What a location contract settles for you as an owner
A location contract is the written agreement between you, the location provider, and the production about using your space. It turns your house rules into binding booking terms: permitted and blocked areas, hours, set-up and wrap, reset, fee, overtime, cleaning, cancellation and special conditions. On SetScout you do not have to negotiate this contract ad hoc yourself - the platform handles the contract, payment and payout, and before any booking the Super Check verifies the standardized location contract and insurance.
House rules become booking terms
Two clauses cause most disputes on the shoot day: restoration and overtime. For restoration, the contract should say who restores the original condition and by when, what counts as normal use, and how drill holes, adhesive marks or moved furniture are handled. For overtime, it should set when a day counts as extended and what an extra hour costs, so 'just one more shot' does not become an open item. When these two points are precise in the location contract, most disputes resolve before they arise. On SetScout the contract runs through the platform rather than being agreed informally on the side.
Insurance is part of production readiness
Insurance is where it gets concrete for you. Distinguish two layers: the production's liability cover, which should handle damage during the shoot, and your own building or contents insurance, which you should know anyway. The production's proof of insurance is worth a close look: does it cover exactly your shoot dates, does it name the inquiring production company as the policyholder, and what order of magnitude is the cover for personal injury and property damage? Also record a handover condition with photos. Before a booking, SetScout's Super Check verifies the production's insurance - but that does not replace your own look at the scope of cover and the deductible.
The Super Check aligns contract, payment and insurance
A serious booking path puts contract, insurance and payment in the right order before your date is blocked - and that is exactly SetScout's Super Check. Listing and receiving inquiries is free; a booking fee only applies once the booking is paid and you receive your payout. Before the booking, SetScout verifies the standardized location contract and the production's insurance, and you decide which bookings to accept. Only then does the platform block the date and handle the contract, payment and payout; you document the handover condition yourself, ideally with photos before the shoot.
Protection checklist
- Get production identity, contact person and project details confirmed.
- Ask for proof of insurance and a contact person before accepting.
- Record a handover and damage condition with photos before and after the shoot.
- Check that the location contract names permitted and blocked areas, fee, overtime, cleaning and cancellation.
- Block key dates only once the location contract and insurance have passed the Super Check and payment runs through SetScout.