Caravan rental terms

RENTAL TERMS
Caravan

1. General

When entering into a rental agreement with us, the renter is required to have read and agree to comply with the following rental terms.

The main renter (the person signing the agreement) must be at least 23 years old unless otherwise agreed. Their driving licence must have been valid for at least 2 years before the rental. The caravan is also suitable for people with allergies. Pets are not permitted under any circumstances because they could endanger the health of subsequent renters. The manual in the caravan contains detailed operating instructions, which the renter must read carefully. The renter must ask if anything remains unclear.

2. Start of the rental period and handover of the caravan

The rental period begins when the caravan is handed over. In summer, the changeover day is always Monday unless otherwise agreed. The caravan is ready for collection at 15:00 on the first rental day. The operating instructions and signing the agreement take approximately 1 hour. The rental company hands over the caravan at the time stated in the rental agreement. To protect both parties, we always inspect the caravan together with the renter before departure and after the rental. Any faults and deficiencies found are recorded in the rental agreement. A written rental agreement is always made before the rental, with time to read it and ask questions.

3. Returning the caravan to the rental company

The caravan must be returned in the condition in which it was handed over, no later than 10:00 on the final rental day. Any different return time must be agreed with the rental company in advance. A late-return charge applies as detailed in section 7. The return inspection takes approximately 1 hour, which must be considered when planning onward travel. The renter must arrive sufficiently early to allow the inspection to be completed.

4. Booking fee / payment of rent

The booking fee is 30% of the rental price. It is payable immediately after the booking has been confirmed and secures the booking. If the booking fee has not been paid within three days, the booking lapses. The booking fee is credited against the remaining rental price. The rent is paid according to an invoice sent by email, 1 month before the rental. If the booking is made less than one month before the rental, both the booking fee and the rent are payable immediately. In all cases, the rent must have been paid and appear in the rental company’s bank account before the rental begins.

5. What the rent includes

The rental price includes at least one sealed gas cylinder, thorough operating instructions, toilet chemicals, comprehensive insurance for the caravan and the standard equipment confirmed when the rental agreement is made. Optional accessories may also be included by separate agreement and must be listed separately in the rental agreement.

6. Insurance

The caravan has motor liability and comprehensive insurance. The renter’s excess for each insured incident is €800. If the caravan is damaged during the rental period, the excess is payable when the caravan is returned. Part of the insurance excess may also be deducted from the security deposit unless the deposit is used to cover other deficiencies. The security deposit, secured by credit-card pre-authorisation, is €300.

If other parties are involved in an incident, the police must always be called to the scene. A collision with a cervid or another collision must always be reported to the police, and the police certificate confirming the report must be provided to the rental company. In other cases, at least the insurer’s damage-report form must be completed. Failure to fulfil these duties makes the renter liable for the entire loss.

A reduction of the excess does not cover damage caused by the following or comparable circumstances:

• a. Overloading.
• b. Driving on flat tyres.
• c. Snow damage where a warning sign is displayed, such as snow being cleared from a roof.
• d. Driving in spaces that are too confined, narrow or low for the caravan’s external dimensions.
• e. Driving off-road or in areas not intended for caravan use.

If damage to the caravan results from the renter’s intentional conduct, negligence, speeding or misuse of the caravan, or if the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs or excessively tired when the damage occurs, the renter must compensate all resulting damage. This includes compensation for downtime based on the weekly rental rate for the rental period, for a maximum of 30 days. In these situations, and if insurance does not provide compensation, the costs are payable in full by the renter.

Damage to the caravan’s equipment and movable property is not covered by insurance. The renter must replace a damaged item with the same item or, if unavailable, an equivalent item.

7. Returning the caravan at the end of the agreed rental period

When the caravan is returned, the rental company may charge the renter, among other things, for late return (€50 per hour or part thereof), an uncleaned interior (interior cleaning €150), unwashed dishes (€50) and an unemptied toilet cassette (€50). The renter must pay these charges against an invoice within 7 days of returning the caravan. The rental company and the renter inspect the caravan on return. The renter is liable for faults and deficiencies found at this inspection that were not present at the start of the rental and are not normal wear and tear. In addition to the actual damage, the rental company may charge €40/hour for working time spent taking the caravan for servicing where this results from damage caused by the renter. The rental company may also charge later for damage and deficiencies not reported by the renter, even if they were not noticed during the final inspection.

• a. The caravan must be returned to the agreed place at the time stated in the rental agreement, with a full tank, carefully cleaned, with the cassette toilet emptied and otherwise in the condition in which it was handed over. The rental company is responsible for washing and cleaning the exterior.
• b. If the caravan has not been returned at the end of the rental period and no extension has been agreed, the matter will be reported to the authorities and the renter must pay the following week’s rent in full.
• c. If the renter fails to fulfil the duties in paragraph a), the rental company may charge reasonable compensation for the resulting financial losses.
• d. If the renter returns the caravan before the agreed rental period ends, rent is charged for the full agreed period and the rental company is not obliged to refund part of the rent.
• e. The caravan is returned at the time stated in the rental agreement to the place where it was collected, with a representative of the caravan rental company present.

8. Use of the caravan

• a. The renter must take care of the caravan as a careful person would take care of their own and exercise particular care and caution when towing and using it. The renter agrees to use the caravan only in its normal, intended manner.
• b. Only the people named in the agreement may use the caravan. It must not be handed over for use by anyone else. Only the renter and drivers separately named in the rental agreement may drive it. The renter and other named drivers must hold a valid category B driving licence. The renter is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle’s weight, together with the goods and people carried, does not exceed the permitted gross weight.
• c. Use of the caravan for unlawful purposes, competitions or practice for competitions, driving instruction, or driving on ice outside officially marked ice roads is prohibited.
• d. The renter must ensure that the caravan is locked whenever it is not under their immediate supervision.
• e. When the rental company hands over the caravan, both parties inspect its condition.
• f. Smoking in the caravan and bringing pets into it are strictly prohibited because they may endanger the health of subsequent renters. If smoking is detected, a charge of €1,000 applies for cleaning the upholstery and interior. If pets have been kept in the caravan, a cleaning charge of €800 applies.
• g. Before every departure, the renter must check that all cupboards, windows, doors and rooflights are closed and that no items are on worktops or in places from which they could be thrown by sudden braking or a collision and injure passengers or other people or damage the caravan. Rooflights must be kept closed in rain.
• h. During the rental period, the renter must carry out normal checks, such as tyre pressures. Electrical equipment must be used so that the caravan’s battery does not become completely discharged. Connecting the caravan to mains electricity when camping is recommended to help ensure that electrical equipment works and the batteries charge.

9. Responsibility for the caravan and its equipment during the rental period

The renter must compensate in full for all damage they cause to the caravan in accordance with the insurance terms (section 6). If the renter is a company, the main renter is ultimately responsible as a private individual for fulfilling the contractual obligations in a dispute. The main renter is the person who signed the rental agreement.

In accordance with the case-specific compensation amounts listed in section 7, the renter must:

• a. Compensate for damage to the caravan and its equipment during the rental period and the time spent taking it to a repair workshop and investigating the matter.
• b. Compensate for parts and accessories lost from the caravan during the rental period.
• c. Pay for cleaning caused by soiling the interior and for repair and washing of the upholstery. Washing the exterior is neither required nor permitted. Smoking and transporting pets are strictly prohibited, with separate penalties stated in this agreement.
• d. Pay a daily charge corresponding to the listed weekly rent for downtime caused by damage, for a maximum of 30 days. Downtime begins on the day the damage occurs.

The renter is released from liability if the rental company receives full compensation from the other party’s motor liability insurance or from the person who caused the damage.

The renter must pay, including all associated costs, penalties, overloading charges and other charges imposed on the rental company on the basis of liability as the registered keeper arising from use of the caravan during the rental period.

10. The renter’s actions in the event of faults, damage or theft

• a. The renter must immediately inform the rental company of any fault, damage or theft affecting the caravan. Theft must be reported to the police without delay. The rental company must then inform the renter of the action to be taken.
• b. If the caravan develops a serious fault that may cause danger, further damage or prevent its use, the renter must take it for servicing at the rental company’s expense if the rental company requires this. In the event of a fault, the renter may return the caravan, and the rental is considered interrupted from the time of return. The rental company must refund the amount corresponding to the remaining full rental days.
• c. In the event of a traffic accident, the renter must always report the damage to the rental company without delay and provide the insurer with an account of the incident. The rental company must first be informed by telephone, after which the insurer’s damage-report form must be completed. If another party is involved in a traffic accident, the renter must always notify the police to avoid uncertainty and later disputes over responsibility. The police certificate confirming the report must always be provided to the rental company for such an accident.
• d. If the renter fails to make these reports, they are liable to the rental company for the resulting loss.

11. The rental company’s duties

The rental company hands over the caravan in working order at the agreed time and place and provides sufficient operating instructions and guidance. If the renter does not receive the caravan as agreed, they may request a rental reduction corresponding to the delay. The rental company is not responsible for costs caused by a journey being delayed or cancelled. It may refund part of the rental price for the delay in proportion to the price for the entire rental period.

12. The rental company’s liability for a fault in the caravan

If a technical fault or another defect in the caravan interrupts the journey during the rental period, the renter may request rectification or a corresponding reduction in rent. If a defect arising from the caravan’s condition is material, the renter may request termination of the agreement. The rental company is not obliged to supply a replacement caravan where use is interrupted by a technical fault or otherwise. Instead, the agreement ends and rent for the remaining contractual period is refunded. Compensation for interruption of the journey and arrangements for continuing it are provided through the caravan’s comprehensive insurance in the manner the insurer considers appropriate.

13. Payment of rent

Rent is paid according to an invoice sent by email. Rentals are invoiced 1 month before the rental begins. If the booking is made less than one month before the rental, rent is payable immediately. Rent must always have been paid and appear in the rental company’s bank account before the rental begins.

14. Cancellation of the booking / termination of the agreement

The renter may cancel the booking / terminate this agreement within the following time limits. Cancellation must always be made to the rental company in writing. It takes effect when the rental company receives it. The rental company must confirm cancellation immediately on receipt. If confirmation has not arrived within 3 working days, the renter must check that the cancellation was received. If cancellation occurs more than 30 days before the rental begins, the booking fee is refunded less an €80 handling charge. If the booking fee is less than this, it is not refunded. If cancellation occurs 29–21 days before the rental begins, the booking fee (30% of the rent) is not refunded. If the booking is cancelled 21–14 days before the rental begins, the renter must pay half of the agreed rent. If cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the rental begins, the renter must pay the agreed rental price in full. The rental company may cancel the booking or terminate this agreement during the rental period if the renter materially breaches the agreement or, in the rental company’s assessment, is unable to handle the caravan properly. If use of the caravan is prevented by damage or theft, the booking is cancelled or the agreement ends when the rental company is informed of the damage or theft. If the rental company terminates the agreement, the renter must return the caravan without delay. The rental company may also cancel the booking or terminate the agreement if adverse entries appear in the renter’s credit record.

15. Taking the caravan outside Finland

The caravan may be taken abroad, but this must be agreed on a case-by-case basis when renting. Permission is recorded in the rental agreement and is valid only for driving in the countries named in it. The caravan must not under any circumstances be taken to the Baltic countries, Russia or Belarus. The renter must bring the caravan back to Finland immediately if the rental company requires this.

16. Disputes concerning the agreement

Disagreements are primarily resolved through negotiation. If a dispute is brought before a court, proceedings must be brought in the district court for the rental company’s domicile.