Start a Party Rental Business
Delivery-Day Run Sheet + Walkthrough Script Pack
Companion to "Delivery and Setup" and "Wind, Weather, and Safety."
1. Per-stop field card
| Customer / event | | Date | |
| Unit(s) delivered | | Setup time / pickup time confirmed | |
| Address / zone / fee | | Wet or dry unit | |
| Deposit received / balance due | | Phone answered confirmations sent | ☐ |
2. Morning weather check (every setup day)
| Condition | Rule | Checked |
|---|
| Sustained wind under 15 mph | Operate, anchored, attended | ☐ |
| Sustained wind at or above 15 mph | Do not operate. Deflate or do not set up | ☐ |
| Gusts above roughly 20 mph | Take the unit down, even mid-event | ☐ |
| Any wind above the manufacturer's stated limit | Manufacturer's number wins, whatever it is | ☐ |
Check the hourly forecast the morning of every setup and again before afternoon pickups. If sustained winds cross 15 mph during the event window, the event does not happen.
3. Site check (walk the yard before anything leaves the truck)
- Overhead power lines and tree branches (decide where the unit can go)
- Slope: ground close to level
- Sprinkler heads, dog waste, garden edges
- Distance to the outlet (a cord across a walkway is how ankles get hurt)
- Water spigot location for wet units
- Never under power lines or tree limbs, on noticeable slopes, or within reach of walls and fences
- Ask the two questions: where do you want it, and where can it actually go
4. Load-out checklist
- Unit, tarp, stakes or sandbags, mallet
- Blower, extension cord, straps
- Water hose for wet units
- Vacuum, sanitizer, wipes
- Patch kit and cement on the truck
- Contract / safety sheet, business card with review QR code
5. Setup steps, in order
- Tarp first: laid and staked; on hard surfaces, sandbags at every anchor point (no version of hard-surface setup without weights)
- Unroll and position deliberately (moving an inflated unit is dramatically harder)
- Blower attached; transport straps wrapped around the blower tube, not taken with you; water hose connected before inflation on wet units
- Inflate watching: walk the unit as it rises; every zipper and air-tube cap closed
- Anchor everything: stakes at every anchor point driven at an angle away from the unit (grass); sandbags on every point (hard surface), no calm-day exceptions
- Clean and sanitize before handover: vacuum, wipe contact surfaces, brief sun dry
- Photograph the completed setup, corners and anchors included
6. Supervision script (read to the customer; these are conditions, not suggestions)
One designated adult attendant within arm's reach of the entrance the entire time the unit is inflated. Shoes off. No flips or roughhousing. Ages separated: the small kids get their own turns, and the four-year-old is never under the ten-year-old. The maximum occupancy on the manufacturer's label is a real number. Food, drinks, gum, and silly string stay away from the vinyl entirely. Shut the unit down immediately if wind rises, the blower sounds wrong, or the unit softens. If nobody is watching, I have the right to shut the setup down.
Also show: the blower switch and what a running blower sounds like; keep the fan intake clear of toys, balloons, and leaves. Confirm the pickup time exactly: chairs stacked, tables folded, nothing left under the canopy. Hand the printed safety sheet that matches the contract. Say plainly that a five-star review is the best tip.
7. Pickup procedure
- Call or text before arriving; ask wet-unit customers for water off, blower still running (drying starts before you get there)
- Confirm someone is home or you have permission to be on the property
- Inspection walk before deflating: trash, food, silly string, gum, seams, anchor points
- Keep every child off the unit before and during deflation; watch the entrance while you work
- Blower off, zippers and tubes open, stakes or sandbags pulled as the air leaves
- Walk the air out, fold sides in, roll tightly from the far end, strap, load
- Tag the unit at return: green (clean, dry, restack), yellow (dirty, clean today), blue (wet, clock started), red (damaged, pull from availability)
8. Weather-call phone script (cancel by phone, same day, reschedule already proposed)
"Hi, this is Dana from Castle Party Rentals. I've been watching the wind forecast for tomorrow, and it's crossing the limit where I'm allowed to set the unit up safely. I'm not willing to risk your party on it. The good news is your deposit doesn't go away, it moves with you. I have the 14th open, and honestly the forecast looks perfect. Can I lock that in right now?"
Weather cancels the event; your policy preserves the booking: reschedule with deposit carried, not refund.