# How do I dispute a Hertz damage claim? https://rentalproof.eu/companies/hertz (en). Sascha Heyer, founder of RentalProof. Last checked: 2026-09-14. Terms read: 14 September 2026. > Hertz's own terms promise a damage report by email, seven days' notice before a card charge and proof such as a repair invoice. Check each one. ## Short answer Dispute a Hertz damage claim in writing, without paying or admitting anything, and hold Hertz to its own terms. Its German, Spanish, Italian and French terms promise a Damage Appraisal Report by email, seven days' notice before hidden damage is charged, and evidence including a workshop assessment or repair invoice, a signed condition report and on-site photos. ## Before the due date 1. Dispute both the damage and the amount in writing to Hertz customer service within 14 days of the end of the rental, quoting the rental agreement number, without paying or admitting anything. 2. Ask Hertz for the signed vehicle condition report, the Damage Appraisal Report, the original photos with metadata, the repair invoice rather than only a matrix figure, and the time of the first inspection. 3. Check whether Hertz kept to its own terms, which promise the Damage Appraisal Report by email and at least seven days' notice before hidden damage is charged to your card. ## How Hertz handles damage found after return Hertz inspects the car at return, records new damage in a Damage Appraisal Report (DAR) and emails you a copy. That is what its German terms say, and the Spanish, Italian and French documents use the same structure: "Wir werden das Fahrzeug auch bei Abgabe inspizieren und etwaige neue Schäden und fehlendes Zubehör in einem Damage Appraisal Report (DAR) aufzeichnen, von dem wir Ihnen eine Kopie per E-Mail zukommen lassen." (Hertz will inspect the car at drop-off, record new damage and missing accessories in a DAR and send you a copy by email.) [Hertz Germany terms](https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_DE_DE.pdf) If you do not wait for the joint inspection, the German terms say new damage is assessed in your absence. They suggest planning 20 to 30 minutes at busy times. For damage not spotted at return, the terms name inaccessible parts such as the engine, and scratches on a car that is dirty or returned in rain or darkness. Hertz says it emails you the evidence and charges this damage only seven days after the notice. The amount is then worked out in one of two ways: - **Damage matrix.** A price table for common minor damage, based on local workshop costs for parts and labour plus loss of use. Hertz says independent auditors update it at least four times a year and that it charges by the matrix whenever possible. - **Appraiser.** For anything outside the matrix, Hertz's damage appraiser assesses the damage. The target is 20 days, or up to 90 days if third parties or the police are involved. You then get a separate invoice for the damage and any damage handling fee. Austria is different. The document on file comes from Rienhoff GmbH, a Hertz International franchisee, and is headed as valid from 1 January 2018. It describes a joint check at pickup and return: "Hertz stellt dazu ein Mängelprotokoll zum Erfassen aller von beiden Parteien anerkannter Mängel bereit." (Hertz provides a defect report recording all defects acknowledged by both parties.) [Hertz Austria terms](https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_AT_DE.pdf) ## What Hertz's terms say, country by country **Germany.** Returning out of hours needs Hertz's prior permission, and the risk stays with you: "Wenn Sie das Fahrzeug außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten zurückgeben, tragen Sie die volle Verantwortung für das Fahrzeug, bis wir es gefunden haben." (If you return out of hours, you are fully responsible for the vehicle until Hertz has found it.) Your liability can include repair costs, lost rental income, loss in value of the vehicle and a fixed damage handling fee (Entschädigungspauschale). The fee table says it does not apply with SuperCover in most countries. The protection products become void, to the extent the law allows, if you breach the agreement or cause the damage intentionally or through gross negligence. For business and foreign renters the terms name the courts in Frankfurt am Main as the exclusive venue. They also say you can take the matter to a competent court under the law of the country where you signed. **Austria.** After an out-of-hours return you stay responsible for loss, theft or damage "bis zur Öffnung der Vermietstation" (until the station opens). Your liability "erstreckt sich unter anderem auf Reparaturkosten, Wertverlust des Mietwagens, entgangene Mieteinnahmen, Abschlepp- und Standgebühren sowie eine Verwaltungsgebühr" (extends to repair costs, loss in value, lost rental income, towing and storage fees and an administration fee). No amount is given for that fee. Austrian law and Austrian courts apply. **Spain.** After an out-of-hours return you stay responsible for the car, "incluido cualquier daño, hasta que podamos localizarlo durante el horario de oficina" (including any damage, until Hertz can locate it during office hours). [Hertz Spain terms](https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_ES_ES.pdf) **Italy.** The rule is the same: you are responsible "fino a quando non siamo in grado di individuarlo durante gli orari di apertura" (until Hertz can locate the car during opening hours). The dispute window is "entro 14 giorni dal termine del periodo di noleggio" (within 14 days of the end of the rental). [Hertz Italy terms](https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_IT_IT.pdf) **France.** The terms add an outside mediator: if Hertz does not resolve the matter, "vous pouvez vous adresser au médiateur de Mobilians" (you can contact the Mobilians mediator). [Hertz France terms](https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_FR_FR.pdf) For the other countries, the table below lists every Hertz document on file. For Switzerland we have no Hertz terms document, so work from your rental agreement. For the legal position, see the country guides. In [Germany](https://rentalproof.eu/damage-claims/germany) and [Austria](https://rentalproof.eu/damage-claims/austria) the rental company has to prove the damage happened during your rental. See also [Spain](https://rentalproof.eu/damage-claims/spain), [Italy](https://rentalproof.eu/damage-claims/italy) and [France](https://rentalproof.eu/damage-claims/france). ## Where Hertz damage claims are often weak These checks only help if you did not cause the damage. If you did, the amount can still be checked: matrix price or actual repair, the fees, VAT and loss of use. **1. The custody gap.** After a key-box return, Hertz's terms leave the car at your risk until it is found. That is a rule about risk, not proof of when the damage happened. Check whether the DAR says when and where the car was first inspected, and whether the damage was logged hours or days after drop-off. **2. Photos without metadata.** Hertz's own evidence list includes "Fotos des Schadens vor Ort und des Kilometerzählers" (photos of the damage on site and of the odometer). Check whether you received the original image files with date, time and location. Check whether the odometer photo matches your return mileage. **3. An estimate instead of an invoice.** The terms promise "eine Schadensbewertung durch eine Werkstatt und/oder die Rechnung für die Reparaturen" (a workshop assessment and/or the repair invoice). A matrix price is a table value, not a repair bill. Check which one you were charged and ask whether the car was actually repaired. The matrix already includes loss of use, so check whether loss of use or lost rental income appears again as a separate item. **4. Fees above their own price list.** The damage handling fee is described as a fixed fee, and in most countries it does not apply with SuperCover. The German terms add that Collision Damage Waiver, Theft Protection and Glass & Tyres do not reduce it. Check which product you had, and whether the amount matches a price list you were given. The German terms also set size thresholds: "Falls im Folgenden ein Maß angegeben ist, werden Schäden unter diesem Maß nicht in Rechnung gestellt." (Where a size is given, damage below it is not charged.) For example, dents must be over 10 mm in diameter, and scratches over 10 mm unless the metal or plastic underneath shows. **5. Their own terms against them.** Check whether you got the DAR by email, and at least seven days' notice before the card charge. Check whether the evidence includes a signed vehicle condition report. In Austria, ask for the defect report and whether you acknowledged the defect in it. ## How to respond to a Hertz damage claim 1. **Do not pay and do not admit anything.** Do not sign a damage acknowledgement at the counter or by email. 2. **Dispute in writing.** Send it to Hertz customer service within the 14 days after the rental ends that the terms ask for. Quote the rental agreement number and state that you dispute the damage and the amount. 3. **Request the evidence a solid claim would have.** Ask for the signed return protocol or vehicle condition report, the DAR, the original photos with metadata, the repair invoice (not only a matrix figure or estimate), any appraisal report, and the time and place of the first inspection. For a key-box return, ask for the vehicle's movement log after drop-off. 4. **Check the card debit.** Compare the amount with the pre-authorisation, the notice date and the invoice. If a charge went through before you had the evidence, tell your card issuer in writing and keep the correspondence. 5. **Escalate if needed.** In France the terms name the Mobilians mediator. The German terms mention an independent adjudicator whose decision binds Hertz. ## What to do next Gather your pickup and return photos, the rental agreement and every dated Hertz email. Then run the [free Claim Check](https://app.rentalproof.eu/claim/new): upload the claim and get a weakness report, a deadline check and your next three steps. The Hertz terms for your country are in the [rental terms lookup](https://rentalproof.eu/tools/rental-terms). RentalProof is independent and not affiliated with Hertz. Other rental companies are on the [companies overview](https://rentalproof.eu/companies). ## Questions ### Can Hertz charge my card for damage after I returned the car? Hertz's terms allow it. The German terms say that if damage costs exceed the pre-authorised amount, Hertz charges the card without further authorisation. The same terms promise notice by email at least seven days before the card is charged, so check whether that notice arrived and what evidence came with it. ### How long do I have to dispute a Hertz damage charge? The German, Spanish, Italian and French terms ask you to contact Hertz customer service within 14 days of the end of the rental, with your rental agreement or reservation number and supporting evidence. Write as early as you can. If the damage email reaches you later, object in writing anyway and keep proof of when it arrived. ### What is Hertz's damage handling fee? The German terms describe a fixed fee to recover Hertz's costs of handling damage to the vehicle, and say it does not apply with SuperCover in most countries, while Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection do not reduce it. The German and Austrian documents on file do not state a euro amount in the general text, so ask Hertz which price list the fee comes from. ### What evidence does Hertz have to send me for a damage claim? Hertz's own terms list it: the rental agreement number, date and return location, a damage assessment by a workshop and/or the repair invoice, and a signed vehicle condition report, any accident report, photos of the damage on site and of the odometer. If parts of that list are missing, ask for them in writing. ### I returned my Hertz car out of hours. Am I liable for damage found the next day? Hertz's terms put the vehicle at your risk until Hertz finds it (Germany) or until the station opens (Austria). That does not show the damage happened during your rental. Ask for the time of the first inspection and the original photo files, and compare them with your own return photos. ## Sources - Hertz Germany, rental terms (Mietbedingungen, PDF): https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_DE_DE.pdf - Hertz Austria, general rental terms valid from 1 January 2018 (PDF): https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_AT_DE.pdf - Hertz Spain, rental terms (Condiciones de alquiler, PDF): https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_ES_ES.pdf - Hertz Italy, rental terms (Condizioni di noleggio, PDF): https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_IT_IT.pdf - Hertz France, rental terms (Conditions de location, PDF): https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/RT_FULL_FR_FR.pdf 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.