How to Mark a Manual Security Deposit Returned
How to record that a manually-collected amenity security deposit was handed back to the resident, updating the books and audit trail while the cash is returned in person.
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When a resident's amenity security deposit was collected in cash, cheque, or another manual method, handing it back is something staff do in person, not through a card refund. This action records that hand-back on the books and in the audit trail.
Who can use it: staff, board members, or PMs with the refunds permission on the property.
When to use this
Once a booking's event has passed and there's no damage or issue, the deposit line on the booking gives you two choices side by side: Keep deposit (if the property is retaining some or all of it) or Mark returned (if you're handing it back in full). This guide covers Mark returned.
Steps
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Open the booking's Payment & Refunds tab. Find the security deposit line. Once the deposit has been collected, it shows its current state, for example "Cash, collected Aug 13" with a Held badge, and two buttons: Keep deposit and Mark returned.
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Click Mark returned. A dialog opens summarizing the deposit: the amount held, the method it was collected by, and the date.
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Read the notice. The dialog explains: "No money moves. Hand the cash back yourself." and clarifies that confirming only updates the books to show the property no longer holds the deposit; you still need to return the money to the resident separately if you haven't already.
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Enter a reason. This is required, for example "Inspection complete, no damage. $150.00 cash returned at the front desk." It's stored on the audit trail along with your name, so it's the record of why the deposit was released.
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Confirm. Click Mark returned. The dialog closes and the booking's Audit Log picks up a new entry immediately.
What gets recorded
Two things happen at once: the books post a reversing entry for the deposit (the same way a card deposit reversal would), and an audit log entry records the actor, the reason, and the timestamp. Both entries exist so there's a full explanation, months later, of why the property stopped holding that money.
Keep deposit is unaffected
"Keep deposit" already worked for manual bookings before this update and hasn't changed. Keep and Mark returned are the two outcomes for a held deposit; use whichever one matches what actually happened.