Rental & Leasing UK-wide

Which rental and leasing regulations apply to your business

Rental and leasing businesses — car hire, van and truck rental, plant and equipment hire, consumer-goods rental and leasing companies — share a workplace-safety foundation, then face sector-specific FCA consumer hire, motor insurance, work equipment safety and consumer protection duties that other businesses do not.

Guide summary

You must follow workplace health and safety rules that apply to all employers, then add the rules for your rental or leasing business. You may need FCA authorisation for consumer hire over 3 months, insurance for hired vehicles, safety duties for plant hire, and consumer protection for hiring goods to the public.

  • Start with health and safety, fire safety, employer liability insurance, equality and data protection
  • Get FCA authorisation if you offer consumer hire agreements over 3 months
  • Insure every vehicle you hire out
  • Meet PUWER and LOLER safety rules for hired plant or machinery
  • Follow consumer rights and unfair trading laws when hiring goods to the public
  • HSE enforces health and safety in Great Britain; HSENI in Northern Ireland
  • FCA regulates consumer hire across the whole UK
  • Fines for health and safety breaches can be unlimited
On this page

Related guides in Compliance & Legal

Running a rental or leasing business means meeting workplace health and safety duties that every employer shares, then layering on the sector-specific rules for your activity: FCA authorisation for regulated consumer hire, compulsory motor insurance and roadworthiness for vehicle hire, work equipment safety duties for plant and machinery hire, and consumer protection obligations when you hire goods to the public.

Health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) in Northern Ireland. The FCA regulates consumer hire UK-wide. Motor insurance is a Great Britain regime with an equivalent duty in Northern Ireland under the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. Consumer protection law applies UK-wide.

What you need to do

Identify the description that best fits your business, then follow the guides in order.

  1. 1

    Every rental or leasing business

    Start with the universal workplace duties. Follow "Set up and run a safe rental or leasing business" for your health and safety, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection obligations.

  2. 2

    You hire goods to consumers, rent out vehicles, hire out plant or machinery, or need to meet consumer protection duties

    You may need FCA authorisation for consumer hire agreements over 3 months, must insure every hired vehicle, owe PUWER and LOLER duties on hired plant, and must meet consumer rights and unfair trading rules. Follow "Meet your rental and leasing regulatory duties".

  3. 3

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Work through the rental and leasing compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are met.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for rental and leasing businesses.