Hire questions, answered

Photo ID (driving licence or passport) plus a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last three months showing your current address. Trade accounts only need this once.

Yes — a refundable deposit is held against most items and shown on every product page. Typically £50 to £100 on hand and power tools, £100 to £250 on garden machinery and breakers, and £250 to £500 on excavators, dumpers and powered access. It comes back to you within three working days of the kit being checked in clean, fuelled and undamaged. Approved trade accounts hire deposit-free.

Collect on Saturday and return by 09:00 Monday and you are charged the weekend rate rather than three days.

We deliver on our own transport from Kirby Cross. As a guide: £15 each way up to 5 miles (Frinton, Walton, Thorpe), £25 each way 5–10 miles (Clacton, Weeley, Great Bentley), £40 each way 10–20 miles (Colchester, Harwich, Manningtree) and quoted beyond that. Excavators and towers that need the plant trailer may be a little more. Site access has to suit a trailer or tail-lift and someone over 18 needs to be there to take handover.

Machines leave the yard with a full tank and should come back full. If we have to refuel it is pump price plus a £10 handling fee. Two-stroke kit goes out with the correct pre-mix — never run it on straight petrol. Blades, discs, bits and chains are charged for wear.

You carry the cost of repair plus the hire time the machine is off the fleet, or full replacement cost if it is written off or stolen. Our optional damage waiver — 10% of the hire charge, £5 minimum — caps accidental damage at a £250 contribution per incident. It is not insurance and does not cover theft, misuse, wrong fuel, running dry or lost keys.

Not for small tools on a domestic job — the deposit and damage waiver cover that. Trade and contractor customers should carry hired-in plant insurance on a new-for-old replacement basis plus public liability. We will give you values and serial numbers for your insurer. Our insurance does not cover equipment while it is with you.

Call us straight away and stop using it. If the fault is mechanical we swap or repair it and credit the lost time. Damage caused by misuse, wrong fuel or carrying on after a fault is chargeable, including recovery.

Yes — call the yard or request an extension from your account dashboard before the return date. Extensions depend on whether the item is booked out after you.

Some plant requires competence or certification, such as IPAF for powered access. We will tell you before you book and we always brief you on safe use at handover.