Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or
property owned by another. A
gross lease is when the
tenant
Tenant may refer to:
Real estate
*Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate
*Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law
*Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate
*Tenant farmer
*Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...
pays a flat rental amount and the
landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership. An example of renting is
equipment rental
Equipment rental, also called plant hire in some countries (in the UK for instance), is a service industry providing machinery, equipment and tools of all kinds and sizes (from earthmoving to Aerial work platform, powered access, from power gener ...
. Renting can be an example of the
sharing economy
In capitalism, the sharing economy is a socio-economic system built around the sharing of resources. It often involves a way of purchasing goods and services that differs from the traditional business model of companies hiring employees to produce ...
.
History
Various types of rent are referenced in
Roman law: rent (''canon'') under the long leasehold tenure of
Emphyteusis; rent (''reditus'') of a farm; ground-rent (''solarium''); rent of state lands (''vectigal''); and the annual rent (''prensio'') payable for the ''jus superficiarum'' or right to the perpetual enjoyment of anything built on the surface of land.
Reasons for renting
There are many possible reasons for renting instead of buying, for example:
*In many jurisdictions (including
India,
Spain,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
United Kingdom and the
United States) rent paid in a
trade or business is
tax-deductible, whereas rent on a
dwelling
In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...
is not tax-deductible in most jurisdictions.
*Financial inadequacy, such as renting a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
when one is unable to purchase, i.e "renting by necessity".
*Reducing financial risk due to
depreciation and
transaction costs
In economics and related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost in making any economic trade when participating in a market. Oliver E. Williamson defines transaction costs as the costs of running an economic system of companies, and unlike produ ...
, especially for real estate which might be needed only for a short amount of time.
*When something is needed only temporarily, as in the case of a special
tool, a
truck or a
skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidin ...
.
*When something is needed that may or may not be already owned but is not in proximity for use, such as renting an automobile or bicycle when away on a trip.
*Needing a cheaper alternative to buying, such as renting a movie: a person is unwilling to pay the full price for a movie, so they rent it for a lesser price but give up the chance to view it again later.
*The tenant may want to leave the burden of
upkeep of the property (mowing the lawn, shovelling snow, etc.) to the owner or his agents.
*There is no need to worry about
lifespan and
maintenance.
*Renting keeps
off-balance-sheet the debt that would burden the
balance sheet of a company in case the property would have been bought.
*Renting is good for the environment if products are used more efficiently by maximizing utility rather than being disposed of, overproduced and underutilized.
*Risks aside, renting has the potential to generate a regular stream of revenue for the owner. The more the churn (the number of times the item is rented out) the higher the income. Eventually, the rental income crosses the product procurement value and every churn post that becomes a profit for the owner
*Renting often also becomes an alternate revenue pool for idle inventory vs. overly depending on a stagnant / slowing retailing business environment
Growth of rental industry
Short-term rental of all sorts of products (excluding real estate and holiday apartments) already represents an estimated €108 billion ($160 billion) annual market in Europe and is expected to grow further as the internet makes it easier to find specific items available for rent.
[Schenker, Jennifer]
"Tough Times? Rent, Don't Buy, with Erento"
'' BusinessWeek'', 2008-08-22. Retrieved on 2009-10-01. According to a poll by
YouGov, 76% of people looking to rent would go to the internet first to find what they need; rising to 88% for those aged 25–34.
It has been widely reported that the
financial crisis of 2007–2010 may have contributed to the rapid growth of online rental marketplaces, such as
erento
Erento is the largest online rental marketplace in Germany. Founded in 2003 by Chris Müller and Uwe Kampschulte as a Berlin start-up, Erento currently operates in the UK, Finland, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
History
The company was fo ...
, as consumers are more likely to consider renting instead of buying in times of financial hardship. Environmental concerns, fast depreciation of goods, and a more transient workforce also mean that consumers are increasingly searching for rentals online.
A 2010 US survey found 27% of renters plan to never buy a home.
[''Boston Metro'', 19 August 2010, p 6. Citing survey by Trulia.com.]
Rental investment
Net income received, or losses suffered, by an investor from renting of properties is subject to
idiosyncratic risk due to the numerous things that can happen to real property and variable behavior of tenants.
Rental agreements
There is typically an implied, explicit, or written
rental agreement or
contract involved to specify the terms of the rental, which are regulated and managed under
contract law.
Examples include letting out
real estate (real property) for the purpose of
housing tenure (where the tenant rents a residence to live in),
parking
Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' ...
space for a vehicle(s), storage space, whole or portions of properties for business, agricultural, institutional, or government use, or other reasons.
When renting real estate, the person(s) or party who lives in or occupies the real estate is often called a
tenant
Tenant may refer to:
Real estate
*Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate
*Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law
*Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate
*Tenant farmer
*Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...
, paying rent to the owner of the property, often called a
landlord (or landlady). The real estate rented may be all or part of almost any real estate, such as an
apartment
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
,
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
,
building, business office(s) or suite, land, farm, or merely an inside or outside space to park a vehicle, or store things all under
Real estate law.
The tenancy agreement for real estate is often called a
lease, and usually involves specific property rights in
real property
In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, is land which is the property of some person and all structures (also called improvements or fixtures) integrated with or affixe ...
, as opposed to
chattel
Chattel may refer to:
* Chattel, an alternative name for tangible personal property
* A chattel house, a type of West Indian dwelling
* A chattel mortgage, a security interest over tangible personal property
* Chattel slavery, the most extreme form ...
s.
In India, the rental income on property is taxed under the head "income from house property". A deduction of 30% is allowed from total rent which is charged to tax.
The ''time use of a chattel'' or other so called "personal property" is covered under general
contract law, but the term ''lease'' also nowadays extends to long term ''rental contracts'' of more expensive non-Real properties such as automobiles, boats, planes, office equipment and so forth. The distinction in that case is long term versus short term rentals. Some non-real properties commonly available for rent or lease are:
*
motion picture
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s on
VHS or
DVD, of
audio CDs, of
computer programs on
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
.
*
transport equipment, such as an
automobile or a
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bic ...
.
*ships and boats, in which case rental is known as
chartering, and the rent is known as ''hire'' or ''freight'' (depending on the type of charter)
*aircraft, in which case rental is known as
chartering, or
leasing
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
if the rental is longer term
*specialized
tools, such as a
chainsaw, laptop, IT equipment or something more substantial, such as a
forklift
A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various c ...
.
*large equipment such as cranes, oil rigs and submarines.
*a
deckchair or
beach chair Beach chair means "chair on the beach" and can refer to:
* Deckchair, a portable folding chair used at deck or on the beach.
* Strandkorb, a special hooded windbreak seating furniture used at vacation and seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resor ...
and
umbrella.
*
furniture
Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
*designer handbags, jewelry,
["If you want it, rent it ... from a 'must have' handbag to an Aston Martin"](_blank)
'' The Observer'', 2009-01-04. Retrieved on 2009-09-09. sunglasses and watches.
*Home appliances such as
washing machines,
refrigerator
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
s,
televisions,
microwave ovens, and
air-conditioning units
In various degrees, renting can involve buying services for various amounts of time, such as staying in a
hotel, using a
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
in an
Internet cafe, or riding in a
taxicab (some forms of English use the term "hiring" for this activity).
As seen from the examples, some rented goods are used on the spot, but usually they are taken along; to help
guarantee that they are brought back, one or more of the following applies:
*one shows an
identity document
An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...
*one signs a
contract; any damage already present when renting may be noted down to avoid that the renter is blamed for it when the good is returned
*one pays a
damage deposit (a refundable fee that may be used in part to pay for damage caused by the renter)
If the customer has a credit account with the rental company, they may rent over several months (or years) and will receive a recurring or continuation invoice each rental period until they return the equipment. In this case deposits are rarely required.
In certain types of rental (sometimes known as
operated or wet rental) the charge may be calculated by the rental charge + timesheets of operators or drivers supplied by the rental company to operate the equipment. This is particularly relevant for crane rental companies.
Sometimes the risk that the good is kept is reduced by it being a special model or having signs on it that cannot easily be removed, making it obvious that it is owned by the rental company; this is especially effective for goods used in public places, but even when used at home it may help due to social control.
Persons and businesses that regularly rent goods from a particular company generally have an account with that company, which reduces the administrative procedure (
transaction costs
In economics and related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost in making any economic trade when participating in a market. Oliver E. Williamson defines transaction costs as the costs of running an economic system of companies, and unlike produ ...
) on each occasion.
Signing out
books from a
library could be considered renting when there is a fee per book. However the term ''lending'' is more common.
Leasing
Rental of
personal property
property is property that is movable. In common law systems, personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In civil law systems, personal property is often called movable property or movables—any property that can be moved fr ...
or
real property
In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, is land which is the property of some person and all structures (also called improvements or fixtures) integrated with or affixe ...
for periods often longer than a year, which is governed by the signing of a
lease, is known as leasing. Leasing is usually used for high-value capital equipment, both in business and by consumers. A lease in which the renter benefits from an increase in value of the asset is known as a
finance lease. A leasing agreement which is not a finance lease is known as an
operating lease.
Rent to own
A rental agreement may provide for the renter or lessee to become the owner of the asset at the end of the rental period, usually at the renter's option on payment of a nominal fee. Such arrangements may be known as
*
Rent-to-own
Rent-to-own, also known as rental purchase or rent-to-buy, is a type of legally documented transaction under which tangible property, such as furniture, consumer electronics, motor vehicles, home appliances, real property, and engagement rin ...
, a term used in the United States for rental of furniture or appliances. The term is also used in the US for real estate transactions, where the tenant has an option to purchase the property at a fixed price at a specified future time. Such arrangements are also known as
lease-option
A lease option (more formally Lease With the Option to Purchase) is a type of contract used in both residential and commercial real estate. In a lease-option, a property owner and tenant agree that, at the end of a specified rental period for a giv ...
, lease-to-own or lease to purchase option.
*
Hire purchase, used in the
UK and other countries for the purchase of cars, other consumer equipment and business equipment. The term lease-purchase is also used.
*
Closed-end leasing
Closed-end leasing is a contract-based system governed by law in the U.S. and Canada. It allows a person the use of property for a fixed term, and the right to buy that property for the agreed residual value when the term expires.
Closed-end lea ...
, used in the US and
Canada for the leasing of cars. Unlike in hire purchase, the asset is sold at its
residual value
''Residual value'' is one of the constituents of a leasing calculus or operation. It describes the future value of a good in terms of absolute value in monetary terms and it is sometimes abbreviated into a percentage of the initial price when the i ...
at the end of the term, rather than for a nominal amount.
References
{{Authority control
Property
Finance