Equipment Rental Policy

Equipment Rental Policy

• User Agreement

  Patrons who rent equipment from our equipment pool agree that they have read, understand, and are bound by our usage policies as outlined in this document. Patrons are responsible for equipment while it is signed out under their name and will be held accountable for late returns, damages, loss or theft.

• Who May Rent Equipment

  Current Champlain College students, faculty, and staff may access the equipment at no charge. Equipment may only be used for academic or college purposes. Most resources are available only to specific programs, classes, or Patrons, and prerequisites may apply.

  Patrons may only sign out equipment under their own name, and must be present at pick-ups and drop-offs. Equipment being returned by someone other than the Patron who checked it out will not be accepted and late fees may begin to accrue. Patrons may be asked to present their Champlain College ID, and Rental House staff retain the right to refuse the pickup of equipment if identification cannot be verified.

• Access and Permissions

  Every resource available for rent has unique usage and safety requirements. We use the word ‘Access’ to describe the Patron’s academic right to access the equipment (based usually on course enrollment), and the word ‘Permission’ to describe a Patron’s proven ability to safely operate a piece of equipment. The goal of our access/ permission requirements is to educate and empower Patrons to be capable of meeting our liability expectations. While each circumstance may have unique access or permission requirements, the typical path towards gaining access and permission is a two step process:

  1. You are enrolled in a course where a pre-arranged list of equipment is required by the curriculum.
  2. You have received an in-class demonstration of the equipment by a Rental House employee or CCM Faculty Member.

   

  If a Patron wishes to checkout equipment not authorized within their current permissions or access, they may apply for special clearance by contacting the Patron’s Program Director or Assistant Program Director, who may send the following information to rentalhouse@champlain.edu: Patron name, course enrolled for use of equipment, and timeframe of the rental request.

  After the rental house receives approval from the Program Director or Assistant Program Director, the patron may contact the rental house to make the reservation. Note that even if special clearance is approved, the equipment is subject to availability. Patrons will need to show proficiency for safe use of the equipment.

• Checkout Process

  Patrons should adhere to the college’s health pledge and policies regarding COVID-19. Do not attempt to pick-up/return equipment if you have any symptoms as outlined in the COVID-19 Risk and Symptom Tracking form. Instead, notify the Rental House via phone to cancel/extend/reschedule.

  Steps:

  1. Equipment is available from the loaning pool.
  2. A reservation is made online, in person, or over the phone.
  3. Rental House staff will stage equipment as stated on the reservation.
  4. Before equipment can be picked up, Patrons are responsible for inspecting that all aspects of the order are present and functioning properly. Rental House Staff will be available for questions and/or facilitate any resolution of problems.
  5. Patrons sign the agreement form, confirming they agree to the rental policies, and confirm their return time.
  6. Patrons will return all equipment as stated on their original rental order, reporting any issues/damages they may have experienced with the gear to the Rental House staff. Patrons will wait until Rental house staff have checked the equipment for completeness and damage.
  7. If any issues arise from the return check, the patron must fill out the LDM form.
  8. Items and surfaces considered high touch are disinfected to our staff’s best ability per industry/manufacturer’s recommendations and returned to circulation.
  9. In accordance with Champlain College’s updated COVID 19 policies, masking is recommended but not required.
  10. If a Patron would like to reserve a parking spot for their pick up and/or return, they must call the Rental House and speak to a staff member to do so. Parking cannot be reserved online or through email. If a Patron parks in the CPS lot, Rental House staff reserve the right to deny service until the vehicle is moved. Parking cannot be guaranteed.

   

  While our team will make every effort to properly disinfect equipment per available industry/manufacturer recommendations, the Rental House cannot guarantee that every piece of equipment circulated to patrons will be 100% free from risk of exposure to COVID-19.

• Reservations (Pickup/Return)
  • Reservations may be made at least 24 in advance, online, in person, or over the phone. Emails will not be accepted.
  • We also accept walk-in checkouts; however, equipment availability for late reservations or walk-in checkouts is limited, and equipment choices cannot be guaranteed. In addition, the patron may be asked to return at a later time for pick up if staff are currently busy processing existing reservations or if the order is more complex in nature.
  • Reservations, or changes to existing reservations, may be made at least 24 hours in advance using the online reservation tool on our website or via phone (no email)
  • Requests to change reservation details after the 24 hour submittal deadline and/or at the time of pickup may not be able to be accommodated.
  • If Patrons are more than 30 minutes late to pick up, their reservations will be automatically canceled and the equipment staged will be returned to the shelves.
  • If Patrons are more than 30 minutes late to Return, they will have to fill out an LDM form and could face late fees (see “Late Return Policy and Penalties”)
  • Last Scheduled pick up time 5:00 PM
  • Last Scheduled return time 5:00 PM
• Walk-In Policy

  The Rental House is introducing a new policy at the start of the 2024 Spring Semester. Checkouts made without prior notice or a reservation will be limited by a 1 to 2 hour turnaround on Mondays and Fridays.

  Due to the increased number of student reservations on Mondays and Fridays, walk-in checkouts for equipment will not be available for pickup until 2 hours after the order has been placed. The policy of walk-in checkouts will remain unchanged for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, permitting that these checkouts do not interfere with other student reservations.

• Rental Period

  Due to equipment distribution requirements, rental periods are determined by a Patron’s academic year:

  • Freshmen & Sophomore: 3 Days
  • Junior & Seniors: 5 Days
  • Faculty & Staff: 5 Days

   

  WebCheckout counts weekends (Saturday and Sunday) as 1 day, so equipment may be rented over weekends. Equipment can also be rented over the Fall/October break. If a patron would like to rent equipment out over the Fall/October break, which exceeds typical settings, they will need to call or come in person to set up the order with a rental house technician directly.

  Equipment cannot be rented out over Thanksgiving or Spring break without first having been approved by a full time faculty member. If a Patron wishes to checkout equipment over Thanksgiving, or Spring break they may apply for special clearance by contacting their full time faculty member or advisor, who may send the following information to rentalhouse@champlain.edu: Patron name, course enrolled for use of equipment, and timeframe of the rental request.

  After the rental house receives approval from the faculty member or advisor, the patron may contact the rental house to make the reservation. Note that even if special clearance is approved, the equipment is subject to availability. Patrons will need to show proficiency for safe use of the equipment.

  Equipment cannot be rented out over Winter and Summer break.

• Rental Extensions

  Patrons may request a single 24 hour extension per rental over the phone prior to the return deadline. Voicemail or e-mail messages for extension requests are not accepted – you must speak directly with Rental House staff to request an extension. Approval for such a request depends on whether or not the equipment in question is available. If the request is denied, the equipment must be returned at the originally scheduled deadline. Failure to request an extension prior to the return deadline constitutes a late return.

• Late Return Policy and Penalties

  Rented equipment is considered late once the scheduled return time has passed. There is a 30 minute grace period after which the late return will be formally recorded in the Patron’s record.

  For each day a checkout is late, starting when the 30 minute grace period ends, the Patron’s Champlain account will be charged a late return fee of $50 per day. The penalty increases as time passes, and the sum is not prorated; returning an item any time between 30 minutes and 24 hours after the originally scheduled return time means the Patron is one day late. Anytime between 24 and 48 hours late and the fine is adjusted to $100. Items not returned within five calendar days of the scheduled return time will be considered lost. Late fines are capped at $250.

• Equipment Damage and Loss Policy

  The Patron is responsible for any replacement or repair costs due to damage/loss identified to have occurred while in their care. The Patron is responsible for noting any issues with the equipment in their order at the time of pick-up (including missing/damaged items/contents). Any damage/loss reported or identified by Rental House staff upon return will be recorded and communicated via the LDM process.

  Any rentals not returned within 5 calendar days of the agreed upon return time will be considered lost. In addition to the $250 associated late fine, further penalties may be applied as necessary, including charging the Patron for the full replacement of the lost item(s).

• How Fines and Penalties are Processed: The LDM Process

  When a Patron returns with late, damaged, or missing items, their access to rental equipment will automatically be suspended. The Patron will be notified of an LDM (Late/Damaged/Missing) incident report against their record via their college email account. This process gives Patrons and Rental House staff the opportunity to acknowledge and agree upon the issue(s), and choose whether to accept or appeal any fines in the case of late returns. After the Patron responds to the LDM email, the Patron’s rental privileges will be immediately reinstated.

  The LDM process offers students the ability to appeal late fines or equipment issues. Each case of appeal will be reviewed individually, and a confirmation will be sent to your college email account to arrange a conversation to discuss the issue(s) if necessary. Failure to schedule and attend an appeal appointment within 21 days of the LDM email notification waives the Patron’s right to appeal the fine/fee at a later date and signifies their agreement to pay the fine/fee when processed and charged through Student Accounts.

  If a resolution between Patrons and the Rental House cannot be found, the case may be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for review and resolution. The Rental House retains the right to refer any LDM issues to Student Conduct, including any by Patrons who are found to have already recorded multiple infractions in one semester.

  If you do not appeal your LDM incident report, your account will be charged the appropriate amount as stated in the Rental Agreement Policy. Fees are reported to Student Accounts, and may also reflect any staff time and shipping costs incurred. The Rental House reserves the right to enforce further penalties for habitual delinquent Patrons as warranted, up to and including revocation of the Patron’s rental privileges.

  We value your open, honest, and timely engagement with our rental operation and policies. All attempts on your part to resolve issues fairly and quickly will be taken into consideration. Please be as specific as possible while engaging in the LDM process.