Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 815 - BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
815 ILCS 655/ - Rental-Purchase Agreement Act.

(815 ILCS 655/0.01) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1800)
Sec. 0.01.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
Rental-Purchase Agreement Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
 
(815 ILCS 655/1) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1801)
Sec. 1.
Definitions.
In this Act:
(1) "Advertisement" means a commercial message in any medium that
directly or indirectly promotes or assists a rental-purchase agreement.
(2) "Cash price" means the price for which the merchant would have sold
the merchandise to the consumer for cash on the date of the rental-purchase agreement.
(3) "Consumer" means an individual who leases personal property under a
rental-purchase agreement.
(4) "Merchandise" means the personal property that is the subject of a
rental-purchase agreement.
(5) "Merchant" means a person who, in the ordinary course of business,
regularly leases, offers to lease or arranges for the leasing of
merchandise under a rental-purchase agreement, and includes a person who is
assigned an interest in a rental-purchase agreement.
(6) "Rental-purchase agreement" means an agreement for the use of
merchandise by a consumer for personal, family or household purposes for
an initial period of 4 months or less that is automatically renewable with
each payment after the initial period and that permits the consumer to
become the owner of the merchandise.

(Source: P.A. 85-957.)
 
(815 ILCS 655/2) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1802)
Sec. 2.
Form.
(a) A rental-purchase agreement must be written in
plain English and clearly and simply in any other language used by the
merchant in any oral or written advertisement related to the
rental-purchase agreement. Numerical amounts must be stated in figures.
(b) Disclosures required by this Act must be printed or typed in each
rental-purchase agreement in a size equal to at least 10 point bold-faced
type.
(c) A rental-purchase agreement may not contain a provision:
(d) Only one late charge or reinstatement fee may be collected on a
payment regardless of the period during which it remains in default.
(e) A rental-purchase agreement must provide that:
(f) Notice of the right to reinstate an agreement must be disclosed in
the agreement. This Act does not prevent a merchant from attempting
repossession of merchandise during the reinstatement period, in
accordance with the agreement, and the consumer's right to reinstate an
agreement does not expire because of such a repossession. If the
merchandise is returned to the merchant during the applicable reinstatement
period, other than through judicial process, the right to
reinstate the agreement shall be extended for a period of not less than 30
days if the consumer has paid less than 60% of the total amount to be paid to
acquire ownership of the merchandise and shall be extended for a period of not
less than 60 days if the consumer has paid 60% or more of the total amount to
be paid to acquire ownership of the merchandise. On reinstatement,
the merchant shall provide the consumer with the same merchandise or
substitute merchandise of comparable quality and condition. If substitute
merchandise is provided, the merchant shall also provide the consumer with the
disclosures required in subsection (g) of this Section.
(g) A rental-purchase agreement must disclose:
(Source: P.A. 87-256; 88-644, eff. 9-9-94.)
 
(815 ILCS 655/3) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1803)
Sec. 3.
Advertisement.
(a) An advertisement for a rental-purchase
agreement that refers to or states the amount of a payment or the right to
acquire ownership of any one particular item under the agreement must
clearly and conspicuously state:
(b) Every item of property displayed or offered for rental-purchase by a
merchant shall have attached to its front or displayed as prominently as if
attached to its front a tag disclosing the amount to be paid to acquire
ownership of the merchandise.

(Source: P.A. 88-644, eff. 9-9-94.)
 
(815 ILCS 655/4) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1804)
Sec. 4.
Enforcement.
(a) A consumer damaged by a violation of this
Act by a merchant is entitled to recover from the merchant:
(1) actual damages;
(2) 25% of an amount equal to the total amount of payments required to
obtain ownership of the merchandise involved, except that the amount
recovered under this item (2) may not be less than $250 nor more than
$1,000; and
(3) reasonable attorney's fees and court costs.
(b) A merchant is not liable under this Section for a violation of this
Act caused by the merchant's error if before the 31st day after the date
the merchant discovers the error, and before an action under this Section
is filed or written notice of the error is received by the merchant from
the consumer, the merchant gives the consumer written notice of the error
and makes adjustments in the consumer's account as necessary to assure that
the consumer will not be required to pay an amount in excess of the amount
disclosed and that the agreement otherwise complies with this Act.

(Source: P.A. 85-957.)
 
(815 ILCS 655/5) (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1805)
Sec. 5.
Penalty.
Any person intentionally violating this Act shall be
guilty of a petty offense and fined not more than $500.

(Source: P.A. 85-957.)

Structure Illinois Compiled Statutes