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About Credit Hire
In the 1980's, at a time when 'courtesy cars' were more or less unknown and there was no assistance for innocent victims of non-fault accidents, who had to make do as best they could, a few firms of solicitors in the North West of England recognised the injustice of this and were able to find rental companies who would hire cars to their clients and give a period of credit to allow the charges to be recovered from the negligent party; Credit Hire was born.
Insurer agreements
Swift has agreements with the majority of the UK motor insurers for the rates of hire and in most cases Swift simply passes the hire charges to the relevant insurer and the bill is settled directly.
No loss, no claim
A claim for hire charges can only be made against the responsible party in a non-fault accident where:
- There has been a loss (the replacement vehicle has to have been hired it cannot be a free courtesy car)
- The claim is made by the person who suffered the loss
- A replacement car is needed
So, if the owner has other cars he can use perfectly well any claim for hire charges will fail.
Like for like replacement
There is a basic theme in common law that the responsible party is duty bound to put the victim of his negligence back into the position he was before the accident. Swift will provide you with a like for like replacement vehicle ensuring you are kept in the vehicle you chose and that it meets your expectations.
At the time of hire, trained and experienced Swift staff will advise whether your individual circumstances mean that you are entitled to hire a like for like replacement.
Hiring the car
When hiring a car from Swift you will be asked to sign a credit hire agreement that clearly lays out the terms of hire, the charges and the period of credit (51 weeks), which is usually ample time for the negligent parties insurer to pay the bill. To see the Swift terms and conditions of hire click here to download.
Angel Assistance Limited
In the unlikely event that your claim is not settled by the insurance company of the driver who caused the accident, the Angel policy, provided to you by Swift, will cover replacement vehicle and (if applicable) repair charges, and the legal costs incurred in pursuing your claim.
For further information please follow this link.
Paying the Bill
It is more than likely that after the hire ends Swift will simply present the hire charges to the insurer of the driver who caused the accident and it will be paid. If no agreement exists with the insurer of the negligent party or in those rare occasions when liability or other issues are in dispute it may be necessary for you to instruct a solicitor to recover the charges on your behalf. The cost of doing this can be covered by your Angel policy and Swift can ensure you are referred by Angel to solicitors approved by the policy underwriter who are expert in all road traffic accident matters, with particular expertise in recovering prestige credit hire charges. They will be your solicitor and will act on your behalf, not on Swift’s. For full details and regulations on Credit Hire please click here to view our Case Law page.
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Copyright © 2006 Swift Prestige Hire |
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