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Protect Your Gear

Peace of mind for every rental. Whether you're lending or borrowing, our equipment protection plans keep you covered from checkout to return.

View Protection Plans

Choose Your Protection

Every plan is applied per rental. Cancel or change at any time before your rental starts.

Basic Protection

Free

Included with every rental. Covers minor cosmetic wear from normal use.

  • Minor scratches & scuffs
  • Normal wear & tear
  • 24/7 support access
  • Accidental damage
  • Theft coverage
  • Water damage
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Recommended

Standard Protection

£2.99 / rental

Covers accidental damage up to £500 per item. Ideal for most rentals.

  • Everything in Basic
  • Accidental damage up to £500
  • Cracked screens & dents
  • Water splash protection
  • Priority claims processing
  • Theft & loss coverage
Select Plan

Premium Protection

£7.99 / rental

Full coverage including theft, loss, and damage up to £5,000. Total peace of mind.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Accidental damage up to £5,000
  • Theft & loss coverage
  • Full water/weather damage
  • Replacement gear while claiming
  • Zero excess on all claims
Select Plan

How It Works

Getting protected takes seconds. Here's the process from checkout to claim.

1

Choose protection at checkout

Select your preferred plan when booking any rental. You can upgrade or downgrade right up until the rental starts.

2

Rent with confidence

Use the equipment knowing you're covered. Shoot on location, on set, wherever the work takes you.

3

Report any issues within 48h

If something goes wrong, open a claim through your dashboard with photos and a description. It takes under 5 minutes.

4

Get reimbursed within 5 days

Approved claims are paid directly to the equipment owner. Most claims are resolved within 1-3 business days.

Protection statistics

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In claims paid out

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Claim approval rate

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Average response time

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Protected rentals

Coverage Details

Everything you need to know about what's covered and how claims work.

Our protection plans cover a wide range of incidents that can happen during a rental period:
  • Accidental drops and impact damage
  • Cracked or shattered screens and viewfinders
  • Water and liquid damage (Standard: splashes; Premium: full submersion)
  • Electrical faults caused during normal use
  • Theft from a locked vehicle or premises (Premium only)
  • Loss during transit with tracked shipping (Premium only)
  • Cosmetic damage beyond normal wear
Certain situations fall outside the scope of our protection plans:
  • Intentional damage or misuse of equipment
  • Damage caused by unauthorised modifications
  • Equipment left unattended in a public place
  • Pre-existing damage not reported at pickup
  • Damage from use in extreme conditions not specified in the listing
  • Cosmetic wear within normal use parameters (covered under Basic)
  • Loss of data stored on rented media/storage devices
Making a claim is straightforward and can be done entirely through your Charm dashboard:
  • Go to your rental history and select the affected booking
  • Click "Report an Issue" and choose "Protection Claim"
  • Upload clear photos of the damage from multiple angles
  • Describe what happened — when, where, and how the damage occurred
  • Submit within 48 hours of the incident or rental return
  • Our team will review and respond within 24 hours
  • For theft claims, a police report reference number is required
We aim to resolve claims as quickly as possible so both parties can move forward:
  • Initial review: within 24 hours of submission
  • Additional information requests: responded within 12 hours
  • Claim decision: 1-3 business days for Standard, 2-5 for Premium theft claims
  • Payment processing: within 2 business days of approval
  • Replacement gear dispatch (Premium): next business day after approval
  • Appeals: reviewed within 5 business days by a senior claims specialist

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about equipment protection.

Yes, you can add or upgrade your protection plan any time before the rental period starts. Go to your upcoming bookings and select "Add Protection." Once the rental has begun, the plan cannot be changed.
Protection is applied per item, not per booking. If you rent a camera, lens, and light, each item needs its own protection plan. Bundle discounts apply when you protect 3 or more items in the same booking — you'll see the discount automatically at checkout.
If your claim is denied, you'll receive a detailed explanation of the reason. You can appeal the decision within 14 days by providing additional evidence or context. Appeals are reviewed by a senior claims specialist who was not involved in the original decision. Our 98% approval rate means most legitimate claims are approved first time.
Standard Protection has a £25 excess per claim. Premium Protection has zero excess on all claims — you pay nothing out of pocket beyond the plan fee. The Basic (free) plan does not process damage claims, so no excess applies.
The payout goes directly to the equipment owner (lender) to cover the cost of repair or replacement. The renter's liability is limited to the excess amount on their plan. This protects both parties — lenders get compensated and renters aren't hit with unexpected repair bills.
Yes. When creating a listing, lenders can set a minimum protection level. For example, if you're listing a £4,000 cinema camera, you can require renters to have Premium Protection before booking. This setting is found under "Listing Settings → Rental Requirements."

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Rent with confidence

Equipment protection from just £2.99 per rental. Add it at checkout and never worry about accidents again.

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