Vehicle damage inspection app & evidence pack
Log hire damage with timestamped photos against a vehicle diagram and export a dispute-ready evidence pack. Damage capture is in the first release; structured comparison and disputes are launching next — and we say so.
Part of Complys Self-Drive Hire. 30-day free trial, no card required, when the platform launches.
Disputed damage is the single most common friction in self-drive hire, and it is almost always an evidence problem, not a facts problem. A vehicle damage inspection app exists to make the evidence undeniable: specific damage, logged where it is on the vehicle, with timestamped photos, tied to the hire it belongs to.
Complys is deliberately precise about what's ready. Damage capture — logging existing and new damage with photo evidence against a vehicle diagram — is in the first release. The structured, side-by-side out-vs-in comparison and the formal dispute workflow are launching next, with rental operations. We label both honestly rather than implying the whole thing ships on day one.
The hire evidence chain
From licence check to signed handover to return condition, Complys keeps the evidence of every hire connected to the vehicle, hirer and agreement. This page covers one link in that chain.
- Hirer identity & document captureIn the first release
- DVLA licence & share-code checksIn the first release
- Rental agreement & e-signatureIn the first release
- Check-out condition & photographsIn the first release
- Deposits & paymentsLaunching next
- Return / check-in conditionIn the first release
- Damage capture & photo evidenceIn the first release
- Structured damage comparison & disputesLaunching next
- Fines / PCN administration & liability transferPlanned
- Evidence pack exportIn the first release
- Tamper-evident audit trailIn the first release
Damage capture — in the first release
At check-out and check-in, damage is recorded against a vehicle diagram: where it is, how severe it is, and what it looks like, with timestamped photographs (and video where you want it). Existing damage is marked at hand-over so it can never be charged as new; new damage on return is logged the same way.
Every entry is tied to the hire, the hirer and the vehicle, so a photo is never an orphan file someone has to place later. This is the capability that does the heavy lifting on a dispute, and it's available from launch.
- • Damage marked by location and severity on a vehicle diagram
- • Timestamped photos and optional video
- • Existing damage recorded at hand-over so it isn't charged as new
- • Every entry tied to the hire, hirer and vehicle
Structured comparison & disputes — launching next
The next release adds the structured out-vs-in comparison — the returned vehicle placed side by side with its hand-over baseline — and a formal dispute workflow for raising, evidencing and resolving a charge. It arrives with the wider rental-operations release.
Until then, you still have everything you need to make the case: the timestamped check-out and check-in records sit in the same hire, so genuinely new damage is clear. We're telling you exactly what's here now and what's coming, because a page that pretended the comparison workflow already existed would be the sort of thing this product is built to avoid.
The evidence pack that wins the argument
The reason damage capture belongs in a compliance platform, not a standalone photo app, is the pack. When a charge is challenged — by a hirer, a card chargeback or a claims-management company — you can export the whole hire as one evidence pack: verified hirer, licence check, signed agreement with the damage terms, check-out condition and photos, check-in condition and photos, and the specific damage logged. Available from launch.
Almost no competitor packages that. All-in-one rental tools store 'damage reports'; standalone inspection apps export photos. A single, timestamped, hire-linked pack that a dispute can't easily pull apart is the difference, and it's exactly what the evidence chain produces.
Fair wear and tear vs chargeable damage
Not every mark is chargeable. The BVRLA publishes a recognised Fair Wear and Tear standard that distinguishes acceptable wear from chargeable damage — an industry standard, not a statute. Complys helps you evidence what you found and when; whether a given mark is chargeable is a judgement you make against that standard and your own terms. Being able to show the evidence is what makes a fair charge stick and an unfair one easy to withdraw.
What’s ready, honestly
Complys Self-Drive is launching. Here is exactly where the capabilities on this page stand — labelled at the feature level, never marketed as available before they ship.
Log existing and new damage with timestamped photos against a vehicle diagram. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Side-by-side out-vs-in comparison and the dispute workflow; arriving with rental operations. Being built now; arriving in the release after launch.
Export the whole hire — verification, licence, agreement, condition, damage and charges — as one pack. Included in Complys Self-Drive from launch.
Frequently asked questions
What's available at launch versus later?
Damage capture — logging existing and new damage with timestamped photos against a vehicle diagram — is in the first release, as is the evidence-pack export. The structured out-vs-in comparison and the formal dispute workflow are launching next, with rental operations. Both are labelled honestly.
How is damage recorded?
Against a vehicle diagram, by location and severity, with timestamped photographs and optional video, tied to the specific hire. Existing damage is marked at hand-over so it can't be charged as new.
What is the evidence pack?
A single export of the whole hire — verified hirer, licence check, signed agreement, check-out condition and photos, check-in condition and photos, and the logged damage. It's what you produce when a charge is disputed. Available from launch.
Can I compare the return against hand-over automatically?
A structured side-by-side comparison is launching next. Today the timestamped check-out and check-in records sit in the same hire, so you inspect the return against a known baseline rather than from memory.
How does this help against a chargeback or claims company?
A dispute is usually won or lost on evidence. A single, timestamped, hire-linked pack — identity, licence, agreement, condition in and out, damage — is far harder to pull apart than scattered photos and a paper agreement.
What about fair wear and tear?
The BVRLA publishes a recognised Fair Wear and Tear standard (industry practice, not law) distinguishing acceptable wear from chargeable damage. Complys evidences what you found; whether a mark is chargeable is your judgement against that standard and your terms.
Is it a separate app from the condition report?
No. Damage capture is part of the check-out/check-in condition report. This page focuses on the damage and dispute side of that same evidence; see the condition report app for the full hand-over and return inspection.
Explore the rest of the hire evidence chain
- Self-Drive Hire software → — the full evidence-chain platform
- Vehicle condition report app → — the check-out/check-in inspection
- Rental agreement & e-signatures → — the damage terms you rely on
- See the whole evidence chain → — how a hire becomes one pack
See the evidence chain in action
Book a demo or register your interest, and we’ll set you up as soon as Complys Self-Drive launches.