# Damage claims from rental companies: what their own terms say

https://rentalproof.eu/companies (en). Sascha Heyer, founder of RentalProof. Last checked: 2026-09-14.

> How Sixt, Europcar, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Enterprise, Goldcar and others handle damage after return, quoted from their current published terms.

Every damage claim rests on a contract, and the contract is the rental company's published terms. They decide what counts as a return, when the car is inspected, what the excess covers, which handling fees may be added and how you can object. Reading them is the fastest way to find where a claim does not match the company's own rules.

Each page below quotes the clauses that matter for a damage dispute from the company's current terms, country by country, links the original document and explains how to respond. RentalProof is independent and not affiliated with any of these companies. Looking for a company that is not listed? The [terms lookup](https://rentalproof.eu/tools/rental-terms) shows every terms document we hold, and the free check reads any contract you upload.

One honest limit: this only helps when the damage was not caused during your rental. If it was, the amount can still be checked. General information, not legal advice. RentalProof is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any rental company. Every statute and case on this page links to the source it was checked against.