Rental Conditions

This page explains, in plain English, the kinds of conditions that generally apply when you hire a vehicle from Horizontal Traders. It is a guide only, your rental agreement is the document that governs your booking.

Before Your Rental

Making a booking

A booking is a request until we confirm it. When we confirm, you will receive booking details setting out the vehicle or vehicle class, the dates and times, the collection and return arrangements, and the price we have quoted. Check those details as soon as they arrive, a name spelled differently to the one on a licence, or a return time an hour out, is far easier to fix before the day than on it.

Vehicles are offered subject to availability. Where a booking is made for a vehicle class rather than a specific car, the vehicle you receive will be from that class and may not be the exact model shown in a photograph.

Confirming who is driving

Tell us at the time of booking who will be driving. Every driver needs to be recorded on the rental agreement before they get behind the wheel, and each will need to present their own licence. Adding a driver later is usually straightforward, but it has to be done through us rather than arranged between yourselves.

See Driver Requirements for what each driver needs to bring, including guidance for interstate and overseas licence holders.

What to bring

• A current, valid driver licence for every person who will drive.
• Identification and payment details in the hirer’s name.
• Your booking confirmation.
• For overseas licences that are not in English, the documentation described on our Driver Requirements page.

Identification and payment requirements may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Collecting Your Vehicle

Vehicle collection

At collection we will go through the rental agreement with you, confirm the drivers, and hand over the vehicle. Allow a little more time than you think you need, particularly if more than one person is driving or if it is your first hire with us.

The condition report

Before you drive away you will be given a condition report recording the state of the vehicle. Walk around the car with it. Check the panels, bumpers, wheels, windscreen and glass, look inside, and note the fuel or charge level. If you see anything that is not already recorded, have it added before you leave, and take your own photographs as a record.

This protects you. Under Australian Consumer Law you cannot be held responsible for damage that was already there, and you should not be asked to confirm a vehicle is undamaged unless you have been given a condition report and a genuine opportunity to inspect it.

Authorised drivers

Only drivers named on the rental agreement may drive the vehicle. Letting an unlisted person drive, even briefly, even in an emergency, can affect the cover and liability arrangements that apply to your rental, which is why it is worth adding a second driver at the outset if there is any chance they will need to take over.

Additional drivers

Additional drivers can usually be added, subject to each meeting the requirements that apply to your booking. Additional driver conditions and any associated fee may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Using the Vehicle

Everyday use

Use the vehicle sensibly and lawfully, keep it secured when unattended, and observe all Western Australian road rules including speed limits, seatbelt requirements and blood alcohol limits. Drivers on a learner’s permit or a provisional licence must observe the conditions attached to that licence.

Fuel and charging

Use the correct fuel or charging method for the vehicle you have been given. Misfuelling, putting petrol in a diesel vehicle or the reverse, can cause serious damage and is generally the hirer’s responsibility, so check before you fill. If you are unsure what the vehicle takes, ask us at collection; it is usually marked inside the fuel flap.

Your rental agreement will set out the fuel or charge level the vehicle must be returned at, and what happens if it is returned with less. Refuelling and recharging arrangements may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Looking after the vehicle

• Keep an eye on warning lights and gauges, and stop safely if a warning appears.
• Check tyre pressures and oil on longer trips.
• Do not carry more passengers than there are seatbelts, or exceed the vehicle’s load limits.
• Do not smoke or vape in the vehicle.
• Secure pets appropriately and let us know in advance if you intend to travel with one.
• Do not attempt repairs or modifications yourself, call us first.

Roads and areas

Some vehicles are suited to sealed metropolitan and highway driving only, while others are built for a wider range of conditions. Restrictions may apply to unsealed roads, beach driving, remote or regional travel, and travel outside Western Australia.

Because those restrictions depend on the vehicle and the trip, we do not publish a blanket rule. Road, area and unsealed-road conditions may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Distance

Any distance allowance that applies to your booking will be set out in your rental agreement. If you are planning a long trip, tell us the rough distance when you book so we can confirm what applies. Kilometre allowances may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Extending your rental

If you need the vehicle for longer, contact us before your return time rather than after it. Extensions depend on the vehicle being available, it may already be booked to someone else, and an extension is not in place until we confirm it.

Prohibited use

Rental vehicles are not to be used for anything unlawful, for motorsport or track use, for driving lessons for payment, for carrying passengers or goods for hire or reward unless we have agreed to it in writing, for towing or push-starting another vehicle, or while the driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Your rental agreement sets out the full list. Specific prohibited uses may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Returning Your Vehicle

Returning on time

Return the vehicle to the agreed place at the agreed time, with the keys and any accessories that came with it. Give yourself a buffer for Perth traffic and for refuelling on the way. It is worth photographing the vehicle again at return, and asking for written confirmation that it came back undamaged.

Late returns

If you are running late, call us as early as you can. A late return can affect the next customer, and charges may apply. Late return charges and any grace period may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Cleaning

Vehicles should come back in a reasonably clean and tidy state, ordinary road dirt is expected and is not a problem. Cleaning charges may apply where a vehicle needs more than a standard clean, for example heavy soiling, sand throughout the interior, smoke odour or pet hair. Cleaning charges may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

If Something Goes Wrong

Accidents and damage

If you are involved in an incident, make sure everyone is safe first and call emergency services if anyone is injured or the road is blocked. Then contact us as soon as it is safe to do so. Do not admit liability or agree to a private settlement at the roadside.

Collect the other party’s name, contact details, licence details, registration number and insurer if there is one, along with the names and contact details of any witnesses. Photograph the vehicles, their positions and the surrounding area. We will tell you what reporting is needed, see Insurance Information for how liability and excess generally work.

Breakdowns and roadside assistance

If the vehicle becomes unsafe or will not start, stop somewhere safe, switch on hazard lights and contact us before arranging anything yourself. Roadside assistance arrangements differ between vehicles and rental types, so check what applies to your booking at collection. Roadside assistance inclusions may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Lost or damaged keys

Modern vehicle keys are electronic and are not cheap to replace, so keep them with you and never leave a spare in the car. If a key is lost, damaged or locked inside, contact us rather than calling a locksmith. Charges for lost or damaged keys may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Fines, tolls and infringements

You are responsible for parking fines, speed and red-light infringements, and any road or bridge tolls incurred while the vehicle is in your care. Where an authority contacts us, we are required to identify the driver at the time. An administration fee may apply to processing an infringement. Infringement and toll administration fees may vary by vehicle and rental arrangement. Please contact Horizontal Traders to confirm the requirements that apply to your booking.

Your Responsibilities as the Hirer

As the person named on the agreement you remain responsible for the vehicle for the whole rental period, including for the conduct of any additional driver you have had added. In practical terms that means keeping the vehicle secure, using it within the conditions of the agreement, telling us promptly about anything that happens to it, and returning it on time and in the condition it went out, allowing for fair wear and tear.

Travelling Outside Normal Areas

Western Australia is enormous, and a trip that looks short on a map can involve hundreds of kilometres between fuel stops. If you are planning to travel well beyond the Perth metropolitan area, onto unsealed roads, into remote regions or interstate, contact us before you book. We can tell you which vehicles suit the trip and what conditions would apply, which is far better than discovering a restriction once you are on the road.

Questions Before You Book

If any part of this page does not match what you had in mind, ask us. It is much easier to sort out a detail beforehand than to work around it mid-trip.