2019 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 59. Professions and Occupations
§59-1954. Disclosures required - Prohibited provisions - Reinstatement rights - Advertisement contents

A. The disclosures required by the Oklahoma Rental-Purchase Act:

1. Shall be made clearly and conspicuously;

2. Shall be in writing, a copy of which shall be delivered to the lessee;

3. May use terminology different from that employed in the Oklahoma Rental-Purchase Act if it conveys substantially the same meaning;

4. May be supplemented by additional information or explanations supplied by the lessor;

5. Shall comply with the provisions of the Oklahoma Rental-Purchase Act although rendered inaccurate by any act, occurrence, or agreement, subsequent to the required disclosure;

6. Shall be made to the person who signs the rental-purchase agreement, except that in a transaction involving more than one lessee, a disclosure statement or a copy of the agreement need not be given to more than one of the lessees; and

7. Shall be made by the lessor specified on the rental-purchase license.

B. A rental-purchase agreement shall disclose the following items, as applicable:

1. Whether the property is new or used;

2. The period and amount of payments;

3. The total number of payments necessary and the total amounts to be paid to acquire ownership of the merchandise;

4. The amount and purpose of any other payment, charge or fee in addition to the regular periodic payments;

5. Whether the consumer is liable for loss or damage to the rental property, and if so, the maximum amount for which the consumer may be liable;

6. The amount of any deposit required by lessor and the conditions under which it shall be refundable or nonrefundable;

7. If applicable, that the lessee may purchase from the lessor insurance to cover the property or a waiver of liability for damage to or destruction of the property, and the amount of any such charge or fee. The insurance or waiver of liability coverage may be offered to the lessee at any time during the term of the rental-purchase agreement; and

8. That the consumer does not acquire ownership rights unless the consumer has complied with the ownership terms of the agreement.

C. A rental-purchase agreement may not contain a provision:

1. Requiring a confession of judgment;

2. Authorizing a lessor or an agent of the lessor to commit a breach of the peace in the repossession of rental property;

3. Waiving any defense, counterclaim, or right the lessee may have against the lessor or an agent of the lessor;

4. Requiring the purchase of insurance from the lessor to cover the rental property; provided, however, that the lessor may offer to the lessee any such insurance if it is clearly and conspicuously disclosed on the face of the agreement of insurance, in print not less than 8-point boldface type, that the purchase of any such insurance by the lessee from the lessor is optional. Lessors offering any such insurance must comply with the rules and regulations governing the offering for sale and sale of insurance in the State of Oklahoma, and the offering for sale and sale of such insurance shall be governed and regulated by the State of Oklahoma Commissioner of Insurance;

5. Requiring the purchase of a waiver of liability from the lessor for damage to or destruction of the property; provided, however, that the lessor may offer to the lessee any such waiver of liability if it is clearly and conspicuously disclosed on the face of the waiver of liability agreement, in print not less than 8-point boldface type, that the purchase of any such waiver of liability by the lessee from the lessor is optional; and

6. Requiring the payment of any fee in an amount that is in excess of the range of fees usually or customarily charged by providers of similar services or products. Any rent due and charges or fees assessed may be held from the payment or may be accrued and collected when possible.

D. A rental-purchase agreement shall provide reinstatement rights as follows:

1. A consumer who fails to make a timely payment may reinstate a rental-purchase agreement without losing rights or options previously acquired, by arranging with the lessor to make the past due payments, within two (2) days after the due date of the payment and by arranging to pay any fees due or by returning the property within two (2) days if the lessor so requests. Provided, nothing herein shall prevent the lessor from modifying payment arrangements to allow the consumer to make the account current and to accrue any charges due or any rent due to be paid at some future agreed upon date. Partial payment agreements shall provide for the rent to be prorated with notice to the consumer of the next due date; and

2. If the rental property is returned during the reinstatement period, other than through judicial process, the right to reinstate the agreement shall be extended for a period of not less than thirty (30) days after the date of the return of the property. Upon reinstatement, the lessor shall provide the lessee with the same rental property or substitute property of comparable quality and condition. If substitute property is provided, the lessor shall provide the lessee with the disclosures required in subsection B of this section. Notice of the right to reinstate shall be disclosed in the agreement.

E. An advertisement for a rental-purchase agreement that states the amount of a payment and the right to acquire ownership of any one particular item must clearly and conspicuously state:

1. That the transaction advertised is a rental-purchase agreement; and

2. The total amount and the number of payments necessary to acquire ownership.

F. Any consumer neglect of the merchandise resulting in reasonable repairs will be the responsibility of the consumer and charges for such repair may be received in payments agreed upon by the lessor according to an agreed upon payment schedule.

G. When property that is not displayed or offered primarily for rental-purchase is offered for rental-purchase, the following shall be separately disclosed prior to the disclosures required by subsection B of this section:

1. The cash price of the property;

2. The amount of the periodic rental payment; and

3. The total number and amount of periodic rental payments necessary to acquire ownership of the property.

H. In addition to the disclosures required by subsections B and G of this section, if the property that is the subject of a rental-purchase agreement was not displayed or offered primarily for rental-purchase prior to the rental-purchase transaction, the following additional disclosures shall be made on a separate page titled "Acknowledgment of Rental-Purchase Transaction" and signed by the lessee:

1. That the agreement is a rental-purchase agreement and the lessee does not own the merchandise but can obtain ownership by using ownership options provided in the agreement;

2. That the agreement is not a credit transaction;

3. That the lessee has the right to return the merchandise to the lessor without additional charge or penalty at any time and will owe nothing further except unpaid rent charges and fees;

4. That if the lessee returns the property, the agreement offers reinstatement rights which allow the lessee to get the property back if the lessee has complied with the agreement and the law;

5. That the lessee has been advised of and reviewed the lessor's cash price of the property, the amount of any periodic payment and the total number and amount of periodic payments necessary to acquire ownership of the property; and

6. That the lessee has reviewed and acknowledged the terms of the agreement, including the purchase option rights and the total cost if all scheduled payments are made.

Added by Laws 1988, c. 106, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1988. Amended by Laws 1989, c. 106, § 3, emerg. eff. April 26, 1989; Laws 1991, c. 83, § 1, emerg. eff. April 22, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 261, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 2016, c. 278, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2016.