Item Rule definitions (Classic Items) – Checkfront

Learn more about Item Rule definitions, including the strict rule definition.

New to Item Rules? Read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Item Rules feature.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

Inventory > Item Events

What more do I need to use this feature?

Admin or restricted permissions to View events and rules and Manage events and rules.

Which Checkfront version supports this feature - Classic Items, Classic Products, or both?

Your account must have access to classic items (Inventory > Items), which is a key feature of our Classic Items version of Checkfront.

New to Checkfront - Products ✨

With our Classic Products version of Checkfront, we have added Products (Inventory > Products) as the successor to classic items (Inventory > Items).

Are you interested in migrating to our Classic Products version? Please reach out to our Technical Support team for more information.

Rule Definitions

Following is a list of the rules available to you in Checkfront, with a brief description of what the rule does and how it can apply to your booking system.

Rule	Description	Additional Details
Cutoff	Bookings cannot be made after X number of days before the start date.	Set to at least 1 if you don't wish to allow same-day bookings. If using the hourly item allocation, then a value of 24 represents 1 day (24 hours). Note that the Cutoff rule applies to past bookings if they are edited.
Forward Booking Window	Number of days in the future to accept bookings.	This limits Customers from booking too far ahead in the future. Fourteen (14) days as a value to this rule means that Customers cannot book 15 days or more ahead of the current date.
Maximum Booking Quantity	Limits the number of items to be booked in a single order.	By default, this is your item quantity.
Maximum Duration Per Item	Sets the maximum allowed booking length for each item allocation.
Maximum Items Per Booking	Limits the quantity of items in a single booking.	It's important to realize that the Default rule set is always referred to first by the system. If you have multiple Item Events with different rule requirements, then make sure you disable the Default rules and instead create a new custom rule set for each item event.
Maximum Subtotal Value of Item Booked	Limits the maximum subtotal of an item based on your default base currency.	This rule functions only in the Default rule set and not in custom rulesets.
Minimum Booking Quantity	Sets a minimum limit on the number of items booked in a single order.
Minimum Duration Per Item	Sets the minimum allowed booking length for each item allocation.
Minimum Subtotal Value of Item Booking	Limits the minimum subtotal of an item based on your default base currency.	This rule functions only in the Default rule set and not in custom Rule Sets. This rule cannot be applied to discounts. This is an intended feature because combining the two actions can create an endless loop that breaks the system. The rule is checked, and the discount is applied to adjust the item's price. Since the discount adjusts the price, the item no longer meets the rule requirements, and the discount becomes invalid. Discounts that use this rule are invalid when applied to the booking to prevent the system from crashing.
Overbooking Allowance	Total quantity available for overbooking outside the posted availability.	Not applicable to unlimited quantity items.
Past Booking Window	Number of days in the past to accept bookings.	Usually applied to Staff members only.
Start Day of Week	Limits bookings to start on your chosen day of the week.

Defining "Strict"

You may have noticed an option for the Maximum Duration Per Item rule labelled Strict in the Apply To column.

Strict Definition

But what exactly happens when you activate this feature? Well, say you have a rental at $10/day with two discounts:

Discount A: 1-5 days, 25% off

Discount B: 6-10 days, 50% off With “strict” enabled on discount B, a 10-day booking would be discounted 50% each day. With “strict” disabled on discount B, a 10-day booking would be discounted 50% each day and an extra 25% discount on the first 5 days.

The 'strict' feature on the maximum duration per Item Rule has other functions besides stacking overlapping price adjustments.

Enabling 'strict' means that the event price does not apply to any dates if the max rule is broken. Without 'strict,' the event applies to all dates under the max value.

< Creating a new Item Rule Set