How to Use Cross-Household Sharing

What is Cross-Household Sharing?

Cross-household sharing lets you connect your household with other households (friends, family, neighbors) and selectively share specific items from your inventory. It's perfect for:

• Sharing tools with neighbors - Let them see what you have available to borrow
• Family connections - Share items between your house and parents'/kids' houses
• Workshop partners - Collaborate on shared equipment
• Community tool libraries - Build a network of shared resources

Household vs Cross-Household Sharing

Setting Up Cross-Household Connections

Step 1: Generate a Connection Code

1. Go to Settings → Cross-Household Sharing or Connections
2. Tap "Connect with Another Household" or "New Connection"
3. Enter connection details:
   • Connection Name (e.g., "Johnson Family", "Bob Next Door")
   • Connection Type (Friend, Family, Neighbor, Workshop Partner)
   • Expiration (Optional - set time limit on connection)
4. Tap "Generate Code"
5. A 6-digit connection code appears
6. Share this code with the other household via:
   • Text message
   • Email
   • In person

Step 2: Other Household Accepts Connection

The other household should:

1. Open Garage Vault
2. Go to Settings → Cross-Household Sharing → Connections
3. Tap "Connect with Another Household"
4. Tap "Enter Connection Code"
5. Type in the 6-digit code
6. Review the connection request
7. Tap "Accept"

Both households are now connected!

Sharing Items with Connected Households

Once connected, you can share items:

Sharing Individual Items

1. Open any item in your inventory
2. Tap the "Share" icon or "..." menu
3. Select "Share with Household"
4. Choose which connected household to share with
5. Set permissions:
   • View Only - They can see the item but not edit it
   • Can Edit - They can update details, quantity, location
6. Add a note (optional - e.g., "Available to borrow anytime!")
7. Set expiration (optional - share expires after set time)
8. Tap "Share"

The item now appears in the other household's inventory with a "Shared" badge!

Sharing Multiple Items at Once (Bulk Sharing)

1. Go to Inventory
2. Tap "Select" or the checkbox icon
3. Select multiple items you want to share
4. Tap "Share" button (usually at bottom or in menu)
5. Choose the connected household
6. Set permissions (View Only or Can Edit)
7. Tap "Share All"

All selected items are now shared with that household!

Quick Share by Category

Want to share all your power tools with your workshop partner?

1. Go to Dashboard
2. Tap a category (e.g., Tools)
3. Tap "Select All" or the checkbox icon
4. Select items from that category
5. Tap "Share"
6. Choose household and permissions
7. Tap "Share"

Managing Shared Items

Viewing What You've Shared

Outgoing Shares (What You're Sharing):

1. Go to Settings → Cross-Household Sharing → Shared Out
2. See all items you've shared with others
3. View:
   • Which items
   • Shared with whom
   • Permission level
   • Expiration date (if set)
   • When shared

Incoming Shares (What Others Shared with You):

1. Go to Settings → Cross-Household Sharing → Shared In
2. See all items other households shared with you
3. These items also appear in your regular inventory with a "Shared from [Household]" badge

Finding Shared Items in Inventory

Shared items appear in your inventory with special indicators:

• Shared Out (you own, others can see): 🔵 Blue badge "Shared with 2"
• Shared In (others own, you can see): 🟢 Green badge "From Johnson Family"

Filter by Shared Status:

1. Go to Inventory
2. Tap Filter icon
3. Select:
   • "Shared by Me"
   • "Shared with Me"
   • "Not Shared"
4. Apply filter

Permission Levels Explained

View Only Permission

What they CAN do:

What they CANNOT do:

Best for: Showing what you have available without giving control

Can Edit Permission

What they CAN do:

• Everything in "View Only"
• Edit item details
• Update quantity
• Add photos and receipts
• Log maintenance
• Update storage location

What they CANNOT do:

• Delete the item (owner only)
• Change sharing settings (owner only)
• Transfer ownership

Best for: Collaborative management (workshop partners, family helping with maintenance)

Privacy Controls

Marking Items as Private

Don't want to accidentally share something? Mark it private:

1. Open an item
2. Tap "..." menu or Settings icon
3. Toggle "Private" or "Prevent Sharing" ON
4. Tap "Save"

Private items:

• Cannot be shared with other households
• Don't appear in bulk sharing selections
• Still visible to your own household members
• Show a lock icon 🔒

Categories to Consider Marking Private

Common private items:

• Personal tools (heirlooms, gifts)
• High-value equipment (rarely loan out)
• Items with sentimental value
• Dangerous equipment (welders, chainsaws - for safety)
• Items you don't want to loan

Temporary Sharing & Expiration

Setting Share Expiration

When sharing an item, you can set an expiration:

1. While sharing an item
2. Toggle "Set Expiration" ON
3. Choose duration:
   • 1 week
   • 1 month
   • 3 months
   • 6 months
   • 1 year
   • Custom date
4. Complete the share

What happens when share expires:

• Item automatically removed from their household
• You get a notification
• Item remains in your inventory
• Can re-share if needed

Temporary Connections

You can also set expiration on entire connections:

1. When creating a connection
2. Set "Connection Expiration"
3. Choose duration (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year)

What happens when connection expires:

• All shared items are automatically unshared
• Connection is removed from both households
• Both households receive notification
• Can reconnect with a new code if desired

Good for:

• Temporary neighbors (rentals)
• Seasonal sharing (snow blower for winter)
• Trial periods with workshop partners

Borrowing & Lending with Shared Items

Requesting to Borrow a Shared Item

1. Find the shared item in your inventory
2. Open the item details
3. Tap "Request to Borrow"
4. Fill in:
   • When you need it
   • How long you'll need it
   • What you'll use it for (optional)
5. Tap "Send Request"

The item owner gets a notification and can approve/deny.

Approving Borrow Requests

When someone requests to borrow your shared item:

1. You receive a notification
2. Tap to open the request
3. Review:
   • Who wants to borrow
   • When they need it
   • How long they need it
4. Tap "Approve" or "Deny"
5. If approved, the item is marked as "Loaned to [Person]"

Tracking Loaned Items Across Households

1. Go to Dashboard → Loans card
2. See items loaned to:
   • Your household members
   • Other connected households
3. Track:
   • Who has it
   • When it's due back
   • Current condition
4. Send return reminders if overdue

Share Statistics

Viewing Share Overview

1. Go to Dashboard → Share Statistics card
2. See:
   • Items Shared Out - How many items you're sharing
   • Items Shared In - How many items shared with you
   • Active Connections - How many households you're connected to
   • Pending Requests - Borrow requests awaiting response

Connection Details

For each connection:

1. Go to Settings → Connections
2. Tap on a connection name
3. View:
   • Items shared to them
   • Items shared from them
   • Connection created date
   • Expiration date (if set)
   • Total value of shared items
   • Borrow history

Removing Shares & Connections

Unsharing a Single Item

1. Open the shared item
2. Tap "Share Settings" or "..." menu
3. Tap "Unshare" or find the household it's shared with
4. Tap "Remove Share"
5. Confirm

The item is immediately removed from their household inventory.

Unsharing Multiple Items

1. Go to Settings → Shared Out
2. Filter by household (see all shared with one household)
3. Tap "Select"
4. Select items to unshare
5. Tap "Unshare"
6. Confirm

Disconnecting from a Household

1. Go to Settings → Connections
2. Tap on the connection you want to remove
3. Tap "Disconnect" or "Remove Connection"
4. Confirm disconnection

What happens:

• All shared items (both directions) are immediately unshared
• Both households receive notification
• Connection is removed from both households
• Can reconnect later with a new code

Best Practices

Connection Management

Sharing Strategy

Start Conservative:

1. New connection? Start with view-only permissions
2. Share a few test items first
3. Upgrade to edit access after trust is established
4. Gradually share more items

Organize Your Shares:

• Create a category for "Frequently Loaned Items"
• Mark expensive items as private
• Use storage locations to track borrowed items
• Keep notes on each shared item about terms

Communication Tips

Real-World Examples

Premium Feature

Cross-household sharing is a Premium feature included with your subscription.

Troubleshooting

Security & Privacy

What's Shared

✅ Visible to connected households (for shared items only):

• Item name, description, photos
• Category and storage location
• Purchase information (price, store, date)
• Maintenance records
• Loan history for that specific item

❌ NOT visible to connected households:

• Items you haven't shared
• Your other household members' names
• Your household's subscription status
• Items marked as Private
• Shopping lists
• Your other connections

Revoking Access

You have complete control:

• Unshare any item instantly
• Disconnect any household instantly
• Changes take effect immediately
• No grace period - access removed now

Need Help?

If you need assistance:

• Contact support@garagevault.app
• Visit our Help Center
• Watch our Cross-Household Sharing Tutorial Video
• Check out Community Sharing Best Practices

Happy sharing! 🤝🔧