What to bring to the rental counter, and why each item is there

Rental requirements tend to be published as a list of rules with no explanation, which makes them feel arbitrary and makes it harder to tell which ones you can work around. Ours is four items long. Here it is with the reasoning attached, so you can see which parts are flexible and which are not.

One: a valid driver's licence

Not negotiable, and not a formality. We need to see that you are currently licensed to drive, which means the physical licence, current and not expired.

If more than one person is going to drive the vehicle, every one of them needs to be on the paperwork and every one of them needs to show a licence. This is the rule people are most tempted to be casual about on a long trip where drivers swap. Do not be. An unlisted driver behind the wheel is a genuine problem for you and not only for us.

Two: every driver aged 21 or over

Twenty-one is our threshold for anybody driving the vehicle. A passenger can be any age. A driver is twenty-one or over.

This one is a hard line rather than a preference, so if the plan involves a nineteen year old taking a shift on the drive home, the plan needs to change before you book rather than after.

Three: at least minimum liability insurance

This is the item that generates the most questions, so it is worth spending a paragraph on properly.

We are asking you to carry at least minimum liability coverage. Many personal auto policies extend automatically to a rental vehicle, which is why most people already satisfy this without having to do anything. But whether your policy does is a question about your policy, and the only people who can answer it are your own insurer.

So call them. Ask directly whether your liability coverage extends to a rental vehicle and to what limits. It is a short call, they answer it all day, and the alternative is discovering the answer at the worst possible moment.

Four: a card or a cash deposit

A credit card works, a debit card works, and for local residents a cash deposit works. You do not need a major credit line to rent from us, which is deliberate and is the reason a lot of people call this counter in the first place.

The deposit amount varies with the vehicle, because a sedan and a fourteen seat van are not the same exposure. Ask for the figure when you call and we will tell you before you make the trip.

Bring the licence itself, not a photo of it

This catches people out often enough to be worth its own paragraph. We need the physical licence at the counter. A photograph of it on your phone, a scan in your email, or a photocopy is not the same thing and will not get you off the lot.

The same goes for anyone else who is going to drive. If a second driver is joining you at the counter, they need to be there in person with their own licence, not added to the paperwork over the phone afterwards.

And check the expiry date before you leave the house. A licence that expired last month is an expired licence, even if nothing about your driving changed the day it lapsed.

Things that are not on the list

It is worth naming the absences, because people assume them. You do not need a major credit card. You do not need to book days in advance, since same-day rental is normal here. You do not need to explain what you want the vehicle for.

What we would genuinely like, though it is not a requirement, is honesty about the trip. If you are towing nothing and driving to Baton Rouge, fine. If you are moving a house with it, tell us, because the right vehicle for that might not be the one you were about to book.

One phone call does most of this

The efficient version of this whole article is a single call before you drive over. We will confirm the vehicle is on the lot, confirm the deposit, and flag anything unusual about your situation.

Call (337) 234-3294, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We are at 1413 Jefferson Street, a few blocks off downtown Lafayette.