Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 218 - Finance companies, auto dealers, adjustment companies and collection agencies.
218.0144 - Prelease agreements.

218.0144 Prelease agreements.
(1) Every prelease agreement shall be in writing, which shall contain all of the agreements of the parties with respect to entering into a consumer lease and shall be signed by both parties.
(2) No prelease agreement shall be binding on a prospective lessee unless all of the following apply:
(a) All of the information required to be disclosed in a consumer lease under s. 429.203 (3) and (4) is disclosed in writing to the prospective lessee before the execution of the prelease agreement by the prospective lessee.
(b) The prelease agreement contains, directly above the place for the prospective lessee's signature, a notice in substantially the following language in bold-faced capital letters of not less than 10-point type:
NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE LESSEE
1. THIS IS A BINDING PRELEASE AGREEMENT. BY SIGNING THIS PRELEASE AGREEMENT, YOU WILL BECOME OBLIGATED TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PROSPECTIVE LESSOR TO LEASE THE MOTOR VEHICLE DESCRIBED IN THIS PRELEASE AGREEMENT WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE AND READY TO BE DELIVERED TO YOU, UPON LEASE TERMS DISCLOSED IN THIS PRELEASE AGREEMENT OR IN THE ATTACHED DISCLOSURE STATEMENT, IF ANY.
2. DO NOT SIGN THIS PRELEASE AGREEMENT BEFORE YOU READ IT, INCLUDING THE WRITING ON THE REVERSE SIDE.
3. DO NOT SIGN THIS IF IT CONTAINS ANY BLANK SPACES.
4. YOU ARE ENTITLED TO AN EXACT COPY OF ANY AGREEMENT YOU SIGN.
(3) An exact copy of the prelease agreement shall be furnished by the prospective lessor to the prospective lessee at the time that the prospective lessee signs the prelease agreement. The prospective lessee's copy of the prelease agreement shall contain the signature of the prospective lessor identical with the signature on the original prelease agreement. No prelease agreement shall be signed in blank except that a detailed description of the motor vehicle, including the serial or identification number, that is not available at the time of execution of the prelease agreement may be omitted.
(4) A prospective lessor may cancel a prelease agreement that, with regard to the lease terms disclosed in the prelease agreement, is contingent upon approval of the prospective lessee's credit by a sales finance company to whom the prospective lessor intends to assign the consumer lease, if the prelease agreement contains a provision requiring the prospective lessor to give the prospective lessee written notice of the cancellation within 10 business days of execution of the prelease agreement and the notice is given to the prospective lessee.
(5) No prelease agreement may contain a clause which, upon nonacceptance of the motor vehicle by the prospective lessee, would subject the prospective lessee to a penalty greater than 5 percent of the gross capitalized cost of the vehicle.
History: 1999 a. 31 s. 269.

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