Leasehacking 101: A Guide to Reading a Lease Contract

On Leasehackr Forum, a new user asked for guidance on what to review on a lease contract before signing:

Hey guys,

I couldn’t find this in the FAQ so I thought I’d make a separate topic for others to reference in the future - is there a guide out there on what to look for when combing through lease paperwork right before you sign a deal?

Specifically interested in double checking the deal to know it is the monthly and $ DAS [Due At Signing] they said it would be (for me, $0 DAS), as well as making sure they’re not tacking on any add-ons or packages that I don’t want to pay for.

My lease is for a Mazda, but I think a general guide for all lease agreements would be useful.

Thanks!

Trusted Hackr chrishs2000 came to the rescue and created an annotated guide to understanding a lease contract. The guide shows where you can find the amount due at signing (DAS), the selling price of the vehicle, the residual value, the monthly payment, and more. Thanks, Chris!

Click here to download the Guide to Reading a Lease Contract (PDF file, 878 KB).