Are We Liable for Repairs on a Copier Lease?

There are some questions that come up when people are looking to lease a copier. One of the questions we got recently was, “Am I liable for repairs when leasing a copier?” The general answer is no, but there are some exceptions which would change that answer to yes.

What can make you liable for repairs on a copier you are leasing?

Method 1: One way to become financially liable is to do something malicious to the copier. Think of Office Space. You can’t damage or abuse the copier while it is under a contract and expect that damage to be covered. This could be sitting on the copier at the Christmas party, taking a bat to it, spilling your morning coffee all over the copier. Basically ways to damage or ruin the copier that had very little to do with the copier itself. A copier is generally covered for “normal wear and tear.” Fortunately, these kinds of items rarely happen, but if they do, they would not be covered under a typical copier lease.

Method 2: The next way you could be liable to pay for the repairs is if you don’t get a supplies and service agreement. Yes, it it is possible to lease a copier without a service plan. In this case, you would be responsible for all of the ink as well as the service. Again, most people do not do this, but it is a possible way not to be covered.

Method 3: Acts of God. Most of the leases require you carry insurance to cover for this instance. However if you don’t have the copier covered for acts of God and a flood hit your building ruining the copier, you would be liable for the financial costs of the copier. Most companies are covered on this even if they don’t want to be because it is required.

Method 4: Using the copier against manufacturer specifications. For example, say you get a plastic based paper that is not rated to be in a laser copier and when you ran prints, the plastic melted and messed up the copier, most copier companies would not cover this because it wasn’t an issue with the copier, but with the user who didn’t make sure the paper was rated to go into a laser copier.

Most businesses will have their copier covered for most ways they could create issues for themselves. We see less than 1% of our clients have any of the above issues, so in the overall scheme of things, it is uncommon. Just because it is rare, doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult if it happens. We would always suggest using and taking care of the copier in the normal method and being sure insurance covers the copier in the case of acts of God.

If you have any questions about what is covered and what is not covered on a copier lease, please give us a call!