Why do car rentals take a deposit

Any bona fide car rental company charges a refundable deposit before renting out the car. But why are we doing this? Why can't we do without collateral? What if you don't want to leave a deposit or are worried that you won't get it back? We have tried to answer all the questions about the rental car deposit in this article.

What is a deposit in a car rental?

A deposit is a guarantee that the customer will return the rented car in one piece. The amount of the deposit depends on the selected car. Car rentals charge it in case of damage to the car by the customer and to pay fines that may arise during your rental period. If you returned the car without damage and did not receive any fines, you will receive the entire amount of the deposit back in the same way that you made the payment.

In case of damage or fines, the car rental company will deduct from the deposit exactly the amount necessary to cover these costs. You will definitely receive a full statement of where the funds from your collateral went, with all receipts and documents.

When will I get my deposit back?

In our car rental, we refund the deposit to customers within 10 banking days from the moment the car is returned to the fleet. This period is sufficient to check all fines that may have occurred during your rental period. Banks may delay refunds — we cannot influence this. We will definitely contact you when we send the funds to your account and help you deal with the delay on the part of the bank.

Sometimes the deposit repayment period may be delayed. For example, if you are a tourist and leave a cash deposit, and then you do not have the opportunity to come to the office and pick it up. In such cases, we will send it to you by the Western Union transfer system or the Golden Crown and will definitely warn you about a possible delay.
Why wasn't my deposit refunded?

Some car rental companies take a security deposit and do not return it. Fortunately, we are not among them. Carefully read the car rental agreement before signing: if it does not specify the amount of the deposit, this is a reason to think about the reliability of the rental service you have chosen. Our rental agreement always specifies the amount of your deposit, as well as the deadline for its return.

If, after returning the car, you have not been notified of the damage that you caused to the car during your rental period, the company cannot charge you for repairs. Remember that it is better for you to personally attend the inspection of the car. The same applies to fines: if the rental company has withdrawn the amount from your deposit to pay the fine and has not provided supporting documents with the dates of violations and payment receipts, you should immediately apply to a civil court with an application.

In our car rental service, the car is inspected for damage after it is washed. You don't have to wait for an examination at the office. We will inform you about the detected damage within a day after the delivery of the car and will definitely send you photos and videos of damage after receiving it, as well as photos and videos taken before the delivery of the car, for comparison.

What if I'm a tourist?

If you are traveling in Kazakhstan, it is best to pay the deposit with a Visa or Mastercard bank card. We also accept MIR cards through the Halyk Bank terminal, but sometimes mistakes occur on the part of the bank. In such cases, you should leave a cash deposit, and we will refund it to you using Western Union or Golden Crown if you cannot pick it up yourself after 14 calendar days. You can also open an account in a Kazakh bank — for this you will need to get an IIN. Then we can refund your deposit directly to your card.

Of course, if the bail is not returned, it will not be so easy to get justice from abroad. Therefore, it is important to choose a car rental with a good reputation. Let's not hide it, we had difficulties meeting the deadlines for the return of deposits to foreign citizens, but they are in the past. Then they were connected with the transition to a new accounting software. But even then, we were in touch with our customers and always returned the insurance deposits. We have been working in the car rental market since 2009 and have already faced all possible difficulties, so we know how to overcome them and leave you with only good impressions of the trip. If you don't believe me, look at the reviews in 2GIS, Yandex.Maps and Google Maps. We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with our contract.

Let's summarize

• The deposit is needed to cover the cost of repairing damages and fines that may arise during the rental period.
• In case of incomplete repayment of the deposit, always ask the rental company for a justification of the reasons with all supporting documents.
• Always check the contract for the amount of the refundable deposit and the time frame for its return.
• We will refund the deposit within 10 banking days from the moment the car is returned to the car park in the way you paid for it.