DLR calls for constructive dialogue

As France plans to begin easing Covid-19-related restrictions from 11 May, French rental association DLR has called for constructive dialogue between rental companies and their customers to prevent bad practices that are detrimental to rental businesses.

DLR says rental companies are seeing similar behaviour from customers to that seen during the economic crisis of 2008/9. Companies are making false claims of bad weather and are not declaring the resumed use of rented equipment.

The association expressed fear that these bad practices could become more prevalent over the coming weeks and months.

And while telematics may help to overcome this problem in part, by geolocating machines and tracking their use, a lot of equipment is not fitted with telematics systems.

Rental activity has dropped by 80% in France during the lockdown, according to DLR, and in their efforts to adapt to the demands of customers some have had to suspend medium- and long-term rental contracts.

DLR says billing for those medium- and long-term contracts should resume in May, since it is a matter of survival for some rental companies.