How to photograph a rental car before you drive away

• At pickup, before you leave the lot or car park, and before you load your luggage. If the light is bad, ask to move the car or wait for better light rather than skipping a side.
• Show the staff any damage you find and ask for it to be written on the rental form. Photos support the form; they do not replace it.
• At return, repeat the same set in the same order, ideally with a member of staff present, so the two sets can be compared.

1. The whole car from the front, the back and both sides, and the roof if you can see it.

2. Each panel in turn: bumpers, doors, wings, bonnet and boot lid. Walk round once in the same direction every time.

3. A close-up of every mark you find, with a second photo a little further back so it is clear where on the car it is. Holding a coin or a pen near a scratch shows its size.

4. All four wheels and tyres, including the rims, which are often scuffed on kerbs.

5. The windscreen, the side and rear glass, and the mirrors, looking for chips and cracks.

6. The interior: seats, the upholstery, the boot and any stains, burns or tears. Also the spare wheel and tools if the contract lists them.

7. The dashboard with the engine on, showing the fuel level, the mileage and any warning lights.

8. The paperwork: the rental agreement, the damage form and the car's plate number.

A slow walkaround video is a good addition to the photos, because it shows the car as a whole and in one continuous take. Walk round the car once, pausing on each mark, then film the interior and the dashboard.

• Say the date, the plate number and the rental company's name aloud at the start.
• Keep the phone steady and move slowly, so marks are not a blur.
• Keep the video and the photos together, with the originals on your phone, not only copies sent through a chat app.

The iPhone Camera saves the time and, if Location Services is on for the Camera, the coordinates in each photo's hidden data. That data is often removed when photos are sent through a chat app, a web form or an email client, and a reviewer may never look at it.

Without an app, start with a photo of the rental agreement or the lot's sign, and film the screen of a phone showing the time and date. Printing the date, time and place on the picture makes them visible to anyone who opens it, and it stays when you send the file. Never edit a photo in a way that changes what the damage looks like.

• The rental agreement, the damage form signed at pickup and at return, and the final receipt.
• All the photos and videos from both pickup and return, in the original quality.
• Keep them for as long as the company's claim window runs, which differs by company and country, so check the contract. Some claims arrive weeks after the rental.
• If you are later charged for damage, send your pickup photos to the company, and to the insurer or card issuer that covers the rental, if there is one, and ask for the charge to be reviewed.