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Security Deposit & Damage Waiver Software for Hotels and Vacation Rentals
Give guests the choice at check-in: a refundable security deposit or a non-refundable damage waiver. A security deposit places a pre-authorization hold on the guest's card, automatically managed and released with no payment processor fees.
A damage waiver is a flat fee paid upfront, protecting your property from day one and adding a new revenue stream to every booking. ChargeAutomation lets hotels, STR hosts, and vacation rental operators collect, manage, and release both options automatically.
Trusted by the top vacation rentals & hotels
Why you need a security deposit and damage waiver software for STR
Damage waiver
Collect a non-refundable damage waiver fee at check-in. Funds are yours immediately, with no holds or disputes.
Security deposit
Place a pre-authorization hold on the guest card for a refundable security deposit, released automatically after checkout.
Get instant funds
Hold a security deposit on the guest card and release funds instantly, with no delays.
Chargeback protection
Signed damage waivers and security deposit pre-authorizations protect your property from chargebacks and disputes.
Flexible scheduling
Choose when to charge, hold, or release security deposits and damage waivers per booking.
Reduce processing fees
Use security deposit pre-authorization instead of charges to eliminate refund processing fees.
Per-property rules
Set different security deposit amounts and damage waiver rules for each property or listing.
Auto reminders
Send guests automatic payment reminders for security deposits and damage waivers, no manual follow-up needed.
Multiple gateways
Works with Stripe, Authorize.net and 10+ payment gateways.
Protect your property with automated security deposits and damage waivers
Give guests the choice that works for them while keeping your property fully covered. Automated, flexible, and built to work across any booking channel.
Why hosts like you trust ChargeAutomation
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$40Upsell revenue
Offer personalized upsells during check-in
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50%Guest queues
Reduce guest queues by using online check-in
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30minTime savings
Speed up check-in & booking processes
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75%Guest satisfaction
Saving guest time & money will make them happy
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100%Document handling
Collect guest documents & signatures online
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100%Eliminate cash-handling
Collect payments & security deposit during check-in
Full property protection. Zero manual work.
Offer automated security deposits and damage waivers at check-in. Give guests flexibility while securing your assets across all booking channels.
What can you do with a security deposit or damage waiver?
Collect partial or full security deposit, or a flat damage waiver fee upfront
Release or extend the pre-authorization hold at any time
Extend pre-authorization hold or keep waiver funds immediately as profit
Send auto payment reminders to guests for deposits and waivers
Client testimonial
“What ChargeAutomation customers are saying about us”
UpStay Read More
ChargeAutomation is easy to use and user friendly, you can surely use the system even if you are a beginner. and the support team are prompt at responding to queries and very informative.
CozySuites Read More
We've been using contactless check-in for quite some time already and are really satisfied with how they combined id check, payment collection, terms & conditions and upsells into a single flow. It was easy to implement and guests love the experience.
LifeSuites Read More
Contactless check-in from ChargeAutomation saves so much time for our administrators and we noticed how guest satisfaction improved. 100% recommendation.
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Automated security deposit and damage waiver collection that integrates with your current system
Our software integrates with a wide range of hospitality tools, ensuring you can access the guest data you need and automatically update your PMS, OTA and payment gateway – for both security deposits and damage waivers.
FAQ’s
Check answers to the most common questions about ChargeAutomation
Security deposit is collected in a form of authorization (hold). The maximum holding period for Stripe users is 28 days for Visa and 30 days for Discover/MasterCard/Amex or 7 days for other cards.
Once a booking ended, the Security deposit is automatically released 3 days after check out.
In ChargeAutomation, there are 3 ways of collecting security deposit
By manually sending authorization request link to your customer.
By creating a re-usable authorization link and sharing it to anyone.
By creating auto payment rule for automatic collection.
Our superior detection eliminates fraudulent chargebacks entirely. Zero fraud guaranteed.
Short-term rental companies that use upselling software from ChargeAutomation include CozySuites, PMI, UpStay & Carzi Contactless and many more.
You can define rules, schedule dates and the amount of security deposit authorization for each property or booking channel.
A damage waiver is a small, non-refundable flat fee collected from the guest at check-in. Unlike a security deposit, no hold is placed on the guest’s card. The fee is collected upfront, covering the host against potential damages without tying up the guest’s available credit.
Yes. With ChargeAutomation, you can offer both options at check-in and let guests select their preferred method. This reduces drop-offs at the payment step and ensures your property is protected regardless of which option the guest chooses.
No. The damage waiver fee is non-refundable. Once collected, the funds are immediately available to the host and do not require any release or capture process.
If you detect any damage to the property once the guest has left, you may opt to capture funds from the security deposit authorization. This can be initiated directly through ChargeAutomation.
You can capture the whole amount or a partial amount and leave a brief description for your records.
Security deposit authorizations are automatically returned 3 days after check out.
ChargeAutomation will continue to send automatic notifications to the guest, reminding them of the requirement to provide valid credit card details.
ChargeAutomation is GDPR and PCI-compliant solution. Personal data security is the cornerstone of our operations.
With security deposit authorizations by ChargeAutomation you save on processing fees from your payment gateway. Only a fraction of those fees for using ChargeAutomation’s security deposit software.
Yes. You set your own waiver amount per property or per booking. If the fee exceeds your actual coverage costs, the difference is yours to keep as profit.
Go to your Auto Payments settings at the global or property level, locate the Security Deposit settings, and toggle the Damage Waiver option to ON. From there you can define the waiver amount, coverage limit, and pricing model per stay or per night.
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