Rent to Own Agreement Terms

This Agreement

This agreement is between WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd, trading as WMA Motors (company number 12086881, registered at 70 Glebe Road, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 6JU; authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference 934177) — "we", "us" and "our" — and the person named on this agreement — "you" and "your".

We call this agreement your lease throughout. In law it is a consumer hire agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 — that is the heading you will see on the signed document. We own the vehicle throughout: you are leasing it from us for the term set out in this agreement.

A few terms used throughout:

• "The vehicle" — the vehicle identified on this agreement
• "Initial payment" — your first payment, due when this agreement is signed. It is payment 1 of the agreement, not a deposit
• "Monthly payment" — every payment after the initial payment, due monthly on your payment date
• "Payment date" — the day of the month, chosen with you when you sign, on which each monthly payment is due. Where a month is shorter than that day, the payment falls on the last day of that month instead
• "Minimum term" — the shortest period this agreement runs for, shown on this agreement and in your Key Facts
• "Key Facts" — the summary of the most important terms shown to you before you sign. It forms part of this agreement
• "Default notice" — the formal notice consumer credit law requires us to give you, with time to put things right, before this agreement can end for missed payments

Requirements to Lease

To take out this agreement you need:

• A full or provisional UK driving licence (international licences are not accepted)
• Proof of address dated within the last 3 months — bank statement, utility bill, phone bill, credit card statement, council tax bill or official government correspondence. A vehicle logbook (V5C) is not accepted.
• Fully comprehensive insurance meeting the requirements set out under "Insurance" below

This agreement is available to customers within 100 miles of our premises at NE22 6JU. We also lease to customers in the delivery areas we serve — currently West Lothian & the Central Belt — where we bring the car to you, at no extra charge.

Your Lease Term & Payments

Your lease runs for a fixed term, shown on the agreement as either 24 or 36 months.

Your first payment (the initial payment) is due when this agreement is signed. If your lease starts before your first payment date, a pro-rata amount for the days from the start of your lease up to that date is paid with your initial payment, at the daily rate shown on your Key Facts (your monthly payment × 12 ÷ 365). Your initial payment then covers the first full month from your payment date. Every following payment is a monthly payment, due on your payment date each month, starting one month after your first payment date.

The initial payment and the monthly payment are both shown on this agreement and on the payment schedule attached to it. Payments are collected in advance for the month ahead.

Ownership of the Vehicle

The vehicle belongs to WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd at all times during this agreement. WMA remains the owner and registered keeper of the vehicle throughout.

This is a lease only. Nothing in this agreement gives you any right, option or expectation to purchase the vehicle, and no payment you make under this agreement counts towards a purchase of the vehicle.

Minimum Term & Ending Early

This agreement has a minimum term, shown on the agreement (12 months unless stated otherwise). You cannot end this agreement before the minimum term without a charge.

If you end this agreement before the minimum term is complete, you must pay a charge of 50% of the remaining unpaid monthly payments to the end of the minimum term. Because payments are made in advance, the month you have already paid for is not counted. This reflects our reasonable costs of arranging the lease and is set out clearly here and in your Key Facts summary before you sign.

Once the minimum term is complete, you may end this agreement at any time by giving us 28 days' written notice. There is no charge for ending the agreement after the minimum term.

Whenever this agreement ends — during or after the minimum term — you remain responsible for any arrears, outstanding fees, PCNs or other charges, and excess mileage or damage, as set out elsewhere in these terms.

Mileage Allowance

Your mileage allowance is 1,300 miles for each month you have the vehicle. It builds up with time and part-months count pro-rata.

When the vehicle is returned, we record the mileage. If you have driven more than your allowance, you are charged £0.20 per excess mile, assessed at return.

Late & Missed Payments

Your monthly payment is due in advance, on your payment date each month. Payments are not accepted in arrears.

If a payment is missed, we notify you the next day that a £25 administration fee will apply if it is still unpaid; the fee is applied the day after that if payment has not been received (see "If You Fall Behind" below for the full process). This reflects our administrative cost of handling it: contacting you, updating your account, and arranging payment.

If you know you are going to struggle to make a payment, contact us before it is due. We would always rather agree an arrangement than take further steps.

If You Fall Behind

We understand things go wrong, and we would always rather agree an arrangement than end this agreement. If a payment is missed, this is the process we follow:

• The day after your payment was due: we notify you that a late fee will apply if payment is not received by the end of that day
• Two days after: the £25 fee is applied and we contact you
• Seven days after: we email and text you to agree a payment arrangement — as standard, paying part of the arrears now with the rest spread over the following months, though the actual arrangement is agreed with you by phone and can be shaped to your circumstances. We would rather help you catch up than take further action
• Fourteen days after: if arrears remain and no arrangement has been kept, we send you a formal default notice, as required by consumer credit law, giving you at least 14 days to put things right
• Twenty-eight days after: if the default notice has not been complied with, we may end this agreement and recover the vehicle. Any arrears and charges are invoiced to you and remain payable

This process — including the formal default notice and the time it gives you to remedy arrears — applies whenever we end this agreement because of missed payments. We will not end this agreement for a missed payment without following it.

Parking, Traffic Fines & Tolls

The vehicle is registered to WMA. If any parking tickets, bus lane fines, penalty charge notices (PCNs), Clean Air Zone or toll charges are issued while you have the vehicle, they are passed on to you. Where the scheme allows it, WMA will transfer liability for the notice to you.

Transferring liability is a manual process, so a £25 administration fee applies for each notice we process, payable within 7 days of us notifying you. Where liability cannot be transferred, we may pay the charge as registered keeper and recharge you the full amount plus the £25 administration fee.

If the vehicle is caught speeding, or by any other camera offence, the notice comes to WMA because the vehicle is registered to us. We are required by law to tell the police who was driving, and we will name you. The police then send the notice to you directly: the fine and any penalty points are yours. The same £25 administration fee applies for each notice we process. If you were not the driver, tell us immediately and in writing who was, with their full name and address, so we can name them instead.

These charges remain payable at any point this agreement ends, alongside any other arrears, outstanding fees, excess mileage or damage charges.

Tyne Tunnel

This vehicle is on WMA’s Tyne Tunnel (TT2) business account. TT2 cannot bill you directly: every crossing is charged automatically to us, and we recharge it to you. You must not transfer the vehicle to your own personal TT2 account.

To be clear about what you pay: each crossing is recharged at the standard published TT2 toll rate for the vehicle (the non-account rate; current rates are published at tt2.co.uk). Your crossings are itemised and are payable with your next monthly payment.

Insurance

You must have fully comprehensive insurance that covers this vehicle as a car leased or rented from a private lease company, where the registered owner and keeper is the lease company (WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd).

Standard insurance that only covers social, domestic, and commuting use is not sufficient. "Private hire" or "hire and reward" insurance is a different product entirely: that is taxi cover, and it is not what this agreement requires. If you are unsure, read the description above to your insurer before collecting the vehicle.

You must provide proof of valid insurance before collection, and keep it in force for the whole of the lease term.

Road Tax

You pay for the road tax (vehicle tax) on this vehicle for the whole of the lease term. You tax it yourself, directly with the DVLA: we give you the document reference number you need at handover, and you choose how to pay — 12 months, 6 months, or monthly by Direct Debit. You do not need to hold the logbook (V5C) to tax the vehicle, and a Direct Debit does not need to be in the registered keeper's name.

WMA remains the registered keeper of the vehicle and remains legally responsible to the DVLA for the vehicle being taxed. That legal responsibility stays with us and cannot be transferred by this agreement; what this agreement passes to you is the cost. Because the DVLA sends tax reminders to the registered keeper, we will tell you when the vehicle's tax is due.

The vehicle must be taxed at all times during your lease, and you must never drive it untaxed — an untaxed vehicle can be clamped or impounded. If the vehicle goes untaxed, we may tax it ourselves as registered keeper and recharge you the cost plus the £25 administration fee, payable within 7 days of us notifying you. Repeatedly leaving the vehicle untaxed is a serious breach of this agreement, and we may take steps to end it, following any notice process the law requires.

Road tax refunds are only ever issued by the DVLA to the registered keeper, not to whoever paid. If this agreement ends with full months of tax you have paid for remaining, we will refund those months to you. If you pay monthly by Direct Debit, cancel the Direct Debit with your bank when this agreement ends — the vehicle is our responsibility to tax from then on.

Warranty & Keeping the Vehicle Roadworthy

This vehicle carries a 90-day WMA warranty from handover, covering mechanical and electrical faults not caused by misuse, in line with your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

After the first 90 days, you are responsible for keeping the vehicle roadworthy: it must be kept road-legal, serviced in line with the manufacturer's guidelines, and repaired as and when required. You may use any garage of your choosing — there is no requirement to use WMA or any named garage.

Nothing in this section limits any right you have under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that cannot be excluded by agreement.

Breakdown Cover

We recommend you have breakdown cover in place for the whole of the lease term, but it is not a requirement of this agreement.

If the vehicle breaks down, arranging and paying for any recovery or repair is your responsibility, as set out under "Warranty & Keeping the Vehicle Roadworthy" above.

Vehicle Condition & Damage

Before you drive away, we photograph the vehicle from all four sides and record its condition in detail: tyre depths, fuel level, mileage, interior, and any existing bodywork marks. You will be shown this record and asked to confirm you agree with it.

When the vehicle is returned, we carry out the same inspection again. You are responsible for any damage that was not recorded at handover, beyond fair wear and tear for the length of the lease (see "Fair Wear and Tear" below).

We strongly recommend you take photographs of the vehicle when you collect it, for your records.

Fair Wear and Tear

A vehicle that is driven and used normally over the length of your lease will show some wear. This section sets out what we treat as ordinary wear and tear, which is never charged, and what counts as chargeable damage, assessed against the condition recorded at handover.

• Dents: acceptable if 15mm or less across, with no more than two per body panel, and the paint is unbroken. Any dent on the roof, or on a swage line (the pressed crease line running along the body side), is chargeable regardless of size.
• Scratches and scuffs: acceptable if 25mm or less, with no primer or bare metal showing.
• Alloy wheels: scuffs are acceptable up to 50mm in total per wheel. Any damage to a spoke or the wheel hub, or any dent to the rim, is chargeable regardless of size.
• Windscreen: a repaired chip outside the driver's line of sight is acceptable. Any crack, or any unrepaired chip, is chargeable.
• Interior: wear from normal use is acceptable. Burns, tears and stains are chargeable.
• Tyres: even wear above the legal minimum tread depth is acceptable.

Damage within these limits is not charged. Damage beyond them is chargeable, priced against the condition record for your vehicle.

Fuel

We record the vehicle's fuel level when you collect it. Please return the vehicle at the same fuel level — you are welcome to refuel it yourself before you bring it back.

If the vehicle is returned with less fuel than it was collected with, we charge for the shortfall per quarter tank short, based on your vehicle's own tank size and the current pump price per litre for its fuel type. The exact £-per-quarter figure for your vehicle is stated in your Key Facts summary.

Our current fuel prices are £1.75 per litre for petrol and £1.90 per litre for diesel. Our fuel prices are held in our rental policy and shown to you before your lease begins.

Who Can Drive This Vehicle

Only you are permitted to drive this vehicle, unless someone else is formally added as a named driver on this agreement.

To add a named driver, they must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Hold a full or provisional UK driving licence (international licences are not accepted)
• Be named on the same insurance policy that covers this vehicle

Prohibited Use

The vehicle must never be used:

• For hire and reward of any kind: taxi or private hire work, ride-hailing (e.g. Uber, Bolt), courier or delivery work (e.g. Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Amazon), or otherwise carrying passengers or goods for payment
• To be sub-leased, sub-hired, rented, or lent to anyone not named on this agreement
• For driving instruction for payment
• For racing, pace-making, speed trials, track days, or off-road driving
• Outside mainland Great Britain, unless we have agreed in writing
• To carry hazardous or illegal goods, or for any illegal purpose

Remember: the fully comprehensive private-lease insurance this agreement requires does not cover hire-and-reward use. Using this vehicle for taxi or delivery work means driving uninsured, which is a serious breach of this agreement, and we may take steps to end it, following any notice process the law requires.

Any prohibited use is a serious breach of this agreement, and we may take steps to end it and recover the vehicle, following any notice process the law requires.

If You Have an Accident

If the vehicle is involved in an accident, or is stolen or vandalised, you must:

• Tell us within 24 hours, whatever the circumstances
• Not admit fault or negotiate liability at the scene
• Get the other driver’s name, address, registration, and insurer where applicable, plus photos of the scene and any damage
• Get a police incident number where the police attend, or for theft or vandalism
• Pass any letters or correspondence about the incident to us unanswered, promptly
• Notify your insurer as your policy requires

Write-Off or Total Loss

If the vehicle is damaged beyond economical repair, or stolen and not recovered, this agreement ends on the date the insurer confirms the total loss. Monthly payments and any other sums due up to that date remain payable. If the loss resulted from a breach of this agreement, you remain liable for our losses not met by insurance.

If the Vehicle Is Impounded

If the vehicle is impounded because of how it was used while in your care, you are liable for all associated costs: release fees, storage charges, recovery fees, and any impound insurance required to secure release. Your monthly payments continue in full until the vehicle has been returned to us or the agreement is ended by us, whichever comes first.

Returning the Vehicle

When your lease term ends, or when you are ending this agreement early, you must contact us first to arrange a return appointment. You cannot simply drop the vehicle off without an appointment.

The return inspection is carried out with you present, so that we can go through any changes in condition together, and to record the final mileage for the mileage allowance set out above. We record on the inspection whether you were present.

If you choose not to be present for the return inspection, or the vehicle is returned outside our opening hours, you remain responsible for any damage found afterwards that is not recorded on the handover condition record. If we find any such damage, we will always notify you within 10 days of the return, and before any money is taken from you.

Personal Belongings

We are not responsible for loss of, or damage to, personal belongings left in the vehicle during the lease or after its return. We are not liable for indirect losses, such as missed work or appointments, arising from the vehicle being unavailable. Nothing in this agreement limits any liability we cannot limit by law.

Cancellation

Your lease is vehicle hire in law, starting on an agreed date, so the 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply; there is no statutory cooling-off period for vehicle hire.

By signing this agreement, you confirm that you have viewed the vehicle in person and accept its condition as recorded in the inspection.

Remote Execution and Delivery

Some leases are arranged remotely, with the vehicle delivered to you rather than collected from us in Bedlington. This section explains how that works.

Where a lease is arranged this way, this agreement is signed, countersigned, and takes effect before the vehicle sets off to you — never on your doorstep. Your payment, your documents and your insurance are all checked and confirmed before the vehicle travels.

On the day the vehicle is delivered, our staff bring it to you in person. We carry out the same condition check we would carry out in Bedlington, and you acknowledge a delivery record confirming the vehicle has arrived and its condition. Acknowledging the delivery record is not signing this agreement — this agreement is already in force by the time the vehicle reaches you.

Before the vehicle is dispatched to you, we confirm you have told us you hold the insurance this agreement requires (see "Insurance" above), in place and covering the vehicle from the moment it reaches you. Holding that cover in place remains your responsibility.

You still tax the vehicle yourself, directly with the DVLA, exactly as described in "Road Tax" above — the only difference is timing: you do this online, using the V5C document reference number we give you as soon as this agreement is signed, rather than waiting until collection. The vehicle will not be dispatched to you until it shows as taxed.

How We Use Your Information

WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd (Company Number 12086881) needs your personal information to set up and manage this hire agreement. The documents you have provided (driving licence, insurance, proof of address) are stored securely.

We keep your information for 6 months after the agreement ends. After that, your personal details are removed; we only keep anonymous records for internal reporting.

Full details are in our privacy policy at wmamotors.co.uk/privacy.

Signing This Agreement

This agreement may be signed electronically. It takes effect when signed by you (the hirer) and countersigned by or on behalf of WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd. Where you sign electronically via a link we provide, WMA’s countersignature may be applied electronically and automatically upon your signature. WMA’s supply or continued supply of the vehicle further evidences its acceptance.

Governing Law & Complaints

This agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and its courts have jurisdiction over any dispute. If you are unhappy with anything, contact us first (WMA Vehicle Hire & Sales Ltd, Glebe Road, Bedlington) and we will respond within 14 days.