Your copier lease says you must give 60 days written notice to cancel at the end of the term. That sounds like plenty of time, and it is, right up until you forget and the lease renews for another year. A 60 day notice copier lease cancellation is one of the more common end of term structures, and it is more forgiving than a 90 day clause but still strict enough to trap the unprepared. Getting it right is not complicated, but it requires knowing the exact date, sending notice the right way, and keeping proof. Here is how to do all three so your lease ends cleanly when you want it to.
What 60 Day Notice Actually Requires
A 60 day notice clause means you must deliver written cancellation to the leasing company at least 60 days before your lease end date. If your lease ends on March 31, your notice must arrive by roughly January 30. Deliver it on January 31 and it is late by contract, which usually triggers automatic renewal. The 60 days is counted to the end date in the contract, not to your last payment, so confirm the exact end date in writing before you count backward. Never assume, because a delayed original installation can push the real end date past where you expect it.
How to Send Notice the Right Way
Written means written, delivered to the leasing company, not a verbal heads up to your sales rep. Check the contract for the exact method it demands. Many require certified mail to a named address, some accept email to a specific inbox, and a few require a form. Use the method the contract names, send it to the leasing entity that holds the paper rather than the dealer who sold you the machine, and keep proof of delivery. A tracked certified letter with a signature receipt is the gold standard because it removes any argument about whether and when they received it. A copier lease termination letter template gives you clean language to drop your account number and end date into.
Send It Early, Not Exactly on Time
There is no penalty for sending notice before the window opens, so send it early. If you know in month 50 of a 60 month lease that you are leaving, send the notice then. Sending early costs nothing and removes the risk entirely. The only reason to wait is if you are still deciding whether to buy the machine, upgrade, or return it, and even then you can send a conditional non renewal notice to protect yourself and change course later. The offices that get burned are almost always the ones who planned to send notice right at the 60 day mark and then let the date slip past during a busy week.
What Happens If You Miss It
Miss the 60 day deadline and your lease almost certainly auto renews. Depending on the contract, that means another full 12 months or a month to month continuation at the same rate. Either way you keep paying for a machine you intended to return. If you miss the window, act immediately anyway. Send notice the moment you realize, because that starts the clock on ending the renewal period as soon as the contract allows. You may owe some extra payments, but sending late notice still limits the damage compared to letting it renew silently again. For the full range of exit strategies, review the copier lease early termination fees you might face if you need out sooner.
What Most Guides Miss
Here is the nuance that trips people up. A 60 day notice clause and a 60 day return window are not the same thing. Sending notice by the deadline stops the renewal, but you often still have to physically return the machine by the end date in good condition, packed and shipped at your expense, which can run $200 to $500. If the machine arrives late or damaged, the leasing company can bill you for continued payments or repair costs even though you sent notice on time. So the 60 day notice is step one, and coordinating pickup or shipping before the end date is step two. Plan the physical return the same week you send the notice, not after, so both halves of the exit land on time.
Getting It Done
Cancelling on a 60 day clause comes down to three moves. Confirm the exact end date in writing, send written notice early through the method the contract demands with proof of delivery, and arrange the physical return before the end date. Do all three and your lease ends exactly when it should, with no surprise renewal and no return dispute. Treat any one of them casually and the clause that looked generous becomes another year of payments.
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