Owner operator: What precautions for rental do you take?

[Gary Jones]

What sort of identification/insurance do one man band/owner operators take when it comes to hiring out their equipment?

A fully decked out Epic with nice lenses can easily run you over £100K and I just know I wont be letting it out of my site when I have it, but I was wondering what sort of ID is standard before agreeing to a rental.

Also, in the UK, what insurance company(ies) do people recommend for their equipment?

Thanks all.

 

[Paul Leeming]

I don't let my cameras out of my sight unless I have passport ID and driver's license or similar on file. I'm in Japan so this applies mainly to foreign productions renting gear.

Normally though I'm on the production anyway as either DP, cameraman or camera assistant/data wrangler etc.

For Japanese clients I pretty much know all the local players by now so I'm comfortable letting it go once I know they will take care of it and have worked with them before.

Insurance to cover theft, breakage etc plus the clients sign contracts stating they will pay for the same if it happens on their watch. You can download that contract from my website if interested. It's basically PERA standard with names changed etc.

HTH

Cheers from Japan,

Paul

 

[Mark Phelan]

Rental includes DIT, me. My insurance won't cover it otherwise. IMHO, renting one's equipment is just waiting for something to break by accident or ineptitude. You'd be amazed at how often folks break something by forcing a cable into a socket it doesn't fit, put a lens on improperly that wrecks the mount, etc. It happens with frequent regularity. It'll also happen much less if I am on site able to help answer a question or fix a problem. Sometimes it's like giving a kid a Ferrari and saying, "Be careful". There are a LOT of kids out there just waiting for their chance behind the wheel and when they wreck, they always say the same thing, "I don't know what happened". Exactly. One man band operations generally cannot afford to be down due to carelessness beyond themselves.

 

[L. Langer]

My rule of thumb? Unless I know you or you are someone with which I am relatively familiar with in some way, you don't touch any of my gear nor will I even entertain the idea of renting to you. I've seen too many people on this forum get suckered or simply robbed outright because they made it known on this forum that they had one thing or another to rent or they put out a list of stuff here and someone decided to make a grab for it by posing as a renter.

 

[Gary Jones]

Extremely useful posts guys, I appreciate it.

If you don't advertise, how did you start renting? Was it purely word of mouth?

I tend to agree that it would be easy for someone of nefarious character to just trawl the forums and prey on those that look like first time owner operators. It is precisely that kind of thing I am trying to avoid.

The problem is, I am buying the equipment primarily for myself, but if I want anything else: such as extra lenses, more kit (who doesn't want more kit) etc. I am going to have to make it pay by generating some sort of income. But I am a newcomer with next to no connections. Advertising and rental seems like the best option. The alternative is to rent it through a rental house in London and take a greatly reduced rate. I would then probably not get to control who gets it, I wouldn't be as likely to accompany the equipment and it is bound to get abused a lot more.

Bit of a quandary really.

Any other thoughts?

 

[L. Langer]

Given your stated lack of status/connections/familiarity with the local community, I would advise you to start working with an established outfit that uses RED cameras, attend the REDucation classes, and then figure out if you do want to become an owner. I've been around this forum for a long time and was loitering during the initial RED One offering. Many people with little or no experience bought into the RED One by taking out loans and other means, thinking it would be their golden ticket to fame and fortune, and many of them ended up having to sell their cameras to others because they couldn't get much, if any, work due to lack of interest in what they had to offer and now that there are so many cameras out there and people are using DSLRs, you have serious competition and price undercutting all over the place. So, think carefully and act logically before you open your wallet.

 

[Gary Jones]

Thanks for that but in truth, I am not relying on the camera/equipment/lenses paying for themselves or for that matter feeding me. They are a folly, one I can just about afford. I just can't afford continual investment without it generating the money. If I never rent it and just use what I buy it won't be the end of the world.

I realise to some extent I am asking for advice on how I can compete with others in the UK. So glad for any help. The skills and experience the rest of you bring with the equipment will make you a better rental proposition than myself.

 

[R. Gonzales]

The Great Insurance Scam

The Great Insurance Scam

I have been thinking about posting this info for some time now. Let me tell you about the great insurance scam that thieves are using to liberate your camera equipment from you.

It works like this:

Joe Evil calls you up and says he is an independent producer and he just finished a shoot but needed to rent some gear for a days worth of pick-ups. You ask where is he getting lenses from He says he is renting from a well known rental house and you check it out and find out its all true.

You agree to rent him your bran new EPIC-M/X but you need his insurance company to email or fax an insurance certificate naming you and your equipment as insured by the company. Sure enough, you get an email with the certificate with the requirements you stipulated. But wait, it seems that this guy uses the same insurance company you do (great!!). You decide to call the insurance company to confirm the certificate. They tell you everything is fine and Joe Evil has the correct insurance.

NOW THE SCAM BEGINS!!!
Joe Evil is at your door ready to pick up your camera, he’s got a bunch of stuff from the other rental company already in his car/van. You’re still a bit nervous and you ask to copy his drivers license and take an imprint of his credit card. No problem he says and freely hand over the card and license. Joe Evil promises to return your camera by 12 noon the next day and then he leaves thanking you as he drives away.

The next day you get a phone call from Joe Evil, he tells you that the shoot went well but ended really late and he had slept in. He says that he is load up and will be about 30 to 45 minutes late. An hour passes and you decided to wait another 30 min. You call Joe Evil but there is no answer, you call again, and again with the same results; no answer. You call the rental house to find out if Joe Evil has returned their lenses and they tell you the police are there and they are filing a theft report against Joe Evil.

To make this long story short you call your insurance company and explain what happened and they say-


“We are sorry for your situation but this theft is not covered under your insurance policy. In fact they have now canceled Joe Evil’s insurance.”

Let me try to explain:
This happened to a friend of mine, a RED1 owner/operator who from time to time rents his gear.

The insurance company says this is in your policy, page 66 section 7. A.
Perils Excluded
(e) loss, damage or expense caused directly or indirectly by or resulting from:
(i) misappropriation, secretion, conversion, infidelity or any dishonest act on the part of the Insured or other party of
interest, the employees or agents of the Insured or any person or persons to whom the property may be entrusted (bailees for
hire excepted);
(ii) voluntary parting of ownership or title by the Insured to any party whether from a legal or illegal transaction;
(iii) loss or shortage disclosed on taking inventory, or any mysterious disappearance.

What this means in plain English is, if you voluntarily rent, or loan your camera / equipment to someone, whether is a friend or other and they steal it from you… You are not covered under insurance. And if they had insurance, it is automatically canceled.

Be careful when you rent your stuff!!

 

[Brent J. Craig]

Most of the owner-operators I know will only rent their stuff "within the family" ie. to people they know and trust. Let the rental houses handle the strangers and foreigners - they have the procedures, insurance and lawyers. If your livelihood depends on your gear, WHY would you give it to people you don't know?

 

[Mark Phelan]

Most of the owner-operators I know will only rent their stuff "within the family" ie. to people they know and trust. Let the rental houses handle the strangers and foreigners - they have the procedures, insurance and lawyers. If your livelihood depends on your gear, WHY would you give it to people you don't know?

+1. And often we owners will share equipment with one another, depending on the relationship. So not much income generated from that sort of "rental".

 

[Gary Jones]

The problem with only renting 'in the family' or to 'people you know' is that it makes it impossible for someone new to the business to get started. Are you saying that it is just too dangerous for a newbie to try and rent?

If so, that is a pretty horrible situation for the market to be in.

 

[Greg M]

The problem with only renting 'in the family' or to 'people you know' is that it makes it impossible for someone new to the business to get started. Are you saying that it is just too dangerous for a newbie to try and rent?

If so, that is a pretty horrible situation for the market to be in.

Nothing is impossible.
Everyone started "new" in this business at some point.
Bottom line is if you don't take the chance and and go for it, you'll just sit and dream.

But remember, renting is a business, not a casual hobby. If you want to rent your gear there are many things to consider besides insurance. Maintenance, inventory, taxes, support just to name a few.

 

[Mark Britton]

And don't forget collecting payment. That can be a job unto itself.

I'd recommend putting effort into networking first, then consider rentals. Try to find and meet people in your area that you'd be targeting for rentals. Get some perspective on your local industry, who is working and has a good reputation, who isn't. Find out what sort of equipment and expectations local professionals have. See if you can actually meet those needs first. Then offer equipment for rental.

I'm a firm believer that a few friendly discussions over beverage(s) of choice with freelancers will generate better leads than general advertising. In my opinion, you have to want to be in the rental business, and be willing to spend the time and energy to build relationships. You're taking a risk renting your gear out, but they're also taking a risk on your equipment being in good working order and available when they need it. You'll also be spending money on more expensive insurance, burning more gasoline and personal time.

You'll need more spares of cables and parts available to go out with equipment than you would if you were operating your own equipment. Having ample spares and backups available to a production crew when they are in the heat of the moment is very important to your reputation. It also reduces the number of support calls from on set, though you'll get those as well anyway. My experience is that if you provide ample spares of the parts that are most likely to fail (i.e. cables), in varying lengths/connectors/options, your gear takes less abuse from trying to make do with cables that are too short or connectors that aren't quite connecting. Crews that use your equipment like you better, because you made their job go more smoothly.

And if you do get into rentals, I would suggest that it's mandatory to get good, rigid cases with clearly identified/shaped spots for each delicate/breakable/scratchable piece to live in. Your equipment will die a lot faster if it's not well protected against knocks and bumps in transit. And when you get equipment back, be dilligent about cleaning and vaccuming out the interiors. A little sand inside of a case can do horrible things...