Driving Licence, ID, Deposits and Driver Checks Explained
Hiring a van should be straightforward, but it helps to know what will be needed before collection day.

Most of the checks are there for a simple reason: the rental company needs to confirm who will be driving, that they are legally entitled to drive the vehicle and that the proposed use of the van is covered by the rental arrangements.

Getting these details sorted before collection can save time and prevent an unexpected problem when you arrive for the van.
At Leicester Van Rentals, driver checks form part of the booking process, so it is worth preparing your documents and being clear about how you intend to use the vehicle.

Your driving licence is one of the most important parts of any self-drive van rental.
For standard Leicester Van Rentals bookings, drivers are normally required to be between 25 and 70 years old and to have held their driving licence for at least two years.

A licence check may also be carried out as part of the rental process. That does not mean van hire has to become complicated. It simply means the details supplied when booking need to match the person who will actually be driving the vehicle.

If another person may need to drive during the rental, do not assume they are automatically covered. Additional drivers should be discussed before the hire begins.

A rental vehicle is being handed over to a driver for a defined period, so the hire company and its insurer need enough information to assess that driver correctly. That can include checking the status of the licence and reviewing relevant driving information.

It is therefore better to mention anything important during the booking process rather than waiting until collection. Trying to deal with a licence issue at the last minute can delay the handover or mean the booking cannot proceed under the expected terms.

Your driving licence establishes who is driving, but additional identification or proof of address may also be required. The exact documents needed can depend on the booking.

For example, someone hiring a van while moving home may be asked for information connecting them with their current or previous address. The important thing is that the details you provide should be current, genuine and consistent across the booking.

If you are unsure which documents to bring, check before travelling to collect the vehicle. It is much easier to resolve a document question beforehand than while standing at the collection point.

A Useful Document Check
Before collection, make sure:

A refundable security deposit is normally taken when you hire a vehicle. The deposit is separate from the rental charge and provides security against matters covered by the rental agreement. The amount can vary depending on the vehicle and rental arrangement.

For example, Leicester Van Rentals commonly uses a £300 refundable deposit on standard Luton hire, although the amount applicable to a particular booking should always be confirmed when the vehicle is reserved.

The word refundable is important, but it does not mean the deposit is unconditional. The vehicle still needs to be returned in accordance with the rental agreement and the agreed terms of hire.

This is one of the parts of van hire that customers sometimes overlook. Using a van to move your own furniture is not necessarily the same insurance risk as using the same vehicle to make paid deliveries all day.

Personal customers might hire a van for a house move, furniture collection, storage run or another private job. A business customer might need a vehicle to transport their own tools, equipment or stock.

Those are different from activities such as courier work, multi-drop delivery, paid removals or carrying another person’s goods for payment. That distinction matters because some commercial activities can fall into hire-and-reward use and may require different insurance arrangements.

This is one of the parts of van hire that customers sometimes overlook. Using a van to move your own furniture is not necessarily the same insurance risk as using the same vehicle to make paid deliveries all day.

Personal customers might hire a van for a house move, furniture collection, storage run or another private job. A business customer might need a vehicle to transport their own tools, equipment or stock.

Those are different from activities such as courier work, multi-drop delivery, paid removals or carrying another person’s goods for payment. That distinction matters because some commercial activities can fall into hire-and-reward use and may require different insurance arrangements.

The words “business van hire” can sometimes cause confusion. A van being used by a business does not automatically mean it is being used for hire and reward.
A tradesperson carrying their own equipment to a job, for example, is doing something quite different from a courier being paid to deliver parcels belonging to other people.

Likewise, a company transporting its own stock between locations is different from a transport business carrying goods for customers. The safest approach is  simply to describe the intended use accurately when booking.

If the proposed use needs different cover, it is better to establish that before the rental starts.

Once the booking details and driver checks have been completed, there will normally be a vehicle handover. Take a few minutes during this stage. Look around the van, familiarise yourself with the controls and make sure you understand anything that is different from the vehicle you normally drive.

With a larger van, that could include its overall height, length, mirrors, turning circle or rear overhang. If you are collecting a Luton, it is particularly important to remember that you are driving something considerably taller than an ordinary car.

This sounds obvious until you have spent years driving cars and suddenly find yourself behind the wheel of a tall commercial vehicle. Height restrictions appear at car parks, drive-throughs, loading areas, bridges and some entrances. A Luton van cannot simply follow a car everywhere it goes.

Before entering a restricted area, check the displayed height limit and know the approximate height of the vehicle you are driving. Taking a few seconds to check is much easier than discovering halfway through an entrance that the van will not fit.

Before Driving Away

If your move is due to start at 9:00am, arriving to collect the van at 9:00am and expecting to be loading furniture at 9:05am is probably unrealistic.
There may be paperwork to complete, a vehicle check to carry out and a few things you need to understand before leaving.
Build collection time into your plans.
That little bit of breathing room can make the rest of the day considerably easier, particularly when other people are waiting for you at the property.

The rental does not finish when the final box has been unloaded. You still need enough time to return the vehicle at the agreed time and location. Think about the journey back when planning the day, particularly if you are travelling some distance away from Leicester.

Leaving the return journey until the last possible moment creates unnecessary pressure and can turn a straightforward rental into a rushed one. If you think your plans are going to change, contact the rental company rather than assuming that keeping the vehicle longer will be fine.

Moving home introduces another practical consideration: your address may be changing at exactly the same time you are hiring the van. Have suitable information available showing your address details if requested.

It also helps to plan the move around the rental rather than treating the van as an afterthought. Think about when you will collect it, when loading will start, how long the journey will take, how long unloading could realistically take and when the vehicle needs to be returned.

A slightly longer hire period can sometimes be more useful than trying to squeeze a full move into an unrealistic schedule.

Business customers should be particularly clear about vehicle use. If you are carrying your own tools, stock, materials or equipment, explain that when enquiring.
If you intend to use the vehicle for courier work, multi-drop deliveries, paid removals, third-party goods or another hire-and-reward activity, this also needs to be discussed before the booking is accepted.

Do not assume that ordinary self-drive rental automatically covers every type of commercial use. That one conversation before booking can prevent a much bigger problem later.

By the time collection day arrives, there should not be many surprises. You should know who is driving, what the vehicle is being used for, the agreed rental period and what documents are required.

You should also know how much the rental costs and what deposit applies to your booking. That leaves collection day for exactly what it should be: checking the vehicle, completing the handover and getting on with the job.

Leicester Van Rentals provides self-drive vans for personal customers, trades and approved businesses, with daily, weekend, weekly and longer-term options available. If you are unsure whether you meet the driver requirements or whether your planned use is suitable, ask before booking.

It is much easier to answer the question beforehand than discover an issue when you arrive to collect the van.

Call 0333 224 4202 or email bookings@leicestervanrentals.co.uk.