Help Center

Loutou is a Belgian item rental platform. It lets any owner list an item for rent, and anyone rent it, simply and securely.

You can browse listings without an account. However, creating an account is required to book an item or publish a listing.

Click "Sign up" in the top right of the page. Registration takes less than 2 minutes via your email address.

Yes, identity verification is a core element of the Loutou model. It ensures each user is a real person and contributes to the safety and trust of the entire community.

Yes, the platform is open to all Belgian residents. You can rent or list items in any municipality in the country.

Use the search bar on the home page: enter the item name and your location. You can then filter results by category and distance.

On the listing page, select your dates in the calendar, then click "Book". You complete the payment authorization and your request is sent to the owner.

Yes, 24 hours. Without an answer, the request expires on its own and you are not charged: the amount held on your card is released.

No. To change dates, cancel your request while it is pending (nothing is charged), then send a new one.

If the owner declines, the booking changes to "declined" status and the payment authorization is automatically canceled. You will not be charged.

All payments go through Stripe, our secure payment partner. When you make a request, the amount is only authorized on your card and isn't actually charged until the owner accepts the booking.

Loutou applies a 10% commission incl. VAT on the renter side, plus a fixed €1 fee incl. VAT per booking, as well as a 15% commission incl. VAT on the owner side, deducted from the amount paid out to them. All fees are displayed transparently before booking confirmation. Professional accounts receive a monthly invoice for these commissions.

Professionals can set a deposit on their listing. It's paid in person at handover and recorded in the handover condition. Between individuals, Loutou doesn't manage deposits.

The payment goes out automatically 7 days after the rental ends, once their IBAN is added, unless a report is under review or upheld.

No. All payments must go through Loutou via Stripe. Off-platform transactions have no protection and are forbidden by the terms of use.

Cancellation is only possible on bookings with "pending" or "accepted" status, and only before the rental start date. Once the rental has started ("ongoing" status), cancellation is no longer possible.

It depends on the listing's cancellation policy, shown before you send your request. Flexible: full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. Moderate: full refund up to 5 days before. Strict: 50 % refunded, whenever you cancel. Once the rental has started, cancelling is no longer possible.

Yes. When an owner cancels a booking they had accepted, you are refunded in full, whatever the listing's policy.

The refund is automatically triggered via Stripe. Allow 2 to 5 business days for the amount to reappear in your bank account, depending on your bank.

You meet in person. When handing the item over, the owner records its condition from their account, with at least two photos. The renter receives it by message and email, and can confirm it or report a disagreement until midnight the next day. Without an answer, the condition is confirmed. The rental starts on the first day, whether or not a condition is recorded.

Check that the item matches the listing, works, has all its accessories and is clean. Then look at the condition recorded by the owner: if something doesn't match, report a disagreement with a sentence and a photo, before midnight the next day.

At the return, the owner records the item's condition the same way: checks and photos. They have until midnight the day after the last day. Recording the return ends the rental. The renter can then confirm it or report a disagreement until midnight the next day.

Refuse to take the item and contact Loutou support via this form or from your booking. If the condition recorded by the owner doesn't match what you saw, report a disagreement with a photo: our team looks at both versions, and the owner's payout waits for its decision.

In your dashboard, click "Publish a listing". Add photos, a detailed description, daily price and availability. The more complete your listing, the more trust it inspires.

We recommend a daily price equivalent to 5 to 10% of the item's new value. You can also set discounted rates for 3-day or 7-day rentals to attract more renters.

You choose the rule for your listing: flexible (full refund up to 24 hours before the start), moderate (up to 5 days before) or strict (50%, whenever they cancel). Professionals can also set their own tiers. If you cancel, the renter is always fully refunded.

To publish, your profile must be complete and your identity verified. To receive your payouts, then add your IBAN from your profile.

From your booking (confirmed, ongoing or completed), up to 48 h after the end of the rental. Give the reason, a description and, if possible, photos. Each party can open one claim per booking.

The Loutou team impartially investigates each dispute by examining evidence from both parties (messages, handover and return photos, claim). Loutou makes the final decision and both parties agree to accept it.

LoutouCover is the protection included with every rental. It's not insurance: our team supports you and helps resolve any dispute between users (damage, disagreement), and a capped guarantee may apply if responsibility is established.

If an item is damaged during the rental and responsibility is established, our team supports you under the LoutouCover terms. The condition report at handover and return, the photos and the purchase invoice are used to review the case. Professionals can also ask for a deposit at handover for their items.