Getting an AI-drafted lease of equipment checked

An equipment lease produced with an AI drafting tool speaks of a 'lessor' and a 'lessee', disclaims all warranties 'as is, where is', and provides for 'self-help repossession' and 'attorneys' fees'. In England and Wales hire carries implied terms about title, description and quality that can be excluded only within limits, hire to an individual may be a regulated consumer hire agreement, and repossession is governed by the agreement and the general law rather than by self-help. I review the agreement against English law and the equipment concerned, from whichever side instructs me, and return it marked up with tracked changes, a clean copy and a written explanation of the changes, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Businesses in England and Wales hiring out plant, machinery, vehicles, medical, office or event equipment under an agreement drafted with an AI tool, and businesses taking equipment on lease under such an agreement, whether for a single hire or a multi-year arrangement.

What the review checks in an AI-drafted equipment lease

The implied terms in hire and the exclusions

A contract of hire carries implied terms under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 that the owner has the right to transfer possession, that the goods match their description and that they are of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose under section 9. Against a business hirer those terms can be excluded only where the exclusion is reasonable under section 7 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977; against a consumer they cannot be excluded at all under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The review replaces the US 'as is' disclaimer with a warranty and exclusions that will hold for the hirer concerned.

Consumer hire and the regulated perimeter

Hire to an individual, a sole trader or a small partnership for a period that can exceed three months can be a consumer hire agreement under section 15 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, with form and content requirements and a regulated activity that needs authorisation. The review identifies who the hirer is and whether the agreement falls within the perimeter, and says so rather than drafting a document that cannot lawfully be used.

Risk, insurance, maintenance and use

The review checks that risk of loss and damage passes to the hirer on delivery, that the hirer must insure the equipment for its replacement value with the owner's interest noted, who maintains and services it and at whose cost, the permitted use and location, and what happens when the equipment breaks down through no fault of the hirer, because an AI draft puts every risk on the hirer and every right with the owner without saying what the owner must do.

Minimum term, early termination and the sums due

Where the hire has a minimum term, the review checks the sum payable if the hirer ends it early: a demand for all remaining rentals without discount can be a penalty, and the review drafts a termination sum that reflects the owner's loss with credit for early receipt and re-hire. It also checks the notice for ending a periodic hire, automatic extension and the position at the end of the term, including any option to purchase, which changes the nature of the agreement.

Return, condition and repossession

The review sets the condition in which the equipment must be returned, fair wear and tear, the charges for damage and cleaning, and the owner's rights where the hirer does not return it, replacing US self-help repossession with a contractual right to enter the hirer's premises on notice, the remedies the general law provides and, for uncollected or wrongfully retained goods, the position under the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977.

Payment, ownership and the boilerplate

The review checks the rental, deposit and payment terms, interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, a statement that title remains with the owner throughout and that the hirer may not sell, sublet or charge the equipment, and the boilerplate, replacing a US state's law and courts with English law and jurisdiction and excluding third-party rights under section 1 of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

What it costs

Review of an AI-drafted contract, £495. One contract, returned as a marked-up Word document with my amendments as tracked changes, a clean version with the changes accepted, and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days from payment.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the review of an ai-drafted contract page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own Word document returned with every amendment I consider necessary shown as a tracked change, so you can see exactly what I changed and accept or reject each one
• A clean version with every change accepted, ready to send
• Corrections to anything that is wrong as a matter of English law, unenforceable as drafted, or internally inconsistent
• Missing provisions added where the document has left a gap that matters: usually liability, termination, payment, intellectual property or data
• Comments in the margin where a clause is a commercial choice rather than a legal one, so the decision stays yours
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, with anything you should think about before sending it out
• Follow-up questions on the mark-up answered by email, included

What is not included

• A full rewrite. This is a review and amendment of your document, not a replacement for it. If the draft is structurally unsuitable for the deal, I will say so and quote separately for drafting it properly
• A second round of amendments after you have changed the document again, which I can quote for
• Negotiating with the other side
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Reviewing a document the other side drafted, which is the contract review service, at the same price

Questions I am often asked

The draft says the equipment is hired 'as is' with no warranties. Does that stand?

Not against a consumer, and against a business only where the exclusion is reasonable. The implied terms in hire under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 apply, and the review drafts exclusions within the limits the law allows.

The hirer wants to end a three-year lease after one year. What can we charge?

A sum that reflects the owner's loss, with credit for early receipt of the money and for re-hiring the equipment. A demand for every remaining rental in full is likely to be a penalty. The review drafts the termination sum accordingly.

Can we go and take the equipment back if the hirer stops paying?

Only under a contractual right of entry the agreement gives you and within the general law; US self-help repossession language does not confer a right to enter premises. The review drafts the right and the notice procedure.

Related guidance and services

• Review of an AI-drafted contract, £495, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Reviewing an equipment lease or hire purchase agreement
• Reviewing a photocopier or office equipment lease

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.