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End of Lease Damage Check
Find out exactly what damage your finance company would charge you for — free until 30th September. Only 22 days left.
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End of Lease Damage Check
Vehicle going back to the finance company? Snap the damage, we’ll check it against their fair wear-and-tear guidelines — before you get charged.
“£2,016 for a car I thought was fine.”How to avoid end-of-lease damage charges — check it before they do.
These aren’t marketing testimonials. They’re real UK drivers who disputed end-of-contract damage charges and took their leasing company to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which publishes every decision. Most of them lost — because by the time the invoice lands, the inspection has already happened. That’s the gap Snapfixly.co.uk closes: photograph the damage first, find out what would actually be chargeable, and fix or challenge it before hand-back.
£2,016
“The inspector found a number of areas where the damage to the car was outside of what was acceptable, and Mr P was told he would need to pay damage charges of £2,016.48.”
Mr P v Novuna Vehicle Solutions — decision DRN-4518716, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
£918
“Arval subsequently sent Miss C an invoice for £918 to cover damage they said was present on the vehicle that was beyond wear and tear. Miss C thought the charges were unreasonable.”
Miss C v Arval UK — decision DRN-5896019, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
£501
“Mr G says the assessor who attended warned him to challenge any damage charges raised by RCI as they were “always excessive.” Mr G then received an invoice for damages amounting to £501.”
Mr G v Nissan Financial Services — decision DRN-4305985, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
£288 for one screen
“The inspection found the following damage; rippled paint finish on front bumper £130 … scratched rear windscreen £288.19 … scuffed tailgate moulding £45.”
Mr M v Santander Consumer (UK) — decision DRN-3983207, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Charged for a carpet
“He specifically disputed the charge in relation to damage to the carpet in the drivers footwell, which he said he considered to be fair wear and tear given the age and mileage of the vehicle.”
Mr H v Lex Autolease — decision DRN-5995588, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
“No damage” — still charged
“Mrs M told us that she returned the car with no damage. Mrs M thought damage to a bumper may have been caused whilst the vehicle was with the retailer for a repair.”
Mrs M v Volvo Car UK — decision DRN-4885472, published by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
So how do you avoid end-of-lease damage charges?
Check the car against fair wear-and-tear guidelines before the collection agent turns up, get the borderline items repaired independently (almost always cheaper than a funder’s damage matrix), and photograph everything on hand-back day. Snapfixly’s End of Lease Damage Check does the first part in minutes from your own photos.
Check my car before it goes back →Free guides: what’s chargeable and what isn’t
Quotations are short extracts reproduced for the purpose of comment and review, credited to their author, the Financial Ombudsman Service, with a link to the full published decision. Complainants are anonymised by the Ombudsman. Snapfixly is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for the Financial Ombudsman Service, the BVRLA or any leasing company. Case outcomes vary and nothing here is legal or financial advice.
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