General rental terms of the Finnish Car Rental Association (Suomen Autovuokraamojen Liitto ry). In force from 12 June 2024.
This is an unofficial translation for guidance. In the event of any discrepancy, the Finnish version of the rental terms prevails.
1. Formation of the car rental agreement
Regardless of how the car is ordered, the rental agreement is always formed between the car rental company (”Rentnow”) and the person who signs the rental agreement, or the legal person (together referred to below as the ”renter”) that the person signing the agreement represents in the rental transaction.
The renter must hold a valid driving licence, have driving skills sufficient for the conditions, have at least one year of driving experience and meet the age requirement separately set by Rentnow in the rental agreement.
2. Handing the car over to the renter
Rentnow must hand the car over to the renter in a roadworthy and legally compliant condition at the agreed time and place. Rentnow must also, at the renter’s separate request, give sufficient guidance on using the car.
The car has been checked by Rentnow or its partner before it is handed over to the renter. The renter is nevertheless also obliged to check the car when receiving it, in order to establish any damage or defects already present. Any damage or defects must be reported to Rentnow immediately.
3. Use of the car during the rental
The renter is obliged to take as good care of the car as a careful person would of their own car, and to drive with particular care and caution. The renter undertakes to use the car only in the ordinary manner for which it is intended.
During the rental the renter must carry out the normal monitoring of the car’s condition, such as tyre pressures and sufficient levels of oil and other fluids. Whenever the car is left parked, even briefly, it must be locked.
The renter undertakes to drive the car personally. The renter may hand the car over to another person, or let another person drive it, only if the rental agreement expressly records permission to do so. The renter or driver must hold a valid driving licence and have at least one year of driving experience. They must also meet the age requirements set by Rentnow. The renter is obliged to inform any person to whom the car is handed over under this agreement of the content of this agreement. Using the car for unlawful purposes, for towing, in competitions or in practice for them, for driving instruction, or on ice outside officially marked ice roads is prohibited.
The car may not be taken outside the borders of Finland unless separately agreed with Rentnow. Smoking and carrying pets in the car are prohibited.
The renter is always fully liable for parking charges and parking penalty fees, private parking control charges, overload charges, petty fines, fines arising from speeding or other traffic offences or infringements, road tolls and congestion charges incurred through use of the car during the rental. By signing the rental agreement the renter authorises Rentnow to give their personal data to the authorities for the purpose of imposing the penalty charges referred to above.
The renter pays for the fuel they use. The fuel to be used in the car is stated in the rental agreement, on the key fob, on the sticker in the fuel filler flap and in the registration certificate. The renter is fully liable for any damage caused to the car by filling or using the wrong fuel. If the renter returns the car with a partly empty tank, or in the case of fully electric cars with a partly empty battery, Rentnow is entitled to charge for the missing fuel or charge, together with a refuelling or recharging fee, at the price stated in the rental agreement or price list. In the case of fully electric cars, a full battery means a charge of at least 70%.
4. The renter’s liability for the car and its equipment during the rental, excess amounts
The renter is obliged to compensate Rentnow for damage to or loss of the car or its equipment during the rental, and to pay, as compensation for the time the car is off the road during repairs, the rent under the agreement for a maximum of 30 days.
The renter’s liability is, however, limited to the basic excess stated in the rental agreement. The basic excess is charged separately for each incident. The basic excess can be reduced, and in some cases removed entirely, with an additional fee agreed separately in the rental agreement.
The renter is obliged to compensate Rentnow in full, without the limitation of the excess, where the damage has arisen or been caused in any of the following ways: overloading, smoking in the car, damage to the car’s upholstery, driving on over- or under-inflated tyres, loss of the keys, use of the wrong fuel, snow damage where warning signs have been posted, driving in spaces too confined for the size of the vehicle, driving on flooded roads or on roads or areas in poor condition, or other careless or improper use of the car.
The renter is obliged to compensate Rentnow for cleaning costs arising from unusual soiling of the car. The renter is fully liable for damage to the car’s windscreen, tyres, wheels and wheel trims unless the renter has accepted the additional fee that removes this liability.
The renter’s full liability for compensation also always applies to damage caused directly or indirectly by the renter’s criminal conduct, by use of the car under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicant, or by a breach of the terms of the agreement arising from other intent or gross negligence.
The renter is released from liability towards Rentnow, including the excess, only if Rentnow receives full compensation for the damage from a third party who caused it or from that party’s insurance company.
5. Procedure in the event of damage to or breakdown of the car
The renter must immediately notify Rentnow of any fault arising in the car during the rental or of any damage to the car. A crime involving the car, a traffic accident and injury to people or animals must always also be reported to the police immediately. In the event of damage the renter must always complete a written damage report for Rentnow, at the latest when returning the car. The renter is fully liable for damage arising from failure to make the notifications referred to above.
Rentnow is responsible for technical faults arising in the car during the rental that are not due to the renter’s misuse and/or carelessness. Provided that the fault or defect is Rentnow’s responsibility and that it is necessary in order to continue the journey, the renter may have the car repaired on their own initiative at Rentnow’s expense up to a value of 75 euros. A receipt for the repair work and the payment made must be provided to Rentnow.
6. Payment of the rent
Unless another method of payment has been separately agreed, the renter pays the rent under the agreement, together with any additional charges, with their payment card. Already when making the rental agreement, the renter accepts in advance the final calculation drawn up for the rental without signing it personally.
In connection with the rental, Rentnow is entitled to make a pre-authorisation on the renter’s payment card for an amount corresponding to the estimated final rent and any other charges, by which Rentnow verifies that there are funds on the renter’s payment card account and that the card is valid.
It is specifically stated that Rentnow is entitled, where grounds for this exist, to charge the renter’s credit card identified in the rental agreement, in addition to the rent under the agreement, for the following: the basic excess under the agreement, fuel charges, rents and fees arising from an extension of the rental period, delivery and collection charges for the car, parking penalty fees incurred through use of the car during the rental, private parking control charges, petty fines, fines, road tolls, congestion charges, overload charges and other similar charges together with administrative costs.
If a legal person named as the renter in the agreement does not wish to or is unable to pay the rent, the person who signed the agreement on behalf of that renter is personally liable for the rent and for any additional charges relating to the rental under these terms. Rentnow is also entitled, whenever it considers it necessary, to require a second credit card from the renter as security for the payments arising from the rental.
7. Rentnow’s liability for defects in the car and for delay
If a technical fault or other defect for which the renter is not responsible under the rental terms arises in the car during the rental, the renter may require Rentnow to remedy the defect or to grant a price reduction corresponding to the defect. If Rentnow is unable to make the rental car available to the renter in accordance with the terms of the rental agreement, the renter is entitled to compensation for the direct and reasonable costs caused to the renter by the delay.
8. Returning the car at the end of the agreed rental period
The renter must return the car with all its equipment to the agreed place at the end of the rental period. The rental period under the agreement ends when the car and its keys have been returned to Rentnow, or when Rentnow has received the renter’s notification that the car has been returned to a place approved by Rentnow.
If the car has not been returned in this way and no extension of the rental period has been verifiably agreed, Rentnow may report the matter to the police. Rentnow is entitled to charge the renter the full rent for the period of the delay in returning the car, together with compensation for the additional work and other related financial loss caused to Rentnow by the delay. Unless otherwise agreed, the car must be returned with a full tank.
The rental company is not liable for property left in the car at the time of return.
9. Returning the car before the end of the agreed rental period
If the renter returns the car before the end of the agreed rental period, the rent is determined according to the rental time used, on the pricing basis set out in the agreement. If the car has been rented on special terms, returning it early may lead to a change of price type and thus to a change in the daily rate. In prepaid rentals, returning the car early does not oblige Rentnow to refund the prepaid rental price to the renter.
10. Termination of the agreement
Rentnow is entitled to terminate the agreement with immediate effect if it becomes apparent that the renter is materially breaching the terms of the agreement. The renter is then obliged to return the car with all its equipment to the agreed return location immediately. Either party may terminate the agreement if the car is stolen or if a fault that is Rentnow’s responsibility prevents use of the car and Rentnow does not provide a replacement car within a reasonable time of being notified.
11. Disputes concerning the rental agreement
Disputes concerning the rental agreement are primarily resolved through negotiation. If a dispute is brought before a court, it is decided by the District Court of Rentnow’s domicile (Helsinki) or, in consumer disputes, by another court of first instance in accordance with the law.
