Free plant hire agreement template
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Free plant hire agreement (PDF-ready). Australian dry and wet hire contract: parties, plant, rates, period, condition in/out, insurance and damage.
Commercial Director
Key takeaways
- A plant hire agreement sets parties, plant, rate, period, condition, insurance and damage for an Australian hire.
- Dry hire puts the operator and most WHS duty on the hirer; wet hire keeps the operator with the owner.
- Tie condition in and out to a handover certificate so damage during the hire is attributable.
- For significant hires, registering on the PPSR helps the owner protect the asset against insolvency.
- It is a starting template; have it reviewed against your circumstances before relying on it.
Updated 22 June 2026
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What is a plant hire agreement template?
A plant hire agreement template is a contract between an owner and a hirer that sets the terms for hiring out an item of plant or equipment in Australia. It names the parties, describes the plant being hired and its condition, states the hire rate and charging basis, sets the hire period and return arrangements, and allocates the responsibilities, insurance and risk between the two sides. It covers both dry hire, where the hirer supplies the operator and takes on operating responsibility, and wet hire, where the owner supplies a competent operator with the machine. The agreement also records the condition in and out, the meter reading, and what happens in the event of damage, breakdown or loss during the hire.
A plant hire agreement matters because plant is valuable, the work it does is often high risk, and an undocumented hire leaves both parties exposed. Without a written agreement, the charging basis is disputed, nobody is clear on who insures the machine or who carries the risk if it is damaged, and the safety duties that attach to supplying and operating plant under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 are left unstated. A clear agreement allocates those duties, sets the rate and period so the invoice is not a surprise, and ties the condition in and out to a handover record so damage is attributable. For owners, registering the hire on the Personal Property Securities Register can also protect the asset if the hirer becomes insolvent. It turns a handshake hire into a defined commercial arrangement that protects the asset, the revenue and both parties.
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Benefits of using this plant hire agreement template
- Clear charging basis: stating the rate, minimum hire and what counts as chargeable time stops invoice disputes at the end of the hire.
- Allocated risk and insurance: naming who insures the plant and who carries damage and loss risk removes the most common and costly hire argument.
- Defined safety duties: setting out dry versus wet hire and the operator competency rules makes the WHS plant duties of each party explicit.
- Damage attributable: tying condition in and out to a handover record means damage during the hire can be identified and charged fairly.
- Protected ownership: recording the hire and registering a security interest helps the owner recover the asset if the hirer becomes insolvent.
- Certain hire period: a stated period, return arrangement and off-hire process gives both sides certainty over when the machine and the charges stop.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your forms from paper to MapTrack, you get:
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- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
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- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Maintain a live asset register with location, condition and custody history.
- Schedule and track calibration, certification and warranty expiry dates.
- Generate depreciation and total-cost-of-ownership reports per asset.
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What to include in a plant hire agreement template
This plant hire agreement template covers 10 key areas:
- Parties: the owner and the hirer, with legal names, ABNs and contacts
- Plant description: the item, identifier or serial, make, model, registration and any attachments
- Hire type: dry hire or wet hire, and who supplies and is responsible for the operator
- Hire rate and charging: rate, charging basis (hourly, daily, weekly), minimum hire and overtime
- Hire period: start date, expected end date, and the off-hire and return arrangements
- Condition in and out: condition at delivery and return, tied to a handover certificate and meter reading
- Responsibilities: fuel, routine checks, operating duties, and reporting of faults or damage
- Insurance and risk: who insures the plant, the level of cover, and who carries damage and loss
- Damage, breakdown and loss: what happens, who pays, and the process for repairs during the hire
- Termination and security interest: notice, default, return on termination, and any PPSR registration
How to use this plant hire agreement template
- Identify the parties and the plant: Record the owner and hirer with legal names, ABNs and contacts, then describe the plant by identifier, make, model, registration and attachments. Accurate identification matters because the agreement, the insurance and any security interest all attach to this specific machine.
- Set the hire type, rate and period: State whether the hire is dry or wet, set the rate and charging basis with any minimum hire, and define the period and off-hire arrangement. Being explicit here is what prevents the two most common disputes: who runs the machine and what the final invoice should be.
- Allocate responsibilities, insurance and risk: Set out who handles fuel, routine checks and fault reporting, who insures the plant and to what level, and who carries the risk of damage and loss. Clear allocation of these duties is the core protection the agreement provides for both the owner and the hirer.
- Record condition in with a handover: Complete a handover certificate at delivery recording the condition and meter reading, and reference it in the agreement. This baseline is what makes damage during the hire attributable and the off-hire condition check meaningful when the machine comes back.
- Sign, register and manage off-hire: Have both parties sign, and where appropriate register the security interest on the PPSR to protect the asset. At the end, complete the off-hire handover, compare condition to delivery, action any damage, and confirm the date charging stops.
In MapTrack, you can manage your full asset register digitally. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.
Get the free templateEnter your email above to download the full plant hire agreement template as a PDF.Back to download formHow often should you complete this form?
Put a plant hire agreement in place before every hire, and have it signed before the machine leaves the yard rather than chasing signatures after delivery. For an ongoing trading relationship, a master hire agreement can carry the standing terms while each individual hire is captured on a short schedule and a handover certificate, which saves re-papering the whole contract for every job.
Review the standing terms at least annually and whenever rates, insurance arrangements or the law change. Always pair the agreement with a condition handover at delivery and at off-hire, because the contract sets the terms but the handover records are what make condition and damage claims enforceable.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (duties of suppliers and users of plant)
- Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Schedule 2)
- ISO 55001:2024 Asset management (custody and condition records)
- Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (registration of security interests in hired goods)
Embed this free template on your website
Run an industry blog, trade association site, or training resource? Drop a preview of this free plant hire agreement template straight into your page. The snippet is self-contained, needs no scripts, and links readers back to the full free template.
<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
<p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#0E7490;margin:0;">Free template</p>
<p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Plant hire agreement template</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Parties: the owner and the hirer, with legal names, ABNs and contacts</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Plant description: the item, identifier or serial, make, model, registration and any attachments</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Hire type: dry hire or wet hire, and who supplies and is responsible for the operator</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Hire rate and charging: rate, charging basis (hourly, daily, weekly), minimum hire and overtime</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Hire period: start date, expected end date, and the off-hire and return arrangements</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Condition in and out: condition at delivery and return, tied to a handover certificate and meter reading</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/plant-hire-agreement-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Plant hire agreement template</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>Please keep the “by MapTrack” attribution link in the snippet.
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