Car rental agreements in Singapore: what to include, from deposit to Malaysia trips

For foreign hirers, the Singapore Police Force says a foreigner living in Singapore for less than 12 months can drive on a valid foreign licence with an International Driving Permit, or an official English translation if no permit is available. Licence holders from ASEAN countries don't need an IDP. Foreigners living here for more than 12 months must convert to a Singapore licence.

Write down the plate, model, mileage and fuel level, and photograph all four sides, the wheels and any marks with the hirer watching. List what's in the car, such as a child seat or charging cable. Do the same at return. Two sets of dated photos settle most damage arguments in a minute.

The hirer should pay every traffic and parking fine, ERP charge and toll during the rental, plus a stated admin fee per fine. For traffic offences, the Singapore Police Force first asks the vehicle's owner to furnish the driver's particulars, and only then issues the Notice of Traffic Offence to the driver. LTA has its own form for naming the driver for LTA offences. Either way, you'll be matching an offence's time to a rental weeks later, so keep the hirer's details and exact pick-up and return times.

State the insurance excess the hirer pays for any accident or damage, as an amount, and that they also pay any loss the insurance doesn't cover. Tell hirers what to do after an accident: stop, take photos, exchange details and call you at once, and get your approval before any repair.

Under the General Insurance Association's Motor Claims Framework, every accident must be reported to the insurer within 24 hours or by the next working day, however minor. Some also need a Traffic Police report, for example when someone is injured or a pedestrian, cyclist or foreign vehicle is involved; check GIA's list. The agreement should oblige the hirer to help you meet both deadlines.

Decide whether cars may go to Malaysia at all. If so, require approval before each trip and a daily surcharge, and check with your insurer that the policy covers Malaysia. Two border rules apply:

Renting to drivers who do private hire work has its own rules. LTA's FAQ says the car must pass a conversion inspection at an LTA-Authorised Inspection Centre, be converted to a private hire car on OneMotoring (S$100 administrative fee), have private hire decals on the front and back windscreens within three calendar days, and carry adequate motor insurance; private hire cars are inspected every year. The driver needs a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) or a TDVL, valid for the whole rental.

Add terms for this use: the driver keeps both licences valid, follows LTA's rules and the platforms' terms, works on their own account, pays all fines, reports any accident or complaint at once, and doesn't sublet or let anyone else drive. Rent is usually weekly, so say which day it's due.

Singapore's Electronic Transactions Act says a contract isn't invalid only because it was made electronically, so a hirer can sign on their own phone. Make it count: show the full terms first, have them tick and type their name, record the date and time, and send them a copy.

Car and van rental needs Business. On the Rentals page you tick the terms that apply, each with an optional amount: no smoking (with a cleaning fee), no pets, same fuel at return, late returns charged, only the hirer drives, Malaysia trips with approval at a daily fee (or, unticked, 'must not be driven outside Singapore'), hirer pays the excess, hirer pays fines, ERP and tolls with an admin fee each, return it clean, report breakdowns, deposit returned within set days, and late cancellations charged. Your own words follow, and the terms show in the hirer's language.

When you book, the app checks the car is free and makes the job for the rent, by the day (with an optional half-day price), week or month. Send the agreement link by email from your own connected mailbox (or your email app if none is connected), tap WhatsApp to open a chat with the hirer on your phone with the message and link written, or show its QR code. The hirer fills in their licence number, expiry and address (and PDVL for a private hire rental), ticks the agreement and your privacy notice, signs with a finger and taps I agree. The time, signature and notice version print on the agreement. Paper signing stays an option.

The car can't be handed over until it's signed, and the app stops a rental when the licence has expired, road tax or insurance ends before the return date, or a private hire car isn't registered for it or the PDVL runs out first. At pick-up you record mileage, fuel, up to 12 photos and the deposit. At return, late days after a two-hour grace period, km over the allowance and missing fuel are added, and the deposit is refunded or part kept. Breakdown days come off the rent, and a car can be swapped mid-rental.