Your copier lease ends in 60 days and you plan to return the equipment. What sounds like a simple process, pack up the machine and send it back, actually involves specific deadlines, condition requirements, and potential fees that catch thousands of businesses off guard every year.
Follow this step-by-step guide to return your leased copier without paying a dollar more than necessary.
60 to 90 Days Before Lease End: Send Written Notice
Your first and most critical step. Most copier leases require written cancellation notice 60 to 90 days before the term ends. If you miss this deadline, your lease auto-renews for 12 to 24 months and you are stuck making payments on equipment you intended to return.
Send the notice via certified mail with return receipt to the leasing company (not the dealer) at the address specified in your lease agreement. Keep the certified mail receipt as proof of delivery.
30 to 45 Days Before: Schedule the Return
Contact the leasing company to schedule equipment pickup. Most leasing companies use third-party logistics companies to retrieve returned equipment. Get the following in writing: pickup date and time window, who is responsible for disconnecting and moving the copier to the loading area, whether you need to keep original packaging or if the logistics company provides packing materials.
Some leasing companies require you to ship the equipment yourself. If so, get their approved shipping method and destination address. Use a freight carrier with tracking and insurance. A copier damaged during shipping becomes your financial responsibility.
Before Pickup: Document the Equipment Condition
This step saves businesses thousands of dollars in disputed damage charges. Before the copier leaves your office:
- Photograph the machine from all four sides, the top, and the control panel
- Open each paper tray and photograph the interior
- Print a test page and photograph it (proves the machine was functional at pickup)
- Print the machine’s internal page counter report
- Note the serial number and verify it matches your lease agreement
- Remove any personal data by performing a factory reset on the copier’s hard drive
Save these photos and documents for at least 6 months after the return. You will need them if the leasing company claims damage or disputes the equipment condition.
After Pickup: Watch for Final Charges
Within 30 to 60 days after the equipment is returned, the leasing company will send a final statement. Review it carefully for:
- Restocking fee: $200 to $2,000 depending on equipment size
- Damage charges: For anything the leasing company deems beyond “normal wear and tear”
- Final meter reconciliation: Overage charges for pages printed between your last regular billing date and the return date
- Shipping charges: If the leasing company arranged pickup, they may bill the shipping cost to you
- Property tax reconciliation: Any remaining property tax obligations through the return date
How to Dispute Unfair Final Charges
If the final statement includes charges you believe are unfair or undisclosed, respond in writing within 30 days. Reference your lease agreement and point to the specific provisions (or lack thereof) that support your position. Include your pre-return photos as evidence of equipment condition.
Most disputes over final charges are resolved when the lessee provides documentation. Leasing companies apply damage charges broadly, expecting that many businesses will pay without questioning. Businesses that push back with evidence typically get 50% to 100% of disputed charges removed.
What Most Guides Miss: The Hard Drive Data Risk
Modern copiers have internal hard drives that store images of every document scanned, copied, or printed. When you return a leased copier, that hard drive goes with it, potentially containing sensitive business documents, client information, financial records, and personal data.
Before returning your copier, perform a full data overwrite using the machine’s built-in security erase function (most business copiers from 2020 onward have this feature in the administrator settings menu). If your copier does not have a built-in data wipe, ask your IT department to remove and destroy the hard drive, then inform the leasing company that the drive was removed for security purposes. Some leasing companies charge for a missing hard drive ($50 to $200), but this cost is negligible compared to the risk of a data breach. Check our guide to copier lease terms for more on end-of-lease timelines, and review potential surprise costs in our copier lease hidden fees guide.
The 30-Day Post-Return Checklist
After the copier leaves your office, confirm with the leasing company that they received the equipment and close out your account. Request written confirmation that your lease obligation is fulfilled and no further payments are due.
Monitor your bank account for any additional charges from the leasing company for 90 days after the return. If you see an unexpected charge, dispute it immediately in writing with the documentation you prepared before the return.
Check your business credit report 60 to 90 days after the lease closes to verify the account is reported as “paid in full” or “closed satisfactorily.”
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