Terms and Conditions for VW Camper Hire

Terms and Conditions

THE SUPER BORING BUT LEGAL STUFF…

This agreement is made between Southampton Campers and the person/persons completing the Booking.  By completing the booking and paying the deposit you and Southampton Campers are entering into a binding agreement according to the following terms.

Our Commitment to you:

Southampton Campers are providing you with a campervan vehicle only.  Your itinerary is your responsibility and wholly separate from our contractual obligations to you. Southampton Campers cannot be held responsible for events or locations that become unavailable for whatever reason. We strongly recommend that you purchase third-party Personal Travel Insurance to cover any such scenarios.

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Southampton Campers will refund or reschedule your dates if Government enforced restrictions prevent you from leaving your primary residence to collect the campervan, or Southampton Campers are prevented from supplying you the campervan due to the same.

Driver Eligibility and Identification

All drivers must be between the age of 25 and 75, have at least 2 years of driving experience have no current traffic convictions or endorsements except minor ones, have no more than 6 penalty points on the driving licence and have not been involved in more than one accident in 3 years.  Each driver needs to be present on the collection of the vehicle and will need to show their original full driving license.

Within 21 days prior to your collection date, each driver will need to access our online Driver Identification Portal at www.southamptonvwcamperhire.co.uk/driver-identification to verify their identity for insurance purposes.  You will also find a link to this at the very bottom of our website if more convenient.  

During the verification process, each driver must provide a total of 2 proofs of address from the following:-  1x primary and 1x secondary, or 2x primary proof

Primary Proof	Secondary Proof
Electricity	Student Loan
Water	Shotgun licence
Gas	Payslip
Broadband/Landline	Mobile Phone Bill
Council Tax *	Pension letters
TV licence *	Car Finance Statement
Bank Statement	Loan Statement
Credit card bill/statement	Property Deed
Mortgage Statement
Polling Card
HMRC self-assessment/tax credit

All proofs should be dated less than 3 months old from your hire collection date.
* EXCEPT Council Tax and TV licence which can be accepted for the period the document covers.
Please ensure that the name and address on any proofs match your drivers’ license.
Statements in joint names are acceptable as long as your name features.  We understand that most of you are paperless these days but the majority of service providers will allow you to download bills or statements that you can share with us.

UK drivers will also need to provide us with a DVLA check-code which allows us to check you have no more than 6 points.  You can obtain a code at www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.  

Please do take the time to get these necessary documents uploaded to our Driver Identification Portal prior to departure as we absolutely cannot release the vehicle to you without them and you will forfeit your hire and all monies paid. Please contact us immediately if you will be unable to upload these critical documents.

Southampton Campers cannot be held responsible for any lost holiday time as a result of you not providing the correct documentation.

Please note that the campervan is not insured outside the contract of hire.

Insurance Excess:

The hirer is responsible for a standard excess of £1500 in the event of any damage to the vehicle or third party property, fire or theft, the hirer will be liable for the excess. The hirer will also be fully liable for replacement or repair of windscreen, tyre or alloy wheel damage. Insurance cover provided is Fully Comprehensive.

Security Deposit:

A security deposit of £1500 is required, we will normally reserve the deposit on the same card you made the booking with, 2 days before collection. The deposit reserve will expire on your card 7 days after the return unless there is damage to the vehicle, its contents or any extra equipment you hire from us and the following conditions are met:
These conditions are:

• Campervan to be returned with diesel refilled to its agreed pre-hire level.
• Campervan interior, cooking appliances and utensils are clean and in the same condition as when rented out.
• The wastewater and toilet cassette must be emptied prior to return. A separate toilet cleaning fee will apply if the toilet waste tank is not empty on return.
• The Campervan is returned by the agreed time, please inform us if you are going to be late. We reserve the right to charge your deposit £30 per half hour waiting time for every 30 mins you are late as this has a knock-on effect to other customers and our planned work schedules.
• All equipment provided to use is returned with the campervan free from damage.

Waste Water and Toilet Cassette:

There are no Waste Water or Toilet emptying facilities at Southampton Campers depot so these must be emptied prior to returning the vehicle. A fee of £85 will be charged if the toilet and/or waste water tank are not emptied prior to the return of the Vehicle.

Fines and Liability:

Drivers are responsible for any penalties such as parking and speeding fines during the hire period. An admin fee of £30 will be charged to process each offence.

Payment:

Availability is on a request and confirmation basis at the time of your reservation. A reservation is only binding once the booking is confirmed by Southampton Campers by email, and a deposit of 30% has been received. Settlement of the remaining balance will be due 30 days prior to departure. If a booking is not paid in full within this period Southampton Campers reserve the right to cancel the booking and all deposits will be non-refundable. Payment is taken by bank transfer or card-based transaction. Vehicles will not be released without full payment being completed and the hirer fulfilling their contractual obligations by providing valid supporting identification for insurance purposes.  Southampton Campers reserves the right to cancel with a full refund for any bookings made during a genuine pricing error.

Cancellation:

** DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE WILL FULLY REFUND YOU FOR GOVERNMENT ENFORCED RESTRICTIONS THAT PREVENT US FROM SUPPLYING THE CAMPERVAN OR YOU COLLECTING THE CAMPERVAN FROM YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS **

Outside of Covid-19, the following applies:

The booking fee will never be refunded. The cancellation fees are based on a percentage of the total rental amount being retained, including any extras.

The cancellation percentage will be applied as below:

• More than 8 weeks prior to departure 15% retained.
• Less than 8 weeks and more than 4 weeks prior to departure 50% retained.
• Less than 4 weeks and more than 2 weeks prior to departure 75% retained.
• Less than 2 weeks prior to departure 100% retained.

We advise all hirers to take out their own holiday insurance to cover any eventualities.

Breakdown/Accidents/Incidents:

In the event of the van breaking down and being undrivable, we will provide you with details for contacting VW Assist, who will attempt to fix the vehicle or take you back to the campsite or recover the camper van and yourselves back to us. Please contact us immediately on 07817 018407 as well.
If you arrange for the campervan to be recovered by any other recovery company other than VW Assist costs must be met by the hirer only.
In the case of you being without the campervan, you will be refunded on a pro-rata basis.
We cannot accept responsibility for missed functions, unused campsite days, loss of enjoyment, etc, due to breakdown and we cannot be held responsible for adverse weather conditions affecting any hire.

Cancellations out of our control:

In the unfortunate event that the campervan is damaged and undrivable or stolen before your hire commencement, and we cannot provide a replacement vehicle, a full refund of all monies paid will be given. We cannot accept responsibility for missed commitments/arrangements such as campsite bookings due to breakdown or theft and we cannot be held responsible for adverse weather conditions affecting any hire.

Personal Travel Insurance:

It is the hirer’s responsibility to provide their own insurance to cover personal items and belongings and personal injury in the event of an accident. This is strongly recommended.

Rental restrictions:

SMOKING is strictly not permitted inside the camper van.
Pets are only allowed by selecting the Pet Valet on check out.
The maximum number of passengers is 4 as per manufacturers terms.
The hirer must not leave keys in the ignition or anywhere in view to prevent theft.
The hirer will be responsible for the loss of keys.
The hirer will be responsible for using the correct fuel (diesel) and will incur any costs to rectify.
The driver must not drive the campervan off public roads and only drive on sealed / bitumen roads / campsites.
Theft of the campervan or any of its equipment must be reported to the Police and Southampton Campers immediately.

Demurrage:

This refers to any losses or costs due to unserviceability. If the Campervan is rendered unserviceable (resulting in cancellation of subsequent bookings) during your hire period, then we reserve any rights to charge you for costs and/or losses incurred. This includes (but is not limited to) smoking in the vehicle preventing us from hiring to the next customer or any misfuelling of the fuel tanks or polluting the water tank.

Use of the Vehicle:

The Vehicle is not; to be driven otherwise than in a cautious, prudent and normal manner; used in a manner which could cause damage; driven in a prohibited area or in an area other than the areas indicated to me by Southampton Campers; driven by a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs or with a blood alcohol level in excess of that permitted by law; left with the ignition key in the vehicle while it is unoccupied; driven by persons under the age of 25 years or who is not authorised by law to drive the Vehicle or named in the agreement; damaged by submersion in water; put into contact with Salt Water; used for any illegal purpose for any race, rally or contest; used to tow any vehicle or trailer; used to carry passengers or property for hire or reward; used to carry more persons than is permitted by any relevant authority or detailed in the Vehicle manual or on the Vehicle or specified in this agreement; used to carry volatile liquids, gases (except the provided LPG), explosives or other corrosive or inflammable material; or otherwise used in breach of the Hirers obligations under this Agreement. The hirer also agrees not to carry more passengers than the seating capacity.

The Hirer will pay Southampton Campers the following
All rental charges; the cost of any damage to the Vehicle or the property of any third party, subject to the insurance cover.
All government fees and duties etc; All parking fines, other fines or penalties, and/or accidents including third party property damage not reported on return of the Vehicle; and associated administration costs incurred in relation to the Vehicle during the Rental Period; Any other fees or charges payable by the Hirer pursuant to this Agreement. This includes any costs incurred by Southampton Campers as a result of any breach by the Hirer of the terms of this Agreement. The cost of recovering a vehicle that has become bogged.

Alterations to the Vehicle:

The Hirer shall not make any alterations or additions to the Vehicle without the prior written consent of Southampton Campers. This includes swopping the mattresses around or using/replacing any items apart from where it was expressly designed to be used.

Maintenance:

The Hirer shall take all reasonable steps to safeguard the integrity of the vehicle and will stop and react appropriately to any dashboard warning lights. In the event of any problems please contact us on 07817 018407 immediately. Southampton Campers will reimburse the Hirer for expenditure up to £75 reasonably incurred in rectifying any mechanical failure to the engine of the vehicle, provided that the Hirer produces relevant receipts at the end of the hire period and have received the prior consent of Southampton Campers, and that the damage is not due to any fault or breach of this Agreement by the Hirer.

Vehicle Damage – Insurance Cover:

You are made aware that:
a) The Vehicle is insured for damage to the Vehicle and the property of a third party, but does not include any personal insurance for the Customer or their possessions
b) The Insurance does not cover Overhead Damage. The hirer will be responsible for the cost to repair all damages to the vehicle (or any associated fitments or fixtures) above 6 feet (1.83 metres) in height measured from the ground upwards.
c) You will have to pay an excess for any Insurance claim regardless of which party is at fault for the accident. The insurance excess is £1500 per claim, not per rental
d) You will not have any insurance cover and you will be responsible for the total cost of any damage if you breach any of the terms of This Agreement
e) You will be responsible for any damage caused through negligence and will not be covered by the insurance.  This includes, but is not limited to, mis-delivery of any fuel or contamination  of the water tank.

Responsibility if an accident occurs:

In the event of any accident, loss or damage arising out of the use of the vehicle, the Hirer will notify Southampton Campers, obtain the names and addresses of third parties and any witnesses and report the event to the nearest police station. The Hirer undertakes to assist Southampton Campers in handling any claim arising from any event, including providing all relevant information and attending Court to give evidence if required.

Terminating the Agreement:

The Hirer acknowledges that Southampton Campers may terminate this Agreement and repossess the Vehicle at any time, without notification to the Hirer, and that the Hirer will pay the reasonable costs of repossessing the Vehicle, including towing charges if the Hirer is in breach of any term of this Agreement, has obtained the Vehicle through fraud or misrepresentation, the Vehicle appears to be abandoned, the Vehicle is not returned on the agreed return date or Southampton Campers reasonably believes that the Vehicle will not be returned on the agreed return date, Southampton Campers considers on reasonable grounds, that the safety of passengers or the condition of the vehicle is endangered. In the event of such termination or repossession, the Hirer has no right to a refund of any part of the rental charges or the Security Deposit.

Change of Vehicle:

Southampton Campers reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to substitute a comparable or similar Vehicle for the Vehicle.

Release and indemnity of Southampton Campers:

Subject to its obligation to deliver the Vehicle or an appropriate substitute vehicle, the Hirer releases Southampton Campers, its employees and agents, from any liability to the Hirer (regardless of who is at fault) for any loss or damage incurred by the Hirer by reason of this Agreement, including but not limited to any loss or damage caused by breakdown, mechanical defect, accident or the Vehicle being unsuitable for the hirer’s purpose, any loss or damage to any property left in or on the Vehicle, in any service vehicle or on any Southampton Campers premises or recovered or handled by Southampton Campers. Subject to any insurance arrangements agreed with Southampton Campers, the Hirer hereby indemnifies and shall keep indemnified Southampton Campers, its employees and agents against any claims, demands and expenses (including legal costs) incurred or sustained by them or any of them by reason of the hirer’s use and/or possession of the Vehicle.

Title to Vehicle:

The Hirer acknowledges that Southampton Campers retains title to the Vehicle and that the Hirer possess the goods as a mere bailee only and do not have any right to pledge Southampton Campers credit in connection with the Vehicle and agree not to do so and shall not agree, attempt, offer or purport to sell, assign, sublet, lend, pledge, mortgage, let on hire, or otherwise part with or attempt to part with the personal possession of or otherwise deal with the Vehicle.

Pick-up, Returns & Parking:

We run a busy departure/arrivals timetable. Please arrive only at your designated time to ensure you do not miss your scheduled handover slot and be subjected to delay and/or penalties. We reserve the right to charge £30 for each half-hour you are late as this has a knock-on effect to other customers and our planned work schedules. We have off-road parking for your car. However, please note we do not hold any liability for your vehicle whilst parked on our premises.

Privacy Policy:

We will not store any of your financial details e.g. bank details.
This agreement shall be governed by English Law. This agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties and there are no other oral undertakings, warranties or agreements between the parties relating to the subject matter of this agreement.