Bonds (how they’re held & returned)
How refundable bonds are held and returned — the mechanics, so you know exactly what each button does.
What a bond is
A bond is a refundable deposit your library holds (against loss or damage). ToyHive
tracks two kinds, both as a bond charge on the household's ledger:
- Membership bond — set on a membership type; charged once when the household enrols.
- Party-hire bond — set per hire item; charged when a booking is made.
The amount and policy (when you keep vs return a bond) are up to each library — ToyHive only records the money movement.
When it's returned
- Party hire: once the item is marked returned/collected, a "Refund bond" button appears on the booking. The booking stays in the list until you release it, so the bond is never forgotten.
- Membership: on the member's page, a "… membership bond held" row shows with a "Refund bond" button. Use it when the household leaves (or you otherwise return the deposit).
How the refund works
Pressing Refund bond records a matching credit on the household's ledger (a
bond_refund entry), so their balance and your books reconcile. It is a ledger reversal,
not an automatic money transfer — you still hand the deposit back by your usual method:
- Cash / EFTPOS / bank transfer — done manually by the committee, then recorded here.
- Stripe — automatic reversal of the original charge is planned, not yet available.
Because the cash/EFTPOS handover is manual work, many libraries choose not to take bonds at all. Automatic reversal is on the roadmap to remove that friction.