GENERAL RENTAL CONDITIONS


Online reservation conditions are provided in a separate document which can be viewed here.
Legal notices and privacy statement are available here.

Car rental terms for Saint Martin, France.

The "renter" is the physical person signing the rental contract.

The "rental company" is Discount Car Rental who, operating as an independant business, is renting a car to the renter.

The "rental contract" is a short, one page contract you will be asked to sign before taking the car.

The renter hereby accepts and agrees to all of the following conditions which he has read prior to signing the rental contract.

1. Documents to be provided
- a valid driving permit or international driving license in the name of the renter (in western, not asian characters).
- a valid credit card in the name of the renter.

2. Condition of the car
The rental contract includes a pictorial diagram of the car. Inspect the car together with a Discount Car Rental representative and make sure any damage/dents/scratches on the car are marked on the diagram.

3. Authorized drivers
- only the renter and any additional drivers named on the rental contract are authorized and insured to drive the car.
- the renter and all additional drivers must be 21 years old and should have held a valid driving license for the past 3 years or more. The personal liability amount shown in article 5 will be doubled if an accident occurs when the car is being driven by a driver who has held a license for less than 3 years.
- the car is not insured when the car is driven by a driver not named on the rental contract, in which case the renter becomes fully liable for all costs incurred which would otherwise have been paid by the insurance company.

4. Authorized use of the car
You agree to drive the car with care and respect for the local rules and regulations.
You also agree:
- not to transport paying passengers or offer the car for hire.
- not to use the car for competitive use.
- not to use the car for teaching someone how to drive.
- not to pull a trailer or push another car.
- to drive the car in Saint Martin and Sint Maarten and not take the car off the island.
When the car is not in use you agree to keep the car locked and to never leave the keys in the car.

5. Insurance cover
The insurance covers authorized drivers and their passengers for the duration of the rental contract.
The insurance covers:
- damage repair and/or replacement costs for the car due to fire or an accident.
- all victims of a road accident with the exception of the driver(s) who were responsible for the accident are covered according to French third party legal conditions.
- theft or attempted theft of the car, in which case your personal liability is limited to the maximum liability of 1204 euros (all our cars are fitted with an alarm system and an anti-theft steering lock device).
Your personal liability in the event of an accident:
- Like all of our competitors, our insurance includes a personal liability clause. This is limited to a maximum of 1,204 euros if you are responsible for an accident or the car is stolen. Any damage costs which exceed that amount are paid by the insurance company.
- You can often avoid the personal liability if you pay all of the rental cost via a VISA PREMIER or MASTERCARD GOLD card, in which case the card company normally covers your personal liability. If you are outside the US please check your card conditions to be sure of this.
- if you are not personally responsible for an accident and an identified third party is responsible then all the damage costs are paid by the insurance companies.
- when you are personally responsible for an accident the amount of your personal liability is payable by you, the renter, to Discount Car Rental, the rental company. If you are covered by additional insurance it is your responsibility to claim and recover the amount of the personal liability from your assurer.

The insurance does not cover and you are fully liable:
- in the event of theft of the car you must return the original car keys to the rental company. If you cannot return the keys (if, for example you left them in the car) then you are liable for the estimated value of the car.
- damage to the interior of the car due to burn marks or damage due to over-loading the car.
- driving with an excess alcohol level or under the influence of drugs or when taking medicines not authorized while driving.
- driving outside the rental contract dates unless you obtained the prior agreement of the rental company.
- wilfull damage to the car.
- personal belongings and pets.
- use of the car for hire or paid transport of goods.
- driving the car with an excess load or with a number of passengers which exceeds the limits specified in the car registration documents.
- broken windscreens.
- in the event you supplied false or invalid documents or made false written declarations after an accident.
The insurance does not cover damage due to careless driving which causes:
- damage to the tyres, wheels and underside of the car driving over bumps or uneven surfaces
- damage to the topside of the car while driving under a low bridge
- consequential damage caused by the above cases.

6. In the event of an accident or theft of the car
In the event of an accident you are entitled to technical support any day of the week. Please call the phone number shown on the rental contract.
- in the event of theft of the car you must make a written declaration at the local police station and supply a copy of the declaration to the rental company together with the car keys within 48 hours of the theft.
- in the event of an accident you need to complete the standard accident declaration form provided in the car and sign it together with the other party involved (or alone if no third party is involved). Return a copy of the accident declaration together with contact details for any witnesses to the rental company within 48 hours.

7. Car return
The car should normally be returned within the normal opening hours of the office and in any case by the return date/time marked in the rental contract. If the car is left in front of the office while the office is closed the renter remains responsible for the car until the office re-opens.
- if the car is returned in an excessively dirty condition caused for example by pets, sand or mud stains a cleaning charge of €/$30-90 will be made.