vehicle and Plan swap are no longer shown. Extras that turn up later are still invoiced for 60 days.
The booking follows the contract. The booking's return date becomes the day after the last billed day, at the pickup time. On the booking, Change contract period is not shown, and the pick-up and return pop-up says This booking is billed by a shortlease contract: its contract period and return date follow the contract. On the Scheduler, dragging the booking to new dates is refused: the bar jumps back, nothing on the booking changes, and the board shows the message This booking is billed by a shortlease contract. Change its dates on the contract (Change end date).
Kilometres are settled at the end. Enter the odometer reading of the last day, normally the return reading, so the extra kilometres are settled; the nightly run then plans them on the next invoice. See Record odometer readings and charge extra kilometres on a shortlease.
What to do next
Book the return as usual on the last day (see Take a vehicle back at the end of a rental), and check the final invoice with Preview invoice.
Q&A
Why does Save end date say "With a notice period of … month(s), the earliest end date is …"? The customer has to give that much notice. Pick that date or later, or change the contract's Notice period (months) under Edit terms if you agreed shorter notice.
Why did the customer get a credit after giving notice? The last month had already been invoiced in advance. The days after the new end date are credited. This is normal.
Why is there a Settlement line on the last invoice? The contract ended before the length its rate was fixed for, and the shorter stay has a higher rate. See the example above.
Why does Change end date say "This contract has ended; its end date can no longer change."? The contract is Ended. A new lease needs a new booking and contract.
Why does the Scheduler show the vehicle booked for years? The contract is open-ended. The vehicle stays blocked until notice is given and an end date is set.
Why is the contract still Active after its end date? Something is still to be invoiced, such as the settlement or extra kilometres, the final odometer reading is missing, or the nightly run has not run yet. Check the Billing schedule for Planned or Due rows, and the Kilometres card for Final reading in. Without a final reading the contract waits up to 60 days after its end date, then ends without settling the kilometres; its last-run note then says Ended without a return odometer reading ....
Related pages: Invoice shortlease contracts and follow up failures for the last invoice.