[Vocabulary] rent vs rent out vs lease

[BallsOfSteel]

Hello, guys. Can you help me out with this?

I know that "to rent" means both to provide something for rent and to take something for rent. It puzzles me a bit when I have no context.

Example: I rented a car at $100.

What does it mean? Did I earn 100 bucks by giving that car to someone or spend them because I needed a car? What is the correct way to say (with no context) that I provided that car for rent? Shall I use "rent out" and is it acceptable in official documents? And which one is for taking that car?

P.S. "lease" also means something similar but can we use it in cases like "lease a car" or "lease an appartment"? Or is it for business purposes only?

Thank you in advance.

 

[SoothingDave]

I rented a car for $100.

People do not normally rent out their own private vehicles to other people, so I would not understand that to mean that someone accepted money for someone else to use their private car. If it were the case, I would expect something like "I rented my car out for $100."

A car lease is for a long term and contains other sorts of provisions. Cars can be leased for business purposes or a private individual can "lease" a car rather than buying one.

You would rent a car for a week while you are on vacation, or in another city for business.

You would lease a car for 2 or 3 years to have steady payments, minimal maintenance costs and to always have a newer vehicle.

Apartments (flats) are technically leased, but most people speak about "renting" an apartment.

 

[emsr2d2]

Until last year, there was a company in the UK which ran a website through which private individuals could rent their own cars to other private individuals in their neighbourhood. It shut down, unfortunately, but it was very popular with the people who used it.

James rents his car out via RentMyCar.com.
My father rents a car once a month from RentMyCar.com

As you can see, I would use "rent out" in the first to refer to the renter and "rent" in the second to refer to the rentee.

In the UK, if you "lease" a car, it's a more long-term arrangement. Usually, you get a new car and pay a monthly fee to keep it. At the end of the lease period, you have to return the car.

 

[SoothingDave]

You would need special insurance for such commercial use of your private vehicle. I imagine that was part of the problem.

 

[emsr2d2]

Seemingly, the infrastructure was sound - they sorted out the insurance. Sadly, it closed down due to lack of public interest. Hardly surprising - I don't think they spent anything on advertising. I only heard about them from a friend who used them.

 

[SoothingDave]

Uber says they have insurance to cover their drivers as well. There hasn't been a good test case yet that I am aware of. I suppose one day there will be.

 

[BallsOfSteel]

I would use "rent out" in the first to refer to the renter and "rent" in the second to refer to the rentee.

Yes, that was the point and thank you for your replies. And "car" is not important here. It could be anything. I just needed to clean the mess with the verbs for renter and rentee.

By the way here comes another issue. As I see the preposition here is "for". Still some dictionaries provide alternative of "at". Is it a regional variant, obsolete or just a mistake?