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What Is Balloon Leasing?
Balloon Leasing is a way of acquiring the use of a vehicle without taking ownership
of it.
The leasing period is usually a number of months or years during which the vehicle
is still owned by the leasing company. Effectively the lessee (the person or company
to whom the vehicle is leased) is borrowing the vehicle from the supplier for a fixed
period in return for a lease payment.
What's In Ballon Lease Rentals?
During the lease period the lessee pays a rental to the leasing company which covers
the costs incurred by the leasing company to acquire the vehicle. In other words,
the lessee pays for:
Depreciation
VED
Interest Charges
Profit Margin
VAT
Maintenance (Optional)
At the end of the lease period the lessee normally returns the vehicle to the leasing
company (though some leases may have a "run-on" clause allowing the vehicle to continue
under lease for much lower lease rentals).
The leasing company disposes of the vehicle
and pays the lessee a proportion of the residual value obtained on the sale. This
repayment is referred to as a rebate of rentals and includes VAT.
Because the lessee pays only for depreciation during the period of the lease (the 'term'), as each monthly payment is made the lessee reduces the outstanding amount financed at a much slower rate than in 'fully amortised' leases.
Because less of the purchase price is repaid in each payment, assuming interest rates are the same in both fully amortised and balloon leases, the total interest charges in a balloon lease are more than those in a fully amortised lease (because more money is left unpaid during the term), so the overall costs of finance for a balloon lease are higher than those of a fully amortised lease.
However, repaying a lower amount of the purchase price each month means that the actual monthly payments are lower in balloon leases than for a fully amortised.
Advantages of Balloon Leasing
Because the leasing company recovers VAT on the price of the vehicle the rentals for
passenger cars will be lower than comparable finance instalments for hire purchase.
Because the vehicle is leased, the normal responsibilities of ownerhip, such as sourcing
the best deal and obtaining the best resale value, are avoided. The lessee may profit
from prudent management of the vehicle, such as achieving a better resale price than
expected and therefore a higher rebate of rentals.
Disadvantages of Balloon Leasing
The lessee is normally at risk for the residual value of the vehicle at the end of the lease, so if market values drop around the time the vehicle is sold then the lessee bears the cost.
If the lease agreement is terminated earlier than expected then the lessee may be
required to pay a penalty (usually a number of months rentals).
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