ABA Family Legal Guide

Consumer Credit

Credit Cards

Protections for Consumers Who Lease Products

What is the Consumer Leasing Act?

The federal Consumer Leasing Act, which is part of the Truth in Lending Act, applies to any lease of consumer goods for more than four months in which the total contractual obligation does not exceed $25,000. (It does not apply to leases of real estate.) This law requires the lessor (the owner of the auto you lease, for example) to disclose information before you sign the lease. Among the most important items are

• the capitalized cost—that is, the cost of the goods being leased (the capitalized cost is negotiable to the same extent that the price of goods is negotiable if you were buying them instead of leasing them);
• the total amount of any initial payment you are required to pay;
• the number and amounts of monthly payments;
• the total amount for fees, such as license fees and taxes;
• any penalty for default or late payments;
• the annual mileage allowance and the extra charges involved if you exceed that allowance;
• whether you can end the lease early, and the method of computing the charge if you do so;
• whether you can purchase the auto at the end of the lease and for what price;
• any liability that you may have for the difference between the estimated value of the auto and its market value at the time you end the lease; and
• any extra payment that you must make at the end of the lease.

You can report apparent violations of the Consumer Leasing Act to the same agencies that enforce TILA.