Does Dollar Rent A Car provide site selection assistance to franchisees?
Dollar_Rent_A_Car Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You shall open Your Franchised Business to the public no later than the date(s) provided in Attachment A to your Franchise Agreement. If you fail to begin operating Your Franchised Business at one (1) or more locations within the time periods designated and at the sites specified in Attachment A to your Franchise Agreement, you will be deemed in default of the Franchise Agreement (Franchise Agreement, Section 19.4(c)). The Location Opening Date will be set forth in Attachment A of the Franchise Agreement and, depending upon the time that we anticipate you will need to acquire or lease a location and commence active operation, will be on or after the date on which the Franchise Agreement is entered into. We will review and approve your site selection within thirty (30) days from our receipt of your notice (Franchise Agreement, Section 12.3, 13.5). Our approval will be dependent on the site being adequate to meet our standards for proximity to facilities and businesses such as hotels, offices, airports and highways. In the event that we do not approve your site, you may submit additional sites for approval, so long as you are able to commence active operation of Your Franchised Business as provided in Attachment A to your Franchise Agreement. If we do not approve of a site such that you cannot open Your Franchised Business by the Location Opening Date, we have the right to terminate the Franchise Agreement. If the Franchise Agreement is terminated, all non-refundable fees that you have paid to us (such as the initial franchise fee) will be forfeited by you.
We estimate the typical length of time between the signing of the Franchise Agreement and the opening of Your Franchised Business is 10 to 90 days. Factors which may affect this time period include identifying a site, obtaining acceptable financing arrangements, remodeling, decorating, purchasing and installing equipment, fixtures and signs, hiring employees, and similar factors.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 61–69)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Dollar Rent A Car's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are responsible for site selection, but Dollar Rent A Car does provide some assistance. Specifically, Dollar Rent A Car will review and approve the franchisee's site selection within 30 days of receiving notice.
The FDD states that Dollar Rent A Car's approval depends on whether the site adequately meets their standards for proximity to facilities and businesses like hotels, offices, airports, and highways. If Dollar Rent A Car does not approve the site, the franchisee can submit additional sites for approval, as long as they can commence active operation of the franchise by the date specified in Attachment A of the Franchise Agreement.
However, if Dollar Rent A Car does not approve a site and the franchisee cannot open the business by the Location Opening Date, Dollar Rent A Car has the right to terminate the Franchise Agreement. In the event of termination, the franchisee will forfeit all non-refundable fees paid, such as the initial franchise fee. The FDD estimates that the typical time between signing the Franchise Agreement and opening the business is 10 to 90 days, depending on factors like site identification, financing, remodeling, and hiring employees.