Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Car & van Sharing Terms

Master Terms v1.2

Last updated: 3rd March 226

Operator: Zelfi Ltd (company no. 05632396), registered office Unit 1 Hopton Road, Devizes, SN10 2EU, trading as Zelf (we/us/our).

Contact: info@zelf.co.uk, 0345678910, in-app support.

1. What these Terms cover

1. These Terms apply to your use of our car and van sharing/rental service (the Service) via our website and mobile app (the App).

2. By creating an account, booking, reserving, unlocking, driving or using a vehicle, you agree to these Terms and the documents incorporated into them:

- Schedule A: Fees Charges Schedule

- Schedule B: Insurance Financial Liability

- Schedule C: Breakdown Incident Policy

- Privacy Policy

- Cookies SDK Policy

- Integrations Sub-processors page (live list)

- Driver Eligibility Policy (live page)

If there is a conflict, the order above applies.

2. Key definitions

Account: your personal App account.

Authorised Driver: you, and any additional driver we have explicitly approved and added in the App.

Booking: a rental booking made in the App or on our website (including on-demand and prebooked).

Deposit / Payment Hold: a temporary authorisation/hold or a charge (depending on payment method and configuration) taken against your payment method to cover additional charges (see Schedule A).

Driver Eligibility Policy: our published eligibility rules (age, licence type/tenure, points/convictions, suspensions and accidents/claims), available at [LINK], as updated from time to time.

Geofence: a virtual boundary shown in-app and/or enforced by our systems.

No-Go Area / Restricted Zone: areas where driving/parking is prohibited or restricted (shown in-app or notified to you).

Station: a designated pick-up/return area (a geofenced area) shown in the App.

Rental Period: the time from Rental Start to Rental End.

Rental Start: when you successfully unlock the vehicle via the App (or we start your rental manually).

Rental End / Valid Return: when (i) the vehicle is inside a Station (or other authorised return location), (ii) you end the rental in the App, (iii) the vehicle is locked as instructed, and (iv) we receive confirmation through our systems.

Reservation: a temporary hold of a vehicle for you to start a rental within a limited period shown in the App (a Reservation Window).

Reservation Window: the time during which the vehicle is held for you before you start the rental.

Reservation Grace Period: the first 30 minutes after you make a Reservation.

No-show: where (i) you have a prebooked Booking and you do not start the rental by the start time, or (ii) you have a Reservation and you do not start within the Reservation Window and you have not cancelled.

3. Eligibility and account rules

1. You must meet the eligibility requirements in these Terms and the Driver Eligibility Policy.

2. You must keep your Account secure. No account sharing.

3. Only an Authorised Driver may drive. Allowing an unauthorised driver is a material breach and may mean you are personally liable for losses and uninsured exposures (see Schedule B).

4. You must provide accurate information and keep it up to date. If information is false or misleading, we may (acting reasonably) suspend/terminate your Account and/or cancel Reservations/Bookings.

4. Verification and checks

1. We may run checks before and during your use of the Service, including identity verification, DVLA/licence checks, fraud/risk screening, and eligibility checks required by our insurers.

2. If you fail checks or we reasonably believe there is increased risk, we may (acting reasonably) refuse service, suspend your Account, cancel a Reservation/Booking, or require additional verification.

3. If your licence requires referral under the Driver Eligibility Policy, we may decline access or require additional conditions before you can start a rental.

5. Bookings, durations, pricing and prepayment

1. You can book on-demand or in advance.

2. Rental durations: minimum 2 hours, maximum 28 days (or such other limits shown in the App).

3. Pricing is shown in the App/website at booking and may depend on time, vehicle type, Station, mileage package and add-ons.

4. Prepayment: you pay in advance for the booked time period (unless the App states otherwise).

5. Extensions: if available, you may extend in the App. Extensions are subject to availability and may change price.

6. Early return: no refund is due for unused time once the rental has started (unlock), except where required by law or where we choose to offer a discretionary credit.

5A. Reservations (on-demand holding)

1. The App may allow you to reserve a vehicle before you start the rental. A Reservation holds the vehicle for you for the Reservation Window shown in the App.

2. Grace period: you may cancel a Reservation free of charge within the Reservation Grace Period provided you have not started the rental.

3. If you do not start within the Reservation Window and you do not cancel (or cancel after the grace period), we may charge a Reservation No-Show Fee (Schedule A).

4. We may restrict, suspend or terminate Accounts that repeatedly make Reservations and fail to start or cancel them.

5B. Cancellations, no-shows and refunds (prebooked rentals)

1. This applies to prebooked Bookings (start at a future date/time).

2. Cancel in the App (or contact support if the App does not allow).

3. Free cancellation: cancel more than 24 hours before start → refund time charge (excluding Deposit/Hold and add-ons unless stated).

4. Within 24 hours: cancellation fee = 33% of time charge (excluding Deposit/Hold and add-ons).

5. Within 12 hours / no-show: cancellation/no-show fee = 66% of time charge (excluding Deposit/Hold and add-ons).

6. After Rental Start (unlock): no refund for unused time (discretionary credits may be offered).

7. Charging/refunds: we may retain amounts paid, apply Deposit/Hold, and/or charge the balance. Refunds go to the original method and may take time depending on your bank/provider.

8. Reasonableness: fees reflect reasonable costs and losses from holding inventory, plus admin and processing.

9. Cross-border costs: where Cross-Border Approval is granted, cross-border fees and third-party costs we incur/commit are optional add-ons and non-refundable once incurred.

5C. If we cancel

1. We may cancel for operational, safety, security, insurance, maintenance or compliance reasons.

2. If we cancel before Rental Start: refund time charge and release Deposit/Hold (subject to provider timescales).

3. If we cancel after Rental Start due to vehicle fault not caused by you: refund unused time pro-rata or credit, unless law requires otherwise.

4. If we cancel/end because of your breach: no refund; you remain liable for fees/costs.

5. External costs: except as required by law, we are not responsible for external costs or losses (e.g., alternative transport, prepaid tickets, parking, tolls, congestion/LEZ, lost earnings, loss of profit).

6. Deposit / Payment Hold and payment authority

1. We may require a Deposit/Payment Hold to cover additional charges.

2. Deposit/Hold may be an authorisation hold or a charge; release times are controlled by your bank/provider.

3. You authorise us to charge your payment method for booking price, Deposit/Hold, and additional amounts owed under these Terms and Schedule A.

4. Post-rental charging authority: you authorise us to store your payment token and charge after Rental End (or cancellation/no-show) for amounts properly due, including where notices/invoices/assessments are received later.

5. Digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay): you authorise payments using wallet authentication; we receive a payment token; where supported we may use it for post-rental charges. If a wallet cannot be used for a later charge, you must provide an alternative method on request.

6. If additional amounts exceed the Deposit/Hold, you must pay the balance immediately; we may charge your method and/or suspend your account.

7. If payment fails, we may suspend your account, prevent bookings, and take recovery action.

7. Rental Start and Rental End

1. Rental Start: when you unlock via the App (or we start manually).

2. Rental End: only when Valid Return conditions are met.

3. If you do not properly end in the App, rental may continue and you may be charged.

4. Follow in-app return steps (station boundary, photos, end rental, lock confirmation).

8. Stations, parking and return compliance

1. Station-to-station: return to an approved Station or authorised return method shown in-app.

2. Non-compliant returns: you are responsible for recovery/relocation, fines/penalties, extra time until recovered, and fees in Schedule A.

3. Leave vehicle safely parked, windows closed, lights off, doors locked, keys in the required location (e.g., glovebox).

9. Your responsibilities

You must use the vehicle carefully and legally and must not: smoke/vape; carry hazardous/illegal items; race/test/off-road; hire & reward or delivery/courier work unless approved; drive intoxicated/unfit; tow unless permitted; breach in-app restrictions; tamper with telematics/IoT/safety systems; allow unauthorised drivers; or breach mileage/fuel policy.

Fuel: You must follow the fuel return rule in Schedule A. Where available, we may rely on vehicle/telematics data and check-in/out records to assess fuel level.

9A. Taking a Vehicle abroad (only with written approval)

1. Do not take a Vehicle outside the UK without prior written approval (Cross-Border Approval).

2. Approval may be subject to conditions and additional fees.

3. Carry documentation provided and comply with laws abroad.

4. Unapproved abroad use is a material breach; you are liable for all resulting losses including recovery and uninsured losses.

10. Vehicle condition, check-in/out, damage reporting and evidence

1. Before driving: complete check-out and required photos/video; report existing issues.

2. After driving: complete check-in and required photos/video; report new issues.

3. If you do not report at check-out, we may treat the vehicle as in the recorded condition.

4. We may rely on app submissions, telematics, logs and reports to assess condition and compliance.

11. Telematics and remote control

We may monitor vehicles and remotely lock/unlock, prevent start, restrict areas, or recover vehicles where reasonably necessary for safety, security, enforcement, repossession, compliance or fleet protection.

12. Technology dependency

The Service relies on your phone, the App, Bluetooth, location services and network coverage. You are responsible for ensuring these are available. We are not responsible for failures caused by your device, networks or app store issues.

13. Fines and admin fees

You are responsible for fines/penalties/tolls/congestion/ULEZ/clamping/impound costs incurred during your Rental Period. We may charge an administration fee for handling notices (Schedule A).

14. Accidents and breakdowns

Follow Schedule C and in-app steps.

15. Insurance and financial liability

See Schedule B.

16. Suspension/termination

We may suspend/terminate accounts or end rentals for breach, payment failure, unauthorised driving/account sharing, safety/security/insurance reasons.

17. Our liability

Nothing limits liability that cannot be limited by law. Except as required by law, we are not liable for losses caused by your breach/negligence/unlawful acts, loss of profit/opportunity, indirect losses, or issues caused by third-party networks/app stores/your device. Total liability (where limitable) is limited to the amount you paid for the relevant booking.