Terms and conditions of hire

A hire contract is formed once we accept your booking and payment or otherwise confirm the order in writing. Bookings remain subject to stock, transport, and operational checks until then.

• The person placing the order must be authorised to enter into the contract and to accept these terms.
• You must provide accurate delivery, contact, and site access details when booking.
• You are responsible for making sure the delivery location is safe, accessible, and suitable for the machine ordered.
• The machine, specification, and brand shown on the product page form part of the order basis. We do not substitute with cheaper brands.

Hire charges are based on the booked period shown on your order confirmation, not only the time the machine is physically used. All machines remain our property at all times.

• You must use the machine lawfully, safely, and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• You are responsible for loss, theft, misuse, avoidable damage, contamination, and failure to secure the machine while it is on hire to you.
• Consumables, fuel, and operator costs are not included unless we have expressly said so in writing.
• You must not part with possession of the machine, sub-hire it, or move it to another site without our prior agreement.

Where you book a delivery slot through our website or hire desk, we aim to deliver within that agreed slot. If we miss the booked delivery slot due solely to our own operational failure, the affected hire is free on us.

• The guarantee applies to the hire charge for the affected order only.
• It does not apply to refundable deposits, Loss & Damage Waiver charges, transport charges, or any indirect or consequential losses.
• The guarantee does not apply where the delay is caused by site access issues, nobody being available to accept delivery, unsafe conditions, incorrect address information, severe weather, road closures, breakdown caused by third parties, or events outside our reasonable control.
• If we offer and you accept an alternative delivery time on the same day, the guarantee is treated as satisfied unless we then also miss that revised slot.
• Any free-hire adjustment under this clause will be made by refund or credit after we review the booking record.

We will aim to match or beat a genuine quote from a verified competitor for the same machine and hire basis, subject to the conditions below.

• The comparison must be against a genuine quote from a verified company or supplier operating in the relevant market.
• The machine must be materially the same, including the same manufacturer, model, specification, working height, and hire basis where relevant.
• When comparing prices, we may take into account delivery charges, collection charges, waiver charges, deposits, surcharges, and any other mandatory fees that affect the total cost of hire.
• The quote must be current, capable of verification, and for the same delivery area, date range, quantity, and booking terms.
• We may refuse a price match where the competing quote is clearly a pricing error, is not available to the general market, or comes from an unverified or non-comparable supplier.

Collection takes place in the slot shown on the booking. The machine must be ready, accessible, and safe to collect.

• If the machine is not ready for collection, remains in use, or cannot be safely accessed, additional hire and wasted journey charges may apply.
• We may continue charging hire until the machine is available for collection or returned to us.
• You remain responsible for the machine until it is physically checked back in by us.

Our Loss & Damage Waiver is charged at the applicable rate shown during checkout and is required unless you provide your own valid hired-in plant insurance. It protects you against theft and accidental damage fees with no excess to pay, subject always to the exclusions and conditions below.

• It does not cover intentional damage, deliberate acts, misuse, negligence, overloading, operation by unauthorised or incompetent persons, use outside the manufacturer’s guidance, or failure to secure the machine properly.
• It does not cover consumables, fuel, cleaning, contamination, punctures, recoveries, confiscation, or any loss caused or made worse by late reporting or failure to follow our reasonable instructions after an incident.
• Theft and accidental damage are covered only where the incident is genuine, promptly reported, and the machine has been used, stored, and secured responsibly.
• You must notify us as soon as possible of any loss, theft, damage, seizure, or accident and must provide accurate information and any evidence we reasonably request.
• If you choose to rely on your own hired-in plant insurance instead, you must keep that cover valid for the whole hire and you remain responsible for any uninsured, excluded, excess, or rejected part of the claim.

We may refuse to apply the Loss & Damage Waiver where the claim falls outside these terms or where there has been a serious breach of the hire conditions.

Some hires require a refundable damage deposit. The deposit is held as security against unpaid charges, loss, theft, damage, cleaning, refuelling, late return, or other sums properly due under the hire contract.

• Where no deductions are required, we aim to refund the deposit within 72 hours of return and check-in.
• Bank processing times are outside our control and may mean the funds take longer to appear in your account.
• If deductions are required, we may retain and apply part or all of the deposit and will record the reason in our booking notes or invoice trail.

Website customers with an online account can cancel eligible bookings in their account. Guest bookings and any booking outside the self-service window must be amended or cancelled by contacting our hire desk.

• A full refund is available up to 2 hours before the start of the booked delivery slot.
• Once the cancellation window has passed, online cancellation is no longer available and you must call us.
• If the machine has already been checked out, loaded, or delivered, cancellation charges may apply.
• We may agree date changes or other amendments, but these remain subject to availability, transport, and updated pricing.

Unless clearly stated otherwise, backend pricing in our system is held ex VAT and VAT is added at checkout. Transport, Loss & Damage Waiver, and other taxable charges are treated consistently with the main hire supply. Refundable deposits are shown separately.

• We may correct obvious pricing or product description errors before confirming an order.
• Payment must be cleared before dispatch unless we have agreed account terms separately.
• Invoices and receipts form part of the contract record.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded. Subject to that, our liability is limited to the direct value of the order giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect loss, loss of profit, loss of use, delay costs, or site downtime.

If anything about your hire is unclear, or if you need to raise a complaint or claim under these terms, contact our hire desk on 0208 058 7571 or email hire@heavydutyhire.com.