Getting Started with Hire

Many Scout groups run a hall, campsite, or minibus that other organisations want to use. Today that usually means a spreadsheet, a few emails back and forth, and a bank transfer that lands sometime before the weekend. The Hire module replaces that with a public booking page: hirers browse what's available, pick their dates, and pay online — and every payment lands in your group's accounts automatically.

This article covers the one-time setup. Once that's done, see the companion articles for the public booking page, setting up assets, and managing your hirers.

How hire payments work

Hire uses GoCardless open banking to take one-off payments — the hirer authorises a single bank-to-bank transfer at the point of booking. This is the same rail Scoutworks uses for one-off donations, and it's not a Direct Debit:

The hirer pays a single agreed amount — there's no ongoing authority to take money later.
A separate payment is taken for each deposit, balance, or damage deposit.
Money typically clears in 3–5 working days.

If you've already connected GoCardless for parent subscriptions, you're connected for hire too. If not, the setup wizard walks you through it.

The setup wizard

The first time you open Hire, a six-step wizard guides you through the essentials. You can come back and change anything later from the Settings tab on the Hire page.

Step 1 — Welcome

An overview of what the module does. Click Next to continue.

Step 2 — Payments (GoCardless)

Hire payments need a GoCardless connection so money lands in your bank account. If your group is already connected, this step confirms it and you can carry on. If not, you'll be prompted to connect — the wizard won't let you continue until GoCardless is live.

Step 3 — First asset

Add your first bookable item — typically your main hall or campsite. You need:

A name (e.g. "Main Hall", "Lakeside Campsite")
A type — see the table below
A short description (optional at this point)
A pricing approach — choose Show set rates, Quote on request, or Enquiry only

Asset type	Use it for
Hall	Your Scout hut or main meeting room
Room	A meeting room inside a larger building
Whole site	A campsite or activity centre booked as one unit
Pitch	A camping pitch inside a site
Equipment	A marquee, trailer, gazebo, or similar kit
Minibus	Group transport with seat count and MOT details
Day pass	A timed session with a fixed capacity (e.g. a climbing wall slot)
Other	Anything that doesn't fit the categories above

You'll add full pricing, photos, descriptions, and booking rules after the wizard. See Creating and editing hire assets for the full walkthrough.

Step 4 — Contact

Set the public contact email shown on your booking page — usually a group mailbox like [email protected] rather than a personal address. Booking enquiries land here too.

This pre-fills from your group's mailbox email if you've already set one in Settings → Group.

Step 5 — Portal

Switch the public booking page on and write a short welcome message that hirers see at the top of the page.

Your public URL is auto-generated from your group's slug — the same one used for your waiting-list page. There's nothing to type. The wizard previews the URL so you can copy and share it.

Step 6 — Launch

A summary of your choices. Click Set up hire to finish. You land on the Hire page with your first asset ready to configure further.

The Hire page

Once setup is complete, the Hire page has up to four tabs:

Tab	What's there	Who sees it
Bookings	Every booking — new enquiries, holds, confirmed hires, and past hires	Leaders and group admins
Assets	Everything bookable, with a list view and the option to add more	Leaders and group admins
Hirers	The people and organisations who've booked from you	Leaders and group admins
Settings	Organisation tiers and the public portal switch	Group admins only

The Hire Actions dropdown in the top right is the quickest way to add a booking, add a new asset, or add a hirer from anywhere on the page.

Who sees what

Leaders and group admins both run Hire day to day. Both can take a booking, add and edit assets, set pricing on an asset, and add hirers.

Settings is for group admins. A leader doesn't see the tab at all, and a bookmarked link straight to it lands them on Bookings instead. That is why organisation tiers and switching the public portal on are admin jobs. The hire portal link beside Hire Actions is admin-only for the same reason — ask a group admin for the address if you need to share it.

Approval modes

Each asset has its own approval mode, set on its Details tab:

Mode	UI label	What happens after a booking comes in
Auto	"Confirm instantly when available"	The booking is confirmed the moment the hirer pays. No manual step needed.
Manual	"Any leader or admin reviews"	The booking sits as Pending until a leader or admin approves it. Only then can the hirer be charged.
Nominated	"A named approver reviews"	Same as Manual, but only one specific person can approve. Used when you want a single point of responsibility — for example a hall warden or treasurer.

Most groups start with Manual review for their first few bookings, then switch high-demand assets to Auto once they're confident the rules and pricing work.

What happens when a hirer pays

Every payment a hirer makes lands automatically in your accounting ledger as an income transaction against your primary bank account — no manual entry, no double-counting. The transaction includes:

The asset name and your booking reference
The hirer's organisation (or their name, if they booked personally)
A label distinguishing the deposit, balance, or damage deposit

Damage deposits — easy refunds

If you take a refundable damage deposit on a booking, you can return it to the hirer with one click after the stay. From the booking detail, choose Refund damage deposit and pick how:

Refund via GoCardless — the money is sent straight back to the hirer's bank account, typically in 3–5 working days. The refund posts to your ledger automatically.
Mark as manually refunded — for cases where you've already sent the money by bank transfer.

If part of the deposit needs to be kept back for damage, the refund dialog lets you note the reason and adjust the amount.

Managing incoming bookings

New bookings appear on the Bookings tab. Each row shows the hirer, the asset, the dates, and the current status:

Status	Meaning
Pending	A new request awaiting your review (manual/nominated mode) or deposit payment (auto mode)
Confirmed	Booking confirmed — deposit paid (or no deposit needed)
Awaiting inspection	Stay complete; asset condition being checked before the damage deposit is returned
Completed	Hire closed out and any damage deposit dealt with
Cancelled	Booking cancelled by you or the hirer

Click any row to open the booking detail panel. From there you can Confirm booking or Cancel booking, send a payment link for the deposit or balance, leave notes, refund the damage deposit, and see the email history with the hirer. Confirm booking is also on the row menu, which is what you need for a free or zero-cost hire — there is nothing to pay, so confirming is the way to move it on. Confirming a pending booking sends the hirer their confirmation email.

What's next

The public hire portal — what hirers see and the journey from "find your page" to "booking confirmed".
Creating and editing hire assets — pricing, booking rules, custom questions, and blocked dates.
Managing hirers — adding, editing, and keeping on top of who's booking from you.
Setting up payments with GoCardless — connect your bank account if you haven't already.