Terms and Conditions of Hire

1.Rental Contract. Your contract is with Rainbow Camper Hire, Skiddaw Grove, Vicarage Hill, Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5QB. Proprietor: Andrew Matthews. The hire agreement forms part of these terms and conditions.

1.Drivers. Our tariff includes insurance for one driver. Extra drivers can be added for an additional fee, please contact us for details. Our insurer's standard conditions require all drivers to be between 23 and 75 years old and have held a full EU drivers licence for at least 2 years. Drivers with other licences may be covered subject to insurer’s agreement. Drivers aged 23 and 24 incur an additional £250 insurance excess. Any driving endorsements, health issues or history of accidents/claims in the last 5 years must be specified at the time of booking. Up to 6 points for speeding and a maximum of one at fault claim are allowable. Above this we may not be able to insure you but in some cases an increased premium or excess may be required. Please check before booking.

Our insurers require us to provide them with two valid confirmations of each driver's address before they will agree cover to drive. Valid address confirmations are utility bills dated within 3 months of the hire (i.e. gas; electricity; water; council tax; landline phone (but not mobile phone); bank or credit card statements). These should be emailed in advance as detailed in the "driver checklist" or sent through our online portal. If you are "paperless" simply create pdfs on your online system and send those.

UK drivers must email us a DVLA check code pdf 2-3 weeks before the hire. Again this is detailed in your "driver checklist" or can be done online through the link we send you. Overseas drivers must email us a copy of their licence, passport and 2 address IDs. In addition to EU licences we can accept drivers with licences issued in USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand subject to an extra insurance excess of £250. We regret that our insurers will not cover drivers with licences issued elsewhere sorry and "international driving licences" mean nothing to them!

All drivers must present their driving licence on collection of the vehicle along with a Visa/Mastercard CREDIT card for the damage deposit, unless this has been done online prior to the hire start day. The hirer must NOT permit anyone to drive our campervans who has not signed the hire agreement and been accepted by Rainbow Camper Hire regardless of any other third party insurance they may hold. Failure to comply with these terms means you cannot drive the vehicle and the rental will be forfeit.

3.Booking. The hirer and all drivers must indicate they accept our Terms & Conditions prior to confirmation of booking. Hire prices quoted include a non-returnable booking fee of £150 and insurance for the first driver. A deposit of 30% of the total hire cost is payable on booking. The balance of the hire charge must be paid no later than 30 days prior to the start of the hire. If booking within 30 days of the hire start date the full amount of booking fee plus balance is due on booking. Payment can be made online to "A Matthews T/A Rainbow Camper Hire, sort code 08-92-50, account 68525543 quoting your booking reference or by credit/debit card over the phone. Online payment is best for us. There are no charges for personal cards but business credit/debit cards incur a 2% processing fee for UK cards. Non-UK business debit and credit cards vary from 2%-6% - please ask.

4.Availability. If, due to unforeseen circumstances such as an accident, the Rainbow Camper of your choice becomes unavailable, we will endeavour to provide a suitable substitute from our fleet. If a substitute is unavailable or unsuitable our liability will extend to a maximum of a full refund of the hire charges. We will not compensate for any other costs incurred sorry.

5.Cancellation Policy. In the unfortunate event that you have to cancel your booking the following charges will apply: More than 42 days prior to commencement of the hire – loss of £150 booking fee only. Between 41 and 30 days prior – loss of 50% of the total hire charge. 29 days’ notice or less – loss of the entire hire charge. In all cases we will try to rehire the vehicle and if successful we will refund all payments except the booking fee. We strongly advise that you take out appropriate travel/holiday insurance to cover any cancellation. Please check about our special arrangements for cancellations due to covid-19. We are being as flexible as possible. Note also that if we are instructed that we ourselves have to self-isolate we may have to cancel your hire at short notice. This would be beyond our control and a refund or re-arranged hire would be given.

6.Collection. Your camper van can normally be collected between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on the hire start day. Earlier/later collection may be possible depending on other hires – please ask. Expect it to take around an hour on arrival for paperwork, any questions you may have and for transferring your belongings. If you haven't driven one of these classic Volkswagen campervans before don't worry - we'll give you a short, accompanied familiarisation drive and make sure you're happy before you start your holiday. Any driver who cannot attend the driving lesson on collection will be subject to an additional insurance excess (and therefore increased damage deposit) of £250.

Your vehicle will be ready in a clean and roadworthy state, with a full tank of unleaded E5 petrol. Any scratches or other defects on the vehicle will be highlighted to you, recorded on the vehicle condition form and should be noted by you. You are welcome to take photographs! You may leave your own car with us in our car park or garage nearby at your own risk. There is no charge for this.

7.Return. The vehicle must be returned in the same clean, roadworthy state with the same amount of unleaded E5 petrol as on collection. Any defects or damage must be reported to us. The vehicle must be returned between 10 and 11am on the final day of hire unless otherwise arranged. Please respect the person hiring the camper next and allow us sufficient time to service the van between hires by adhering to these times. It may be possible to arrange different collection and return times by prior agreement. Please ask.

8.Security/damage deposit. At the time of collection a security/damage deposit of £750 (plus any addition if required for insurance excess additions) must be paid, credit card preferred. This will be returned to you in full after the rental provided the camper is returned on time, undamaged, fully fueled, with a complete inventory and with a satisfactory clean interior and equipment. - Deductions will be made honestly and fairly for making good any damage to the vehicle and equipment that has occurred during your hire of the camper.

- A cleaning charge of £60 will be deducted if the interior of the camper and its equipment (including cooker and utensils) are not clean on return.

-A late return charge of £120 (per day or part thereof) will be levied in addition to compensation for the next hire customer should the start of their rental period be delayed.

-We are happy to post back any items left in our campervans. A charge of £5 is made for any parcels posted plus the postage.

-Please note that our insurance does not cover damage to tyres or theft of equipment or personal effects from the vehicle and these costs are the responsibility of the hirer.

- Any shortfall in petrol on return will be charged at the cost of refueling plus £10.

It is the responsibility of the hirer to pay in full for any damage to the vehicle on hire to them howsoever caused. The damage deposit does not equal the maximum possible liability. The vehicle insurance will cover only damage to the vehicle itself and third party liability in the event of an accident, less the policy excess. Any other costs are the responsibility of the hirer. These may include, but are not limited to, damage to the vehicle contents, mechanical damage caused by the hirer, costs incurred by mis-fueling.

9.Insurance Conditions. Each vehicle is insured with comprehensive cover subject to the following conditions:

- Drivers must be between 23 and 75 years old and have held an appropriate full licence for at least 2 years. This must be presented at point of hire and each driver must sign the insurance and hire documents.

- Up to two 3 point speeding endorsements may be accepted without further insurance premium. Any other endorsements or more than one insurance claim or accident in the last 5 years, regardless of fault, may incur an increased excess or premium. Please check before booking. All licence endorsements must be notified at time of booking so that we can check our insurers will cover you. Any incurred between booking and the commencement of hire must be notified immediately as this may affect your permission to drive. Any endorsements not notified to us will render the insurance void, the vehicle will not be hired to you and the hire charge will not be refunded.

- The insurance covers the U.K. only and the vehicle may not be taken outside this area. Cover for Eire is possible by prior arrangement and an extra fee.

- The vehicle may not be used by the hirer for the carriage of goods or for hire or reward.

- The vehicle may only carry up to the designated number of passengers (varies according to each camper – please check) and must not be overloaded.

- The vehicle must be driven in a careful and safe manner, respecting the age of the vehicle and its lack of modern safety systems.

- Seat belts are fitted and must be used.

- Extreme care must be taken when using cooking and heating equipment to prevent fire or heat damage. The ibsurance will only cover 75% of the cost of fire damage and the rest will be the responsibilty of the hirer.

-Damage to tyres or internal equipment is not insured and will be charged to the hirer.

- The standard policy excess is £750 and is the responsibility of the hirer.

- In the event of an accident take details of any persons and vehicles involved. Do not admit any liability. Contact us as soon as possible. Complete a report form on return of the campervan.

The vehicle must only be used within the law and may only be driven by drivers named on the hire agreement or otherwise confirmed by us. Any fines or fixed penalties incurred are the responsibility of the hirer and the details of the hirer will be passed to the police or other legal authority if requested.

10. Care of the vehicle. The Volkswagen Camper is a classic vehicle. Ours are 40 to 60 years old and should be driven with this in mind. Part of the attraction is the change of pace a Rainbow Camper imposes - acceleration comes eventually and the top speed permitted is 55 mph! It may be tempting to exceed this given a downhill run and a following wind but please - don't. The vans must not be taken up or down hills steeper than 25% (1 in 4) so, in The Lakes, Hard Knott and Wrynose Passes are too steep. The road between Little Langdale and Great Langdale and the northern end of Dunnerdale are not allowed as they are too badly surfaced. The engines will be reliable and go on and on provided they are not over stretched or over heated. We are now used to modern cars with huge service intervals but these old vans benefit from a daily check on the oil level and fan belt, please. In the event of the red oil warning light illuminating on the dashboard STOP immediately and seek assistance as damage may occur. Any damage caused by failure to follow these instructions will be charged to the hirer and is not covered by the insurance.

11. Breakdown. In the event of a vehicle breakdown the hirer is permitted to spend up to £80 on minor parts or repairs and this will be reimbursed provided a receipt is presented. Breakdown assistance is provided as part of the hire and information is carried in each camper. Please only use this if absolutely necessary as we are charged for every call out. Please contact us for advice if any problem cannot be rectified right away. We will refund the cost of any full day's hire lost while the vehicle is undriveable though breakdown, provided the vehicle has been driven and cared for properly as above. We will not refund if the breakdown is due to damage to the clutch, brakes, steering/suspension components, wheels/tyres, glass, elevating roof or interior fixtures. We will not be liable for consequential losses whatsoever.

12. Other conditions.

- Please respect that all our vehicles are fully no smoking including in any awning provided by us.

- We regret pets are not allowed in Maisie, Daisy, Jess or Harrison. We will allow a dog in Fleur, Robbie or Billy on condition that this is agreed in advance and the camper is returned clean of all dog hairs inside.

- Please ensure adequate ventilation when using cooking or heating equipment both for your safety and to preserve the condition of the camper interiors.

13. Privacy policy - Data Protection. Any personal information you give to us will be kept confidential and will only be used by ourselves, our agents and our insurers in connection with your hire of a camper. Our insurers require that this is retained for 2 years in case of any claim by a third party. We will then destroy the paperwork held. Our camper vans may be tracked by a GPS tracking device; any data as a result will not be shared with third parties except our insurers or the police in the event of an incident. We ask for your consent to keep you informed of Rainbow Campers news, events, stories and special offers but we will never disclose your details to others. If you submit any stories or pictures to us for future Rainbow Campers Stories you grant us permission to use such stories and pictures freely on our website and any other publications.

14. Variation Rainbow Camper Hire reserve the right to vary tariffs, conditions and specifications at any time prior to confirmation of acceptance of any booking. Please keep this copy of our Terms for your reference.

The insurer’s standard conditions are detailed below, please ask if any clarification is needed.