Rental terms and conditions

1. Who we are

Retford Rentals is a local business, based in Retford, Nottinghamshire.

You can contact us by email at hello@example.co.uk or through our enquiry form. In these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Retford Rentals; "you" means the person named on the rental.

2. Your rental agreement

• Your agreement with us starts when you complete your direct debit setup and we confirm your rental by email. It's made up of these terms and the details in that confirmation: your plan, price, machine and start date.
• You must be 18 or over and live at the delivery address, which must be in our delivery area.
• The appliance belongs to us at all times. You're renting it, not buying it. Paying rent never makes it yours, however long you keep it.
• We don't run credit checks. We may decline a rental, for example if we can't deliver to your address or you owe us money from an earlier rental. If we do, we won't take any payment.

3. Plans and prices

Choose one of these plans when you sign up. All prices include everything: there's no VAT or anything else on top.

• The minimum rental period on every plan is 3 months from the delivery date.
• Delivery, repairs, replacements and collection are included. Fitting is optional and priced separately (see section 6).
• You can switch plans when your current payment period ends. Tell us at least 14 days before, and we'll confirm the new payments in writing.

4. Payments

• We collect payments by direct debit through GoCardless, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Your first payment may be taken by instant bank payment instead. Every direct debit is protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee.
• Regular payments start one payment period after your rental starts (1 month, 3 months or 12 months, depending on your plan) and continue on the same date each period. GoCardless will email you before each payment is taken.
• If a payment fails, we'll tell you and may try to collect it again. We don't charge late fees or admin fees. Section 11 explains what happens if payments stay unpaid.
• Please don't cancel your direct debit with your bank while you still have our machine. If you want to end your rental, tell us instead (see section 10).
• We may change our prices, but never during a period you've already paid for. We'll give you at least 30 days' written notice. If you don't accept the new price, you can end your rental before it takes effect without paying for the rest of any minimum term or notice period.

5. Deposit (monthly plan only)

• The monthly plan has a £25 refundable deposit, taken as part of your first payment.
• We refund it to the account you paid from after 6 months of payments made on time, and you keep the machine on the same monthly price.
• If your rental ends before then, we refund the deposit within 14 days of collecting the machine. We may first take off any unpaid rent or charges for damage under section 7, and we'll tell you what we've deducted and why.
• Quarterly and annual plans have no deposit.

6. Delivery and fitting

• Delivery is free within our delivery area. We'll agree a delivery day with you. Someone aged 18 or over needs to be home.
• We'll carry the machine to where you want it, as long as it's safe to do so. Please tell us in advance about stairs, narrow doorways or tricky access.
• Fitting isn't included. You can connect the machine yourself or use your own plumber. You'll need a suitable cold water supply, drain and plug socket. If you connect it yourself or use someone else, we aren't responsible for leaks or damage caused by how it was connected.
• If you'd like us to fit it, ask when you book. We'll give you a fixed price first, and you only pay if you agree. If we fit it, we're responsible for doing that job with reasonable care and skill.
• Please check the machine when it arrives and tell us about any damage or faults within 7 days. That doesn't affect your rights if a problem shows up later.

7. Looking after the machine

While the machine is with you, please:

• use it for normal household washing and follow the manufacturer's instructions;
• keep it at the delivery address, indoors, and don't move it to a new address without asking us first;
• don't sell, lend, sublet or give it away, or let anyone use it as security for a debt;
• don't open it up or let anyone else repair it. We'll do all repairs for free;
• tell us straight away if it's faulty, damaged, lost or stolen, or if you're moving home;
• give us reasonable access, at a time agreed with you, to repair, replace or collect it.

Normal wear and tear is our responsibility. You're responsible for the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing the machine if it's lost, stolen, or damaged deliberately, carelessly or by misuse (for example forcing the door, moving it badly, leaving it outdoors, or damage caused by an unauthorised repair). We'll explain the problem and show you the cost before charging anything. The most we'll ever charge is the reasonable cost of replacing it with a similar used machine.

Moving home? Tell us before you move. If your new home is in our delivery area, your rental can carry on there. Otherwise you can end your rental in the usual way and we'll collect the machine for free.

8. Repairs and replacements

• If the machine goes wrong through normal use, we'll repair or replace it free of charge. That includes parts, labour and call-outs.
• Report faults by email or through our enquiry form. We aim to fix or replace the machine within 48 hours, but it can sometimes take longer, for example if a part has to be ordered.
• If the machine can't be used for more than 7 days in a row because of a fault you reported, and that's not down to you (for example, you couldn't give us access), we'll refund the rent for the extra days.
• If we replace your machine, the replacement will be of a similar size and standard. Your terms and price stay the same.
• Repairs needed because of damage covered in section 7 aren't free, but we'll always tell you the cost first.

9. 14-day cooling-off period

Because you sign up without visiting a shop, the law gives you the right to cancel. We go further than the law: you can cancel for any reason within 14 days of the day your machine is delivered.

• Tell us by email or through our enquiry form. You don't need to give a reason.
• We'll collect the machine for free and refund everything you've paid within 14 days of you telling us, to the account you paid from. Please have it disconnected and ready, as set out in section 10.
• The minimum rental period and notice period don't apply.
• If we fitted the machine, the fitting is a separate service we've already done. If you cancel, we may keep a fair part of the fitting charge for work done.
• You don't have to pay anything for using the machine normally during the 14 days. We may only deduct for damage covered in section 7.

10. Ending your rental

• You can end your rental any time after the 3-month minimum by giving us 30 days' notice by email or through our enquiry form. You can give notice during the minimum period, as long as the rental ends on or after the end of it.
• We'll confirm your end date and arrange a time to collect the machine for free.
• Monthly plan: you pay rent up to your end date. We'll cancel your direct debit once everything's settled.
• Quarterly and annual plans: you've paid in advance, so we'll refund any whole months you've paid for after your end date. We work these out at £25/month on the quarterly plan and £19/month on the annual plan. We'll pay the refund within 14 days of collecting the machine.
• You must disconnect the machine before we collect it. Before the agreed collection day, please turn off the water supply, unplug it, disconnect the inlet and drain hoses, and drain any water left in it. Leave the machine somewhere we can reach easily and safely, with the hoses and power cable left with it. You can do this yourself or use your own plumber.
• Our collection team won't disconnect machines. If you'd like us to do it, ask when you give notice. We'll give you a fixed price first, and you only pay if you agree.
• If the machine isn't disconnected and ready when we arrive, we may have to rearrange collection for another day. Rent continues until we can collect it. We're not responsible for leaks or damage caused by disconnecting it if we didn't do it.

11. When we can end your rental

We can end your rental by telling you in writing if:

• a payment is still unpaid 14 days after we've contacted you about it (we'll always try to work out a payment plan with you first, so please get in touch if you're struggling);
• you seriously or repeatedly break these terms, for example selling the machine or refusing us access; or
• you move out of our delivery area, or leave the address, without telling us.

If we end your rental, we'll arrange to collect the machine, and the disconnection rules in section 10 still apply. You'll need to pay rent up to the collection date and any charges under section 7. We won't charge you for the rest of the minimum term. We'll refund anything you've paid in advance for after the collection date.

We can also end any rental by giving you at least 30 days' written notice, for example if we stop operating in your area. If we do, we'll refund anything you've paid in advance and return your deposit in full.

We'll never enter your home without your permission.

12. Our responsibility to you

• We'll provide a machine that's in good working order, safe, and as described, and we'll carry out our services with reasonable care and skill.
• If we break these terms or are careless, we're responsible for loss or damage you suffer that was a foreseeable result, such as water damage to your home caused by a fault in our machine or by our fitting.
• We're not responsible for losses we couldn't have foreseen, losses caused by you breaking these terms, damage caused by fitting we didn't do, or delays caused by events outside our control (such as severe weather). We don't rent to businesses, so we're not responsible for any business losses.
• Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law doesn't allow us to limit. Nothing here affects your legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
• We recommend letting your home contents insurer know you have a rented appliance, but you don't have to insure the machine itself.

13. Your personal details

We use your name, contact details, address and payment details only to run your rental: to deliver, repair and collect the machine, take payments and keep the records the law requires. We share them only with GoCardless to process payments, and with anyone the law requires us to. We don't send marketing and we never sell your data. You can ask to see, correct or delete the information we hold about you by emailing us.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms, for example to reflect changes in the law or how we work. We'll give you at least 30 days' notice by email of any change that affects you. If you don't accept a change, you can end your rental before it takes effect without paying for the rest of any minimum term or notice period. The date at the top of this page shows when they were last changed.

15. Complaints and the law

• If you're unhappy with anything, please email us at hello@example.co.uk. We'll reply within 2 working days and aim to sort it out within 14 days.
• If we can't resolve it, you can get free advice from Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133, and you can take the matter to court.
• These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring a claim in your local courts.
• If a court decides part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies. If we don't enforce a term straight away, we can still enforce it later.