While we don’t pray for bad things to happen, they would always occur.
You could park a rental car in a parking slot, hoping, that’s the safest place it could ever be, before your return to whatever place you left to.
Surprisingly, you can come to meet your car hit by someone. This happens a lot. But what can you do about it?
In this post, we’ll cover what to do in every scenario in which your rental car was hit while parked.
My rental car was hit while parked – Here’s what to do
If your rental car was hit while parked, the first thing you’ll want to do is to check for the Defaulter’s auto insurance company. You can then proceed to sending it to the company behind your rental insurance.
If you’re like most people, you might not be insured or could have a hard time differentiating between the need for a car rental insurance.
Do well to check this video, for a good explanation on that:
For a detailed guide, here’s what to do if your rental car was hit while parked:
- Check for a written note
- Gather evidence
- Settle amicably or Collect their contact info containing their insurance information
- Make a claim to their insurance company
- Use your Collision or UMPD coverage (If you have one)
Check for a written note
In a scenario where you were not around when the incident occur, you’d want to check for a written note dropped on the car.
Following the due steps, most people would drop a written note on a car after hitting it, especially when you’re nowhere to be found.
You can find this on either your windshield, the actual damaged place, side mirrors, or anywhere visible, close to the damaged place.
If not for anything else, the note should contain a contact number, name, and possibly an organization name.
In some cases, the defaulter could also drop the details of their insurance company.
This is a good step and you should take advantage of it.
If your rental car was hit while parked, the first step you should take is to check for a written note.
If the note is found to only contain the defaulter’s contact number, you’d want to make a call to them, with the aim of getting their insurance information.
However, in most cases, there would be a piece of the defaulter’s insurance information there.
It’s also worth mentioning that at this point, the defaulter could want to settle things amicably. If this works for you, you can give in to it to save time.
Gather evidence
It’s possible that the defaulter could have run after hitting your car, a typical case of “hit and run.”
If you had searched for a written note, and can’t find it, you might want to assume this happened.
Well, this is a criminal case in the court of law, for several countries like the US, Canada, India, etc. If caught, the person could be jailed in the prison and fined.
No one would want to do this in a normal scenario, but it still does happen.
If someone hit your rental car and runs, you’ll need to gather just any evidence you can find and send them to your insurance company.
If the incident happened close to a convenience store, filling station, or shop, there’s a high chance that there was a video camera there.
You might want to investigate through this means, to possibly find the driver’s plate number.
Or preferably, you look for witnesses who might have information about the event
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Settle amicably or Collect their contact info containing their insurance information
In a situation where you were around when the incident occurred, you could have a talk with the person.
In some cases, they might want to settle the issue amicably, which you could take if the damage is little.
Since you’re on a rental car, you might want to agree with this, if his terms are good.
Because, it’s worth noting that for every extra period you spend beyond your agreed rental period, you’ll pay extra for this. At least, this is the case in car rentals like Budget, Thrifty, Dollar car rental, etc.
However, if the damage is relatively much, make sure you’re able to get their insurance info, so you can make claim.
Better still, try to also exchange contacts with them. This is important, for someone who might want to help you.
Contact your Car rental and insurance company
At this point, you should have gotten their insurance info, either through a written note, by collecting their contact info, or by gathering evidence.
Now, file a police report by contacting the police. You’re required to do this, especially when the damage incurred, is beyond just scratches or small damages.
As a guide, you’ll want to file a report for damages worth more than $250. You don’t have to worry, as the police would guide you through this.
It’s worth noting that every states or country have a dollar amount limit to decide when you need to make a police report for car damage.
Afterward, you’d need to notify your insurance company, covering the rental car, about the issue at hand and they’ll guide you through this.
If you had your primary insurance package with your car rental company, you might want to do the same.
Use your Collision or UMPD coverage (If you have one)
What happens when the Defaulter is not inssured? This what most people ask.
If you had a collision coverage on your auto policy or an UMPD coverage, you’d be fine, as this two insurance package are aimed at covering the insurer even when the defaulter is not insured.
However, if your don’t have this packages, your only option is to talk with the defaulter amicably and see what he can do about it.
Alternatively, if the damage is severe, you should file a police report.
Final thoughts
Generally, if you had your rental car damaged by someone else while parked, try getting their insurance info.
Afterward, proceed by submitting it to your car rental company or the insurance company behind the rental car, notifying them the issue at hand.
If the damage is worth more than $250 (this depends on the country or state), also make a police report with evidence at hand.
Note that If the damage is big enough to take more than a day to fix, you’ll still need to pay for any additional days spent above your rental period, regardless of the fact that you didn’t use the car.
But, so what if you don’t want to pay for the rental car damage? What happens? Read our article on what happens if you don’t pay Rental car damage.
