Last month Open Shed members Sonja and Bern met to do their first rental. Bern had posted a wanted ad looking for a water gurney to help her clean her windows, so Sonja added to her ever growing Open Shed inventory a Karcher Jet Washer.

We just love the description of the “exchange” that they left on our facebook page!

Sonja: Met Bern in a side street in Seaforth, popped the boot, showed her the goods and she gave me the code word and we exchanged. Felt like we were doing a drug deal!

Bern: It was a bit like undercover sting and we had a giggle - felt great to rent from such a nice gal and because I chose to travel a little further to rent - we now get to go on a bush walk recommended by Sonja- somewhere different to go when returning the Karcher! All that and I have clean paths and windows!

The pick up or exchange of the rental item is obviously a really important step of the Open Shed process and we needed a way for the Open Shed system to know it had occurred, so we introduced the “secret code”.

The Renter is emailed the secret code (which will be a randomly selected girls name) once the Owner has accepted their rental request. At the agreed pick up point the exchange of this Secret Code becomes the modern day equivalent of a handshake. It confirms that both parties are happy to proceed with the rental at the same time.

Here’s the exchange steps from the owners perspective:

1. The Renter gives you the code once they have looked at your item and is happy it matches the description in your rental listing.
2. You enter the code via the Open Shed website or mobile app.
3. The code is verified and if it is correct it triggers the removal of the Rental Fee and Service Fee from the Renter’s account.
4. For your own peace of mind, you should wait until you have received notification the code has been verified before giving the item to the Renter.

Our secret code process also plays an important part in our overall focus on trust and security for our community. We have just recently updated our trust and security page to better explain what we provide, so please check it out.

Well we are in the final month before we go live and it’s all getting rather exciting!

With just a few weeks to go I think it’s about time we shared some more details. So today I’m going to tell you a little bit about the features we are going live with. Of course once we are live the site development work wont suddenly stop! We plan to continue to add features and we will also be looking to the Open Shed community for feedback on what else you would like.

We think there are numerous benefits to renting rather than buying, but why should you use our site? How does Open Shed offer the Australian community something new?

We believe the answer to those questions lies in the combination of Open Shed’s features.

Our flexible location features mean the site is local to you. Renters can set their location and search radius. You will only be shown items nearby and can easily change your location when travelling!

Our Private Messaging facility provides users with a convenient and secure means to have a chat before organising a rental. Personal details do not need to be exchanged until you feel comfortable.

All money associated with a rental transaction is handled through the site using PayPal. This includes the bond if the owner has specified one. No money is removed from the renters account until both the renter and the owner have confirmed the successful pick up of an item.

The successful pick up of an item is verified through the exchange of a secret code, the modern day equivalent of a handshake.

• Step 1: Once the renter has inspected the item and is happy that it is as described, they give the owner their secret code.
• Step 2: The owner enters the code into the site or via our smart phone application, if you are on the move!
• Step 3: The secret code is instantly verified so the owner knows money has just been transferred to their PayPal account.

We think this is a great way to harness the benefits of the traditional rental in an online space.

Our reputation and feedback features will help our community get to know one another. After each rental has finished both parties will be encouraged to leave feedback on the experience. This feedback forms part of your Open Shed reputation.

So if this sounds like the type of community you would like to be part of please sign up to be notified when we go live.