A PCO rental agreement is a commercial contract, and the difference between a good week and a bad one is often buried in a clause nobody read at the counter. Here is what to check before you sign – with us, or with anyone else.
1. What is actually included
Ask for the inclusions in writing and check each one individually:
- Insurance – and specifically hire and reward cover, not ordinary private car insurance. Confirm who the named drivers are and what the excess is if you have an accident.
- Servicing and MOT – who books it, who pays, and whether you keep paying the weekly rate while it is in.
- Breakdown cover – and whether it covers you at 3am on a motorway, not just in the depot car park.
- Tyres – a genuinely common source of unexpected bills.
2. Mileage limits
Find the weekly or monthly mileage allowance and the pence-per-mile charge for going over. Then compare it with the mileage you actually do, not the mileage you hope to do. If you are a high-mileage driver, an agreement with a low allowance can quietly cost you more than a higher headline rate would.
3. What happens when the car is off the road
This is the clause that costs drivers the most money and gets read the least. Establish:
- Is a replacement vehicle provided, and how quickly?
- Do you keep paying the weekly rate while you wait?
- What happens if the car is off the road after an accident that was not your fault?
4. The deposit
Get the amount, the exact conditions for its return, and the timescale for repayment in writing. Ask specifically what counts as damage beyond fair wear and tear, and whether the vehicle condition is photographed and documented at handover. If it is not, photograph it yourself – every panel, the wheels, the interior – and date-stamp it.
5. Ending the agreement
- What notice period do you have to give?
- What does it cost to end early?
- Is there a minimum term you are committed to regardless?
Life happens. Drivers get ill, family circumstances change, people leave the trade. Know the exit cost before you need it.
6. Penalties, fines and admin charges
Ask how PCNs, congestion charges and speeding notices are handled, and what administration fee is added when one is passed on to you. Those fees vary a lot between operators and are worth knowing in advance.
The short version
If an operator will not put the inclusions, the mileage terms, the off-road policy and the deposit conditions in writing, that is your answer. A straightforward agreement is easy to explain, and anyone who is confident in theirs will happily walk you through it line by line.
We are happy to do exactly that. Call 020 3633 9447 or get in touch and ask us anything on this list about our own terms.