How to Update the Branch on a Rental Contract or Invoice

Update Branch moves a rental contract, and the unpaid invoices raised from it, to a different branch in one step, so the hire is managed, reported and invoiced from the branch that's actually running it.

Overview

Jobs move. A contract gets booked at the wrong branch, or a customer's project is handed to the depot closer to site. You don't need to cancel and rebook the contract: Update Branch reassigns it and carries the related open paperwork across with it.

The branch on an invoice can't be edited on the invoice itself. Invoices raised from a rental contract follow the contract: when you update the contract's branch, its unpaid invoices move too.
"Unpaid" means invoices in Open, Pending Approval or Completed status. Paid and Cancelled invoices keep their original branch.
Every detail line on the contract, and every line on the invoices that move, is set to the new branch.
Open transport dockets, open run up inspections, open purchase orders, open sub hire orders and open work orders linked to the contract move to the new branch as well.
You can update the branch while the contract is Open (Reserved) or Active, but only while none of its lines has an Equipment Number assigned.

Before You Begin

Check you have the permission and that the contract is in a state that can be moved.

Requirement	Where to Find It
Update Rental Contract Branch permission, for the branch the contract currently belongs to	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups › [group] › Rental › Option
Rental Contracts screen permission	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups › [group] › Rental › Screen
The contract must be Open or Active - not Completed, Cancelled or Lost	The Contract Status field at the top of the rental contract
No line on the contract can have an Equipment Number assigned	The Details tab of the rental contract

Equipment belongs to a branch, so Latner won't move a contract while specific machines are still assigned to it. If you try, the save is refused with a message listing the lines that still have equipment, for example Cannot update Branch of a Rental Contract with already assigned Equipment Details, lines: 1.0. Remove the Equipment Number from those lines, update the branch, then allocate equipment from the new branch.

Updating the Branch

Step 1 - Open the rental contract

Go to Rental › Rental Contracts and open the contract you want to move. The branch it belongs to now is shown in the header.

The rental contract header shows the current Branch alongside the contract, credit and billing statuses

Step 2 - Choose Options › Update Branch

Click Options and choose Update Branch. The option is greyed out on a Completed, Cancelled or Lost contract, and doesn't appear at all if you don't have the Update Rental Contract Branch permission.

Update Branch sits just below Upload Document in the Options menu, next to Update Customer

Step 3 - Read the warning and pick the new branch

The Update Rental Contract Branch dialog opens with a warning listing everything that will move with the contract. Read it before you continue - it's your checklist of who to tell afterwards. Then pick the new branch:

Branch - required. It starts on the contract's current branch; clear it and choose the branch taking over the hire.

The warning lists the invoices, transports, inspections, purchase orders, sub hire orders and work orders that move with the contract

Step 4 - Save

Click Save. A Rental Contract Branch Updated message confirms the change and the contract reloads with the new branch in its header.

The contract now belongs to Brisbane. Its lines, unpaid invoices and open paperwork moved with it

Step 5 - Check the invoices

Open the Invoices tab on the contract, or find the invoice under Customers › Customer Invoices. Any invoice that was Open, Pending Approval or Completed now shows the new branch.

A Completed but unpaid invoice from the contract has moved to Brisbane with it. Paid invoices would have stayed on Sydney

After the Update

The contract and every one of its detail lines belong to the new branch.
Unpaid invoices (Open, Pending Approval and Completed) linked to the contract, and all of their lines, are set to the new branch. Credit notes raised against the contract's invoices follow the same rule.
Open transport dockets, open run up inspections, open purchase orders, open sub hire orders and open work orders for the contract are set to the new branch.
Equipment lines still waiting for an Equipment Number raise a Rental Contract Equipment Allocation Required notification for the new branch, so anyone subscribed there knows a machine needs allocating.
Rental rates on the lines aren't changed, but they're now checked against the new branch's rate book. Review them with the warning's Rental Rates reminder in mind.

Moving the paperwork doesn't tell anyone it has moved. Latner updates the branch on open transports, purchase orders, sub hire orders and work orders, but it doesn't contact your transport providers, suppliers or mechanics. Check the From Address on any deliveries and let external providers know about the change yourself. If you picked the wrong branch, just run Update Branch again - the same rules apply.

FAQs

Can I change the branch on an invoice directly?

No. An invoice's branch is set when it's created and there's no option to edit it on the invoice. For an invoice raised from a rental contract, update the branch on the contract and its unpaid invoices move with it. An invoice that isn't linked to a single rental contract, such as a manual invoice or an invoice combining several contracts, isn't moved by Update Branch.

I updated the branch but one of the contract's invoices still shows the old branch. Why?

Only unpaid invoices move. An invoice that was already Paid or Cancelled keeps the branch it was raised under. An invoice that combines several rental contracts isn't linked to any one contract, so it isn't moved either.

I get "Cannot update Branch of a Rental Contract with already assigned Equipment Details". What do I do?

At least one line still has a specific machine assigned, and the message lists which lines. Equipment belongs to its own branch, so remove the Equipment Number from those lines, update the contract's branch, and then allocate equipment from the new branch.

Update Branch is greyed out in the Options menu. Why?

The contract is Completed, Cancelled or Lost. A closed contract can't change branch. If a completed contract needs to move, reopen it first (see How to Reopen a Completed Rental Contract).

I don't see Update Branch at all, or I get "You do not have permission to perform this action in this branch".

You need the Update Rental Contract Branch permission under Rental › Option in your permission group, and if your access is limited to particular branches, you need it at the branch the contract belongs to now. Ask your Latner administrator to check your permission group.

Saving fails with "Rental rate is lower than the floor rate". Why?

Moving the contract checks each line's rates against the new branch's rental rate book. If a line is priced below that book's floor rate, the change is refused. Either adjust the rate on the line first, or have someone with the Allow Rates Below Floor Rate permission update the branch.

Can I change the branch on a rental quote too?

Yes. Open the quote and choose Options › Update Branch. It's available while the quote is Open or Quoted, needs the Update Rental Quote Branch permission, and is blocked while a serialized machine is assigned to any of its lines. When the quote converts to a contract, the contract starts on the quote's branch.