Ontario senior denied rental car because he surpassed the company’s age requirement

One Ontario man reached out to CTV News after he was denied renting a vehicle because he was more than 79-years-old. CTV's Pat Foran reports.

An Oakville man is warning others after he was recently told that he could not rent a vehicle because he was over 79 years old.

John Januszczak and his wife Carol Anne of Oakville, Ont., recently visited with family in British Columbia.

Before they departed from Toronto, the couple told CTV News they booked a rental car, however, when they arrived at the rental counter in Victoria, they said they were turned down.

“When John handed (over) his driver’s licence the woman at the counter said, ‘Oh dear, I’m sorry we can’t rent to you because you’re over 79 years old,’” said Carol Anne. “We had never heard of that before.”

Carol Anne was still 79 for another three months, so she was able to rent the vehicle, but John, who is 85, wasn’t allowed to get behind the wheel.

The couple said the situation could have been worse had Carol Anne not been within the company’s age range.

“If you had a trip arranged and you put deposits on hold and you put deposits on hotels, that could be quite costly,” John said.

The Januszczaks said the vehicle they rented was with National Car Rental, whose parent company is Enterprise Mobility.

When CTV News reached out to the company on the Januszczak’s behalf, a spokesperson said in a statement, “The National Car Rental branch in Victoria, BC, is operated by an independent licensee, which sets its own policies and procedures.”

“Their age requirements for rental are outlined on their website, under Key Facts & Policies, when you begin a reservation.”

Every car rental company is different. Some could deny you a rental if you’re over the age of 79, or over the age of 70 outside of Canada. You can also be denied a rental if you’re younger than 21 or 25 years old.

Certain companies also cite limited driving experience, bad credit rating, an invalid driver’s licence or improper forms of payment as reasons why a rental request could be denied.

It’s recommended to always check the fine print when making any reservations.

“If we were going on a big trip with a family or another couple, we could get there and find out that none of us could drive,” said Carol Anne.