Vehicle rental agreements.

Existing law governs contracts between vehicle rental companies and their customers. Existing law regulates an automobile renter's liability for loss due to theft, a rental company's loss of use, or damage or loss to a rental vehicle, a renter's credit card liability, the submission of insurance claims, damage waivers and damage waiver fees, and the notice to a renter regarding financial responsibility and optional damage waivers. This bill would, until January 1, 2015, require a rental company or its registered agent to accept service of a summons and complaint and any other required documents against a renter who resides out of this country for an accident or collision resulting from the operation of the rental vehicle in this state, if the rental company provides liability insurance coverage as part of, or associated with, the rental agreement. The bill would require that any plaintiff who elects to serve the foreign renter by delivering the summons and complaint and any other required documents to the rental company pursuant to these provisions agree to limit his or her recovery against the renter and rental company to the limits of the protection of the liability insurance.