What You Are Actually Signing, Clause by Clause
The questions buyers ask right before they sign, and the ones they wish they had asked afterwards. Nine clauses explained in plain words.
Last updated: September 2026
The clauses that matter most in an equipment lease are the notice period, the break fee basis, any personal guarantee, who insures the machine, and what the service commitment actually promises.
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Quick formGetting out, or changing your mind
Three of the nine questions are about leaving: ending early, being rolled into another term you did not choose, and moving to a different machine part way through.
All three turn on dates and figures that are already written down. The work is finding them, not negotiating them.
On auto renewal specifically, our own agreements do not renew automatically. We contact you well before the end date to confirm your choice.
- Auto renewal clauses, and how to stop oneThe notice window closes before the lease ends. Find yours and diarise it.
- Break fees, and what triggers themHow the figure is worked out, and when leaving early is still the cheaper move.
- Upgrading part way through a termMoving to a bigger machine without settling the old agreement first.
What you are personally on the hook for
These three decide who pays if something goes wrong, and they are the ones most often signed without being read.
A guarantee and an insurance obligation both outlast the machine itself.
- Personal guarantees, and what signing one commits you toA separate promise from you, not the company, and it outlives the company.
- Who insures the machineService cover and insurance are different things, and only one is in the monthly fee.
- What credit approval assessesTrading history, structure and size. What commonly holds an application up.
Enquired on Monday and had a printer installed by Friday. Fast, easy, and exactly what we needed.
We have been using Global Document Solutions for about eight years now and would not go anywhere else.
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Quick formWhen the business itself changes
A lease is a contract with a financier, so it does not follow the business automatically when the business is sold or closed.
Both situations need raising early, because consent and settlement figures take longer than a settlement timetable allows for.
- Transferring a lease when the business is soldWho has to agree, and what the incoming owner is assessed on.
- What happens if the business closesWhat survives, and why a personal guarantee changes the position.
- Service level agreements, and what they promiseA four hour response does not mean a four hour fix. Read which one you have.
The other two questions
Common questions
What are the most important clauses in a printer lease?
The notice period before the end of the term, how a break fee is calculated, whether a personal guarantee is required, who carries the insurance obligation, and whether the service commitment promises a response or a repair.
Do printer leases renew automatically?
Some do, across the market, and the notice window normally closes before the lease itself ends.
Ours do not.
We contact you well before the end date to confirm your choice.
Will I need to give a personal guarantee?
Not always.
It is more commonly asked for where the company has a short trading history, is newly formed, or where the agreement is large relative to the size of the business.
An established company often will not be asked.
Is insurance included in a printer lease?
No.
The monthly fee covers the equipment, toner, parts, service labour and call outs.
Insurance against fire, flood, theft and accidental damage is arranged separately by the customer.
Is any of this legal advice?
No.
These pages describe how equipment finance is generally written in Australia, as general information.
Your own agreement governs your position, so have it reviewed before you sign or exit.