Things to Watch Out for When Renting a Car

He rented a car and lost his home a year later

Blank documents you sign when renting a car can come back years later as debts you cannot pay.

Attention to everyone who includes a rental car in their summer plans...

Think twice when renting a car. At places where rentals are done carelessly, the blank promissory notes you are asked to sign, the photocopies of your credit card and the missing insurance on the cars can show up at a time you do not expect, cause you trouble and leave you in endless lawsuits.

The car rental sector keeps growing at an incredible pace. While more than a thousand companies officially operate in the sector, the number of cars on the road has passed 400 thousand.

ANYONE IS RENTING CARS

Besides the official figures, the lack of control has also attracted people who have nothing to do with the sector, such as real estate agents and builders. Opportunists who collect a few cars from friends and family, park them in front of their doors and by the roadside and try to make quick money have customers sign blank promissory notes and take credit card photocopies. This creates risks that cannot be repaired later.
Unofficial rental operators who make customers sign blank notes as a deposit return the notes one month after the car is handed over, in order to find out whether any fines have come for the car. Those who forget to collect them, or who cannot find anyone to talk to when they go, face the danger of seizure.

THEY GOT A SEIZURE SHOCK YEARS LATER

In recent months, 55 people who had rented cars from the same company at different times were shocked by seizure notices that arrived years later, and payment orders of between 5 and 50 thousand TL including interest were sent to them.
While this case is still fresh, another striking story came from Denizli. A citizen who had signed a note for a car he rented a year earlier had a precautionary attachment placed on his house because of a debt of 70 thousand TL. These are only a few cases reported in the media, while the real number is said to be much higher.

WARNING FROM TOKKDER: VERY RISKY!
Officials of TOKKDER, the Association of All Car Rental Organisations and the umbrella organisation of the sector, whom we asked for their views, warned citizens that taking a note signed in blank when renting a car is a very risky practice and that the person who signs puts himself at the mercy of the other side.
DEBTS THAT ARE HARD TO PAY CAN BE CREATED
The officials said that the basic criterion for a note signed in blank is the trust between the parties, but unfortunately this trust is abused, notes are filled in against the common will of the parties and debts that are very hard to pay are created.

A BLANK NOTE ALWAYS CARRIES THE RISK OF SEIZURE

TOKKDER officials said that blank notes signed in such rentals always carry a seizure risk and that the note must be taken back when it is paid or when it is left without cover. If the note is not returned and is put into enforcement proceedings, the signer has to file a lawsuit and prove with written evidence that he has no debt. They continued: "Moreover, throughout these lawsuits, seizure proceedings continue unless a guarantee higher than the amount written on the note and subject to enforcement is deposited. Therefore notes must absolutely be taken back."

WHAT TO DO IF THE NOTE IS NOT RETURNED

The officials said that if the holder fills in the note against the common will or does not return it, the person who gave it must file a lawsuit and prove with written evidence that he has no debt or that the debt has ended. They added: "People who do not get their note back should first send a formal notice and ask the person or institution they gave it to return the note, which has become void. If it is still not returned, they can take legal action and also complain to the Ministry of Customs and Trade."

WATCH OUT FOR THESE WHEN RENTING!
To avoid such problems, the officials recommend that people who will rent a car first choose established corporate car rental companies. They said: "When renting, users should pay attention to the contents of the rental contract and to the age and condition of the car. In addition, always get the contact details of the rental company's customer relations department. It is also important to ask the rental company in advance what to do in case of an accident, breakdown or theft."