Terms and Conditions Summary

 

  • All rentals prices include VAT
  • All the rates above are daily prices
  • All prices are subject to change without prior notification
  • Age Requirements: 23 years to 70 years for Van Hire fleet
  • Driving Licence: A full driving licence must be held for 3 years
  • Signature Van Hire reserves the right to refuse hire without reason
  • Deposit: A returnable deposit will be required on all vehicles Min £250 Max £2000 (unless reasons arise why it may not be returned)
  • Free Mileage Allowance: Unlimited Subject to our fair use policy (100 miles per day)
  • Payment: The full cost of the rental and the deposit is payable prior to the start of the hire All major credit cards accepted excluding Diners Club
  • Rental Period: Rates shown are for the time period you have requested. If the vehicle is returned more than half hour late an extra day’s rental will be charged
  • Extension of rental: Should you wish to extend your rental beyond the agreed finish date, you must contact our office  and pay the additional rate, before the original agreed rental finishes.
  • Foreign travel: Vehicles may not be taken out of England, Scotland or Wales without prior written authorisation.
  • Vehicles taken abroad will be subject to a surcharge and additional insurance cover
  • Hours of Business: Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00, Saturday and Sunday 09:00 – 12:00
  • Out of hours service available subject to availability and additional cost.


Terms and Conditions in Full

 

Insurance:

The Fully Comprehensive insurance covers, ‘Insured Driver’, of minimum age of 23 years dependant on vehicle category and a young driver charge maybe applicable. Charge for additional driver starts from £18 per day subject to our insurer’s approval.

Age and Licence Restrictions:

Prices are based on drivers aged between 25 to 70 years of age with a UK licence and no points/endorsements. All drivers must have held a full UK licence for a minimum of two years, must have no more than 3 current points on their licence and are subject to approval on completion of Signature Van Hire Ltd insurance proposal form. Any drivers with convictions for drink or drug driving, dangerous or careless driving within the past 5 years will not be accepted. Overseas license holders over the age of 25 with a licence for three years plus are accepted subject to the above conditions and additional cost. Drivers must not have been involved in an accident in the past 3 years and must not have been convicted of motoring offences in categories CU/IN/LC/MS/PC/PL/SP/TS in the last 3 years. We have the right to refuse any driver on producing a licence that does not comply with our insurance policy. Please note it may still be possible to hire if you are over 25 and have up to 6 penalty points, please fill out an enquiry form and we will notify you if we can accept you to drive, there may be an additional cost for insurance for special cases. Other cases can be considered, please forward all of your details and we will give an insurance quote if possible. With exception to ‘Self Insurance’ please ask for more details. All hires and cancellations are subject these terms and conditions and it is deemed that you have read and understood them before making a booking.

The driver will not be permitted to rent a vehicle if they have been placed on the Signature Van Hire Bad Risk Register, and in that case, Signature may share this information with other companies, Police or other bodies who operate to reduce further risk of any type to the self-drive industry

Booking, Cancellation and No-show Policy:

  • We require payment card details for all bookings.
  • Bookings are only confirmed once all requested documents are supplied and hire is paid for in full.
  • Cancellations due to the hirer not meeting the terms and conditions set out are the responsibility of the hirer. Signature Van Hire Ltd. assumes no liability what so ever unless stated otherwise.

If your travel plans change, you may cancel your booking at a charge of £45 up until 7 days before your rental is due to start.

If you fail to pick up your van at the time your rental is due to start, or do not cancel with more than 7 days’ notice prior to the time it is due to start, you will be required to pay full rental cost which will be charged to your credit or debit card to compensate us for having held the van for you without any rental transaction taking place. Payments with credit card may be subject to a 3% surcharge – 5% for AMEX. 

Cancelation prior to 7 days will incur a £45 admin fee

Excess & Security Deposit:

The security deposit is held (A) As a security bond (B) As payments towards any mechanical damage which is not covered by our Insurers, e.g., tyres, wheels, clutch, gearbox, which was sustained during the hire period; due to misuse and abuse, excluding normal wear and tear. (C) Toward an insurance excess against any accidental damage or loss caused to the vehicle by a third party or the hirer. The hirer is liable for the amount shown as Insurance Excess. (D) To cover additional charges incurred during hire for excess mileage and, or, fuel reimbursement charges. (E) As payment towards inconvenience caused and losses incurred in relation to police involvement/arrest which results in the vehicle being confiscated or compounded and or being stopped for driving recklessly or dangerously.(F) Please note that you will be liable to us for any amounts you owe which exceed the deposit and the deposit is not a cap or limit on your liability and with respect to the above points (G) Hire charges will continue to be incurred until we have received the vehicle back in our procession even if it is impounded.

The Excess Security Deposit is as per the tariff. The security deposit can be held against a major credit / debit card and will be refunded after the hire (subject to terms listed). The security bond will only ever be held in full when damages are greater than the security bond or damages to the vehicle result in an insurance claim. Criminal prosecution or involvement of authorities will also result in loss of the security bond. Confiscation/compounding, theft or write off, of the vehicle will result in increased liability to the value of up to double of the Insurance Excess for the vehicle as outlined on the hire documents. In all other instances the cost of the damage only will be deducted.

Liability:

Signature Van Hire Ltd. liability is limited to a refund of the hire charge. No consequential loss liability will be covered. Van hire may be cancelled or re-arranged if:

A: The weather is deemed inclement and therefore not suitable for hire by Signature Van Hire; a suitable replacement date will be arranged or your hire refunded in full.

B: There is a mechanical breakdown of the Van/unforeseeable circumstances. If this occurs and it is feasible to offer an alternative Van for the hire we will do so. Should no other vehicle be available of a similar type/group of Van or if you choose to not have the replacement offered, we will re-arrange the hire for another date. Signature Van Hire Ltd, accepts no responsibility or liability for cancellations under these conditions.

C: Signature Van Hire Ltd. retain the right to refuse hire of our vehicles to any one we deem unsuitable for hire or whom we feel does not fit our criteria for hire, or if the hirer age or licence details do not comply with our terms as set out herein.

Use of Vehicle:

The hirer may use the vehicle for the purpose of their business and for social domestic and pleasure purposes. The vehicles may not be used for any purposes for which they are not expressly designed. The hirer will not use the vehicle for any unlawful purpose or the contravention of any act, order or regulation relating to the vehicle or use the vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or Drugs. Further, the hirer will not use or permit the vehicles to be used for hire, driving tuition, towing, racing, or for any illegal purpose whatsoever.

Allowing a non-insured driver to drive our vehicle will result in the loss of your Insurance Excess; Signature Van Hire Ltd. will also view this as theft of the vehicle and will prosecute without exception in all cases as theft.

Fuel:

You will be provided with a full tank of fuel and the vehicle must be returned with a full tank. If, however, this is not the case any reimbursement for fuel will be charged at the pump price, plus £25 + vat admin fee.

Overseas Travel:

Please note none of our Vehicles may be taken out of the UK without prior written permission and additional premium paid. Ireland (Eire) is not part of the UK; our Vehicles are also excluded from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight unless by prior arrangement.

Charges:

The lessor works out charges using a current price list. The hirer will pay the following charges:

Any charge(s) for any and all losses and/or damages resulting from the hirer contravening any terms and conditions outlined within this agreement. Any damage to the vehicle and/or third-party property above 6 feet high (1.83m) including any liabilities incurred will not be covered by the lessor’s insurance nor any third party caused in such incidents. All Such overhead damage will be chargeable in full to the Hirer along with any off hire whilst the vehicle is reinstated to a roadworthy condition. 

The full cost of Windscreen replacement if it is damaged during the hire. This can only be covered by an additional payment at the commencement of hire. No cover for windscreen is included in standard hire charges. Subject to availability.

A refuelling service charge as outlined in the ‘fuel’ section (listed above)

All fines and court costs for parking, traffic and other offences (including any costs which arise if the vehicle is clamped, even on private property) as outlined in the section ‘Speeding Tickets / Parking Fines / Road Traffic Acts’ outlined below. Failure to pay the appropriate authority and any further fines and costs will result in the lessor charging the hirer administration charges which arise to deal with such matters.

The reasonable cost of repairing any extra damage which was not noted on our damage report sheet at the start of the agreement, whether the hirer was at fault or not and the reasonable cost of replacing the vehicle if it is stolen, depending on any insurance the hirer has, as set out herein, if and when the Lesser demands this payment.

A loss of income charge, when the lessor asks for it, if the lessor cannot rent out the vehicle because it needs to be repaired, it is a write-off (can’t be repaired) or it has been stolen and the lessor is waiting to receive full payment of the vehicle’s full value. The lessor will only charge the hirer for loss of income if the lessor cannot get back the losses under the Insurance. The lessor will charge the hirer at the published daily rate.

Any charges arising from Customs and Excise seizing the vehicle, together with a loss of income charge while the lessor cannot rent out the vehicle, if and when the lessor asks for this payment.

Any rates for delivering and collecting the vehicle.

Interest which we will add every day to any amount the hirer does not pay the lessor on time, at the rate of 5% per month, above the base lending rate of Barclays Bank from time to time.

Value added tax and all other taxes on any of the charges listed above, as appropriate. The hirer is responsible for all changes, even if the hirer has asked someone else to be responsible for them. The hirer can get details of the Insurance from the lessor.

Late Return Charges:

Returning the van late up to half hour will incur an additional £15 charge if within opening hours, anything later will be charged at 1 day’s hire.

There are no refunds for early returns and late pickups.

Driver ID:

Driving licence and DVLA Licence Check Code needs to be provided to Signature Van Hire Ltd. before hire can commence for all named drivers.

Also, a photo in the form of a Passport and 1 x Utility bill, Credit card statement & Bank statement must also be produced as confirmation of ID, along with card used for payment. Photocopies are acceptable BUT the originals must be produced on the day of hire, failure to do so would cancel the hire. If upon delivery these documents have not been received or viewed by Signature Van Hire Ltd. the hire will be cancelled and our cancellation policy will apply.

Damage / Wear and Tear:

All damage to our Vehicles whilst in the custody of the hirer however they arise will be the responsibility of the hirer and Signature Van Hire Ltd. will charge for the cost of the repairs against the Insurance Excess against the hire up to the value of the Insurance Excess per incident/damage and also per party involved in the claim. If requested Signature Van Hire Ltd. will provide a quotation for the works from a repair specialist. Any excess wear to the vehicles tyres will be charged at a pro rata rate for the cost of replacing the tyres, Signature Van Hire Ltd. will provide details of these charges should they apply. These charges also extend to unreasonable wear and tear on any other part of the vehicle. Vehicles are only fully inspected once returned to our premises, this is due to dirty vehicles / bad light which hamper a full inspection at the client’s address, any damage discovered once we have cleaned the vehicle will then be charged, Signature Van Hire Ltd. are not limited to noting the damage at the time of pickup or return of the vehicle for the reasons set out in this clause.

Valeting Costs:

A cleaning fee from £40 + vat will be incurred if the vehicle is returned in such a state that hinders an ongoing hire due the interior requiring a full valet.

The full cost of restoring the vehicle interior and or exterior due to damage by paint, glue, chemicals, oil, tar concrete or similar that is not easily cleaned, caused during the rental.

The vehicle must be returned to the office that the rental started, in the same clean and good mechanical condition as it was at the commencement of the hire.

Smoking in Vans:

Smoking in our vehicles is expressly forbidden and will result in the loss of your Security deposit, Signature Van Hire Ltd. may use a machine to determine if the Vehicle has been smoked in, smoking in the vehicle with the window wound down will still show on our machine and will result in the loss of your Security Bond

General use:

 The customer is responsible for the proper maintenance of the vehicle during the hire, including checking of oil, water, brake fluid, Ad Blue, lights and tyres and reporting any defect immediately to Signature Van Hire so that it can be rectified. Should failure to maintain the vehicle cause Signature Van Hire policy to be invalid in any way, the customer will bear the cost of any accident or damage that may occur. In the event that mechanical damage occurs due to negligence of the maintenance, hirer will bear the full cost of the repairs to the vehicle.

Signature Van Hire reserves the right to terminate the rental Agreement and take possession of the vehicle without notice and without reason. Any unexpired rental will be refunded, providing this Agreement has not been broken by the hirer. Signature Van Hire will not be liable for any loss or delay or any other claim resulting from the repossession.

The vehicle will remain the absolute property of Signature Van Hire at all times. The hirer shall not dispose of, lend, hire the vehicle or allow any loan or pledge of any kind to be made against it.

The hirer shall not be permitted to authorise any repairs to the vehicle without consent. Signature Van Hire will not be liable to the hirer or any third party for any repairs that have not been authorised in writing.

In the event that the vehicle left outside Signature Van Hire premises when closed, it remains the responsibility of the hirer until the next official opening of that office and until the keys and vehicle has been checked in.

In the event that the hirer fails to return the vehicle to Signature Van Hire at the termination of the hire period, the hirer shall be liable for the cost of all enquiries and recovery of the vehicle.

In the event that the rental exceeds 28 days, the hirer must return and sign a new Rental Agreement.

The Hirer is liable for the full rental period. No refunds will be made except at the discretion of the owners. In such a case minimum of 24 hours’ notice must have been given

No responsibility of any kind will be taken for items left in the vehicle, whether on normal return or if the vehicle is collected for any reason. Should items of possible value or use be found in the vehicle, we will keep them for 2 weeks before disposing of them. It is the customers responsibility to ask for and collect any items. If there are outstanding charges, they must be paid before release of any goods.

Any verbal or physical aggression towards Signature Van Hire officers or staff will not be tolerated and will result in customers being put on bad risk, hire terminated and Police being called.

Signing the rental agreement at the time of rental supersedes any terms of supply.

Speeding tickets / Parking fines / Road Traffic Acts:

The driver / hirer of the vehicle hereby agrees that he or she shall be liable for all speeding fines and or parking tickets or any other costs or penalties that may be incurred whilst the van is in the possession of the hirer or in relation to the manner in which the hirer / driver has driven the van during the hire period.

This includes any fine or penalty imposed under a fixed penalty notice relating to the hire. The lessor may, in order to avoid further penalties, pay fines and the hirer shall be liable to reimburse the lessor for the amount together with a £50.00 + VAT administration fee.

The lessor will automatically pay the London Congestion Charge on behalf of the hirer whenever the vehicle enters the payment zone. This charge will be reported to the hirer at the end of the hire or when we get the statement at a daily rate of £15 to cover charge + £3.50 + vat admin fee. This covers the daily charge and a small administration fee and will prevent any late payment charges from being incurred.

The hirer is responsible for any Dart Charge costs during the rental. Lesser will automatically pay the fee plus an Admin Fee of £3.50 plus VAT.

In accordance with the Road Traffic Act 1974 sections 1.5 and 1 the hirer shall be liable as owner of the vehicle in respect of.

Any of the following offences which may be committed with respect to that vehicle when it is stationery and when fixed penalty notice is issued being on a road during the hours of darkness without lights or reflectors required by law waiting, being left parked, being loaded or unloaded in a road being used or kept on a public road without the vehicle licence being exhibited on the vehicle in the prescribed manner and the non-payment of the charge made at street parking places and:

b.  Any excess charge which may be incurred in pursuance of an order under Section 35 and 36 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1967 (Provision of Highways of Parking Places where charges are made).

Your Insurance:

You may arrange your own insurance for the full duration of the rental as long as you can prove that this insurance is valid. We have to agree to the amount of cover you arrange, the type of policy and the insurer you have chosen. We must be satisfied with the cover and policy conditions, and you must not change them. We may ask your insurers to record our name as owners of the vehicle. If the vehicle is damaged or stolen you will let us negotiate with the insurers about whether the vehicle can be repaired or what compensation is due to us. You are financially responsible for settling the full claim and paying all costs if the policy you have arranged fails and the vehicle is damaged, lost or stolen, or a claim is made by any other party.

Any accident damage caused to the hire vehicle must be repaired by a repairer approved by the Lessor. The Lessor will charge the Hirer at the current hire rate until the vehicle is in a suitable state for further hire. In the event of a total loss the Lessor shall be entitled to continue charging the Hirer at the current rate until the Lessor is paid in full for the vehicle at a price agreed with the Hirer, or his insurers.

Collison Damage Waiver (CDW)

 

Payment of the loss damage waiver reduces the Hirers loss damage liability to the excess shown on the Rental Agreement. The excess varies according to the type of vehicle hired and the hirers age, occupation and licence endorsements

 

CDWs only covers the bodywork of the vehicle. This is everything that’s painted such as, the doors, bonnet, back, side panels and wing mirror housings.


They don’t cover:


 

  • Glass (all windows, lights and mirrors)
  • Tyres & wheels
  • Flat battery
  • Interior trim (seats, carpet, and all interior materials)
  • Undercarriage
  • Your belongings
  • Lost keys
  • Gears/transmission

 

What to do if you have an accident:

If you have an accident you must not admit responsibility. You should get details of the third party, names, contact number and addresses of everyone involved, including witnesses. You should also:  make the vehicle secure, tell the police straight away if anyone is injured or there is a disagreement over who is responsible.

All accidents should be reported to the Lessor immediately in writing to sales@signaturevanhire.co.uk unless such dire circumstances prevent such action. A complete accident report form should be returned to the Lessor within 24 hours, failure to do so could render the insurance provided to the Hirer void & in the event all costs would be passed to the Hirer.

In the event of an accident or incident involving another vehicle or person, the driver will do the following in this order:

a) IMMEDIATELY ring the 24-hour Accident Management number given to you on collection of the vehicle and available in the vehicle cab or from Signature Van Hire office during office hours.

b) Not make any admission of fault liability.

c) Take the registration number(s) of the third-party vehicle(s) involved, the driver’s name address and phone number and pictures of all the vehicles involved. Also, make sure to check & note the number of occupants/passengers in the Third-Party vehicle to avoid fraudulent personal injury claims.

d) Take the name and address and phone number of any witnesses.

e) Do anything that the Accident Management staff ask of you do.

f) Complete an accident report the same day and submit it to the Accident Management or Signature Van Hire

Furthermore:

g) Failure to ring the Accident Line immediately and speak to an operator will render the customer liable for all costs that develop from any accident or incident. An initial penalty of £200.00 in addition to the excess of the same amount published for that vehicle will be taken whenever we receive notification by anybody of an accident or incident involving Signature Van Hire vehicle outside of the first hour after such happening.

h) In the event of an accident that is your fault, any hire charges that have been paid for the period agreed will be lost and No replacement vehicle will be provided. At Signature Van Hire discretion, we will normally refuse to cover any further rental unless the damage is of a minor type, in which case the excess needs to be paid before the hire continues.

i) The hirer shall be liable for all recovery costs after an accident, regardless of fault, to Signature Van Hire premises or to their chosen repairer. Providing the third party pays out, these costs can be recovered providing Signature Van Hire vans have been given the receipts within 14 days of the accident.

j) In the event that there is a dispute over any accident or incident, the driver must be helpful to anyone whom Signature Van Hire employs to get a settlement. The driver must agree to attend court if the need arises to get a successful conclusion to any claim. Should the driver refuse to cooperate in any way and the claim is lost as a result, the customer will be liable for the full amount of damages, injuries and costs of both Signature Van Hire and the third party(s) (Less than 10% of cases actually get to court)

k) Should an unreported accident come to light after the deposit has been refunded, Signature Van Hire reserve the right to take double the rental excess, as is your liability, from any payment card(s) used without giving notice. All other conditions will also apply.

 Information:

You agree that we may use any information you have given us to carry out our own market research. If you break the agreement, we can give this information to credit reference agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), debt collectors and any other relevant organisation. We can also give this information to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), who can pass it on to any of its members for any purpose stated in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Ending the agreement:

If you are a consumer, we will end this agreement straight away if we find out that your belongings have been taken away from you to pay off your debts, or a receiving order has been made against you. We will also end this agreement if you do not meet any of the conditions of this agreement.

If you are a company, we will end this agreement straight away if, you go into liquidation, you call a meeting of creditors; we find out that your goods have been taken away from you until you pay off your debts, you do not meet any of the conditions of this agreement.

If we end the agreement, it will not affect our right to receive any money we are owed under the conditions of this agreement. We can also claim extra costs from you if you do not meet any of the conditions of this agreement. We can repossess the vehicle and charge you if we do this.

The Hirer or person paying for the hire and using a Credit or debit card for that purpose will allow the use of that card to cover all costs associated with that specific hire with respect to extended hiring, fixed penalty fines, parking fines etc incurred by the hirer, refuelling charges, repairs or replacement not covered by insurance and the liability of the hirer and any insurance excess charges without limitation.

Vehicle images on website:

 

Vehicle images are examples only; specific makes and models cannot be guaranteed.

Governing law:

This agreement is governed by laws of the country in which it is signed. Any dispute may be settled in the courts of that country.



Excellence as standard....that’s our Marque of Distinction


Our Opening Hours

Monday: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am - 2:00pm

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