What is an Enterprise Rental Agreement?
A rental agreement is a contract between an individual or company and a rental service that details the responsibilities of both parties. It allows a person to use and occupy a space or vehicle for a predetermined period, in exchange for money or compensation in the form of a fee or rental charge.
The main purpose of an Enterprise rental agreement is to demonstrate that both parties understand their responsibilities . This means that a rental agreement should include important information about compensation, the length of the rental period, and any other terms and conditions that must be met. In regards to vehicles, these agreements must detail all damages that are present prior to the rental. They also outline the rules and conditions that must be adhered to by those who rent the vehicle.
The Components of the Rental Agreement
The rental agreement you review will vary among Enterprise franchises, but the following pieces of information are usually included and should be reviewed:
Lessor
The lessor, or lessor representative, answers all of your questions about the terms of your rental. Your rental will be with a franchise of Enterprise (not the corporation) and your rental agreement probably includes the lessor or lessor representative’s name. Some rental agreements include only the franchise name. If there is no person listed on your rental agreement, the lessor is the Enterprise franchise. In my experience, there are not significant differences among the franchise policies. However, the administrative procedures for vehicle replacement, claims processing, and reliance on payments made to the car rental company may differ, and this can affect your ability to recover for your damages.
Lessees
Virtually all family members who drive the Enterprise vehicle must be named on the rental agreement before the claim is made. Otherwise, Enterprise may be able to deny coverage and refuse to pay your claim. Make sure to include minor children.
Vehicle
Enterprise keeps detailed information which usually includes the vehicle type, VIN, state of registration, and license plate number of the vehicle. Typically they also write the car keys code on the rental agreement. This information is helpful in finding the vehicle. You should make an effort to get a copy of the data from the Enterprise representative. Sometimes it takes them several weeks to make it available. If the Enterprise representative won’t print the data for you, at least take a photograph of it before the representative hands over the keys.
Rental Period
The dates and time of vehicle use should reflect your expected vehicle return information. It is wise to photograph the rental agreement showing the return date and time printed. When you return to the airport and open the trunk and rear doors, make note of any problems which occur when the car is opened. The vehicle should be inspected at that time and any additional damage which occurred during the rental period should be noted so that a dispute does not later arise that you caused the additional damage. Take photos. Send them to someone at the Enterprise location immediately. Also, don’t assume a vehicle returned sooner than the contract date will not matter. If the vehicle is damaged and does not look as it did when you picked it up, you will be charged for that damage even if you brought the vehicle back before the contract date.
Payment Terms
Most of the time your rental agreement has a credit card charge only policy. I once had one company require that I already be on my way to my final destination before I called to pay for a rental vehicle with cash. Accordingly, always start processing your payments through Enterprise’s claims department by calling and checking on how to set up the payments. Usually, Enterprise requires that you have witness deposit the money into the Enterprise general secretary’s account. Then, obtain copies of all of the wire transfer receipts as soon as possible. If the other side challenges your claim, it is difficult to later obtain corroborating evidence of the wire transfer.
How To Get The Enterprise Rental Agreement PDF
The original rental agreement can be found in the final mobile check-in page; it is also located on the last page of your emailed rental agreement. If you have requested a new agreement and it has not yet arrived, it’s likely still en route. If you can’t find your rental agreement online, enter your Driver’s License number to obtain a copy of your rental agreement via email. Note that you will need the surname at the beginning of your email address in order to access your rental contract. In some cases, the email you used to reserve your vehicle is different from the email on your driver’s license. We will send your rental contract to whichever email address you provide as part of your request, regardless of which email you used at the time of your reservation. You must provide the email address to which you want the rental agreement sent to this page. You will be asked for the last four digits of your credit card number, your reservation confirmation number and the last name on your driver’s license. If you did not provide an email address at the time of your reservation, you can still add an email address at which to receive your rental contract by requesting one through the link below.
The Advantages of Using a Rental Agreement in PDF
A rental agreement in an electronic format such as PDF has numerous benefits. First, it is easily accessible from anywhere, so you do not need to worry about misplacing or losing your copy of the contract. Second, you can easily scribble, doodle or highlight directly on a PDF with any computer device that has modern terminology. Third, you can easily share and send the rental contract via email or upload it to your cloud if you wish. Fourth, the majority of modern computers are equipped with the software necessary to open a PDF. Fifth, a rental contract in an electronic format is easier to store, manage, and edit. Finally, you can easily search a document to find the contract provisions via keywords using regular text search software.
Tips For Checking Your Rental Agreement
Before signing or accepting anything in person or digitally, it is a good idea to carefully review your rental agreement. Every Enterprise rental agreement pdf is different, so it is always advisable to take a minute and read the different agreements that correspond to your specific rental. For example, some agreements may contain waivers on damages whereas others do not. If you do not want any responsibility for damage to the car, you need to review the contract terms which require you to pay for those damages and pay additional insurance. This can add up quickly if you are involved in an accident with a rental car , so you want to know, and understand, exactly what you are liable for before you sign the agreement.
Overtime charges, fees for early or late airport drop-offs, mileage limits, fuel charges, additional driver fees, insurance coverage, extra driver fees, license recovery, liability coverage, and te generally obligatory charges like taxes and other fees can really add up. Learn what they are in advance so you are not surprised by the total bill at the end of your trip.
Common Pitfalls
The most common missteps made by consumers surrounding their contracts include not returning the rental vehicle on time. Failing to return the vehicle in time or returning it in a location other than specified can leave the lessor with the final interpretation of the rental agreement to your own detriment. Instead, be sure to return the car on time and also return it to the proper location.
It is also important to ensure that the payment you provide to the rental agency is not reversed for any reason, including but not limited to insufficient funds, stop payment, or credit card chargeback. Remember that rental agencies and financial institutions rely on automatic payments to get paid on time. If you are disputing a charge, take this up with the rental company directly instead of your bank or credit card company. If you fail to have the charges reversed with the rental agreement company and the payment is sent back to the rental agency, your primary recourse is to sue the rental agency directly in which case it is likely that you will be ordered to pay the cost of the rental due to your failure to give notice to the rental agencies as to any disputes over the charge.
Another common pitfall comes when it comes to liability and lost or damaged vehicles. While these agreements do contain waiver of liability clauses, you should not waive all of your rights to sue in case the lessor is negligent. You may not want to waive your rights to sue for lost wages, damages to your personal property, or pain and suffering, for instance.
You should also be able to negotiate your rental agreements when you rent a vehicle. If there are some terms that you wish to modify or delete, ask about them upfront.
Understanding Terms and Conditions
Within the four corners of an Enterprise rental agreement PDF are the terms and conditions to which you are agreeing at the time you sign the document. Contrary to what some consumers think, it is not the fault of Enterprise if they do not understand the terms and conditions. It is your job as a consumer to read the entire rental agreement before you sign it. When you sign for a rental vehicle without reading the entire rental agreement, you agree to it, warts and all.
Enterprise terms and conditions can be accessed online at Enterprise.com. For many people, though, reading the fine print under the best of circumstance can be difficult. However, when you are renting a vehicle from a well known company such as Enterprise Rent A Car, you assume that they will have set forth fairly simple and straightforward terms and conditions. Instead, Enterprise terms and conditions are presented in a long, lengthy and wordy manner that can make them hard to understand. Honestly, you would probably be better off if the company just provided a simple chart or list of the terms and conditions in an easier to digest version.
The terms and conditions include information such as the required age of the driver, insurance information, permitted use of the rental vehicle, accident procedures, hazardous weather information, maintenance requirements, past due rental fees, lost and found, and more.
When you read through the terms and conditions, you will find information pertaining to fees, charges and expenses . For example, under the section titled "Renting the Vehicle" in the terms and conditions, it states: You [the renter] agree to return the vehicle (a) on the date and at the location specified on the Rental Record, or at another place we agree to in advance; and (b) during office hours, following the refueling protocol below. If you return the vehicle after an office closes, you remain responsible for loss of or damage to the vehicle during any period between when you return the vehicle and when we open for business on the next day. We will charge your credit card for the Daily Rental Rate and any applicable Additional Charges for the entire period that the vehicle is in your possession.
One part of the terms and conditions that may be considered unusual is the following statement: If you are renting from an Enterprise location in New York City, you may not drive the vehicle into New Jersey or Connecticut unless you have paid an additional $5.99 per day."
Although much of rental agreements are pretty standardized, some terms can vary from one rental agency to another. This is especially true with the drop off and pick up locations for the rental car. Generally, rental cars are picked up and dropped off at an office or office location specified in the rental agreement. Under certain conditions, though, dropping off the vehicle at a different location may be permitted. This sometimes occurs when you are picking up the rental car at an airport and dropping it off at a later time (such as when you are flying out of a different airport) at a different location. You may also play to have alternate drop off and pick up locations sometimes because of a change in your travel plans.