Trust & Safety
Built to be safe to use
Renting from a neighbor should feel as safe as renting from a store. Here's how we keep both sides protected — before, during, and after a rental.
Verified community
Phone verification at signup. Stripe Identity (government ID + selfie) before anyone lists an item or completes a booking. We re-verify on flagged accounts.
Damage protection on every rental
Lendlet Protection covers small claims from a platform-funded pool. A card hold sized to the item's replacement value backs larger ones. Lenders are made whole.
Photo evidence at pickup and return
Both sides take photos at handoff. We validate the timestamp and location on the device — fakes don't survive the check. Photos are the record if anything is disputed.
Bilateral reviews
Both sides review each other after the rental closes. Reviews are blind-revealed once both submit, or after 14 days — so neither side can retaliate.
Lender accountability
Lenders who cancel — declining a request or breaking a confirmed booking — earn strikes. Three strikes in 90 days triggers a review and possible suspension.
Address privacy
Your exact pickup address is only shared with the renter once a booking is confirmed. Public listings show a general area, and listing photos have GPS data stripped.
How damage protection works
Every rental on Lendlet is covered by a two-tier system designed so that small claims never become a headache for the renter, and lenders get paid quickly regardless of the outcome.
- Small claims (≤ $150)— paid from the Lendlet Protection Pool, funded by the ~5% protection fee on every booking. The renter's card hold is released as usual; only the pool pays out.
- Larger claims — Lendlet captures funds from the card hold authorized at booking confirmation, up to the resolved claim amount. Anything above the hold is escalated to Operations.
- Lender payout— lenders are paid for resolved claims through Stripe, on the platform's standard payout schedule.
Coverage scales with the item, not a fixed ceiling. A $5,000 lens is covered up to its hold; a $500 tool is covered up to its hold. Lenders set the hold per listing.
If something goes wrong
Item returned damaged, late, or not at all? Lenders have 72 hours from the end of the rental to open a claim with photo evidence. Lendlet Operations reviews each claim and resolves it using the damage-protection waterfall above.
Disagreement during pickup or return? Take photos that show the disagreement — the same evidence that protects you in a dispute. Then email support@lendlet.co and we'll help.
Emergency or unsafe situation?Stop the handoff and call 911 if anyone is at risk. Then contact us — we'll cancel the booking with a full refund and follow up. Lendlet is a marketplace, not an emergency service.
Prohibited items
To keep the marketplace safe, certain items can't be listed. These include firearms and ammunition, controlled substances, hazardous materials, vehicles requiring a license to operate on public roads, medical devices, and counterfeit goods. The full list lives in the Terms of Service. We remove listings — and accounts — that violate the policy.
Tips for a safe handoff
- Meet in a well-lit, public-adjacent spot whenever practical. Inspect the item together before money moves.
- Take pickup photos in the app — the in-app camera captures the timestamp and location that protect both sides.
- Don't transact off-platform. Cash deals avoid fees, but they also avoid all the protection — no deposit, no claims, no recourse.
- Trust your gut. If something feels off, cancel and message us. Lender-cancellation strikes only apply to lenders who back out of committed bookings — safety calls are always fine.
Reporting & contact
Concerns about another user, a listing, or anything you saw on the platform — please tell us. Email support@lendlet.co with as much detail as you can. We read every report.
For details on how we handle personal information, see our Privacy Policy. For the legal contract that governs the service, see our Terms of Service.